How to View When an Instagram Account Was Created – Your Own or Someone Else’s

The social media platform, Instagram, has come a long way since its start in 2010 and its Facebook acquisition in 2012, and some people have been active on the app since the very beginning. You may have been using it for so long now that it’s impossible to remember when you created your account.

Some people can remember the year and perhaps even the month, but many would draw a blank if they had to recall when, exactly, they entered the world of Instagram. If you have been using Instagram every day for years, it could be challenging to think of a time when your daily life was without it.

Therefore, remembering the exact date when you created your Instagram account might give you better insight into how long you’ve had your account, as well as when certain events happened and how your account has grown. You can check the date you started using an Instagram account on your smartphone or web browser.

How to View When Your Instagram Account Was Created using the Mobile App

Most people use Instagram on their smartphones because it’s more convenient. Plus, it has more features than the desktop version of the platform. However, the app no longer includes the creation date. You have to use a browser on Android or iPhone to view your “Date joined” information. Regardless, the app does display the created date for other profiles, which is explained later on.

How to View When Your Instagram Account was Created using a PC

If you’re used to checking Instagram on your laptop or desktop computer, you can use them to check the date you joined. All you need to do is:

1. Go to Instagram web using any browser and log into your account.
   
2. Click on your profile picture, and from the drop-down menu, select Profile.
   
3. Now, click on the gear icon, and from a pop-up window, select Privacy & Security.
   
4. Scroll down and under the Data Download section and click on Request Download.
   
5. Make sure the correct email is listed in the text bar and select which file format you want your information to be delivered in(We will be using HTML). Then click Next.
   
6. Enter your password and click Request Download.
   
7. You will receive an email with a link for you to download your file. Click the button that says Download Information.
   
8. You will be prompted to enter your password, do it. Then you should see a link offering to download the file. Click it, and a .zip file will be downloaded.
9. Open the zip file and then open the new folder that will appear(It should have the same name as the zip). Scroll down to where you see another folder labeled login_and_account_creation. Open it
   
10. Look for a file labeled Signup_information.html. When you open it, you should see information regarding when your account was created, including the date it was made.
    

The file gives you more than simply the date joined information. You can check all the data regarding privacy changes and password changes.

Users can also go through all the phone numbers and emails associated with their accounts. If you scroll a little bit further, you can find the Profile Info section as well.

There, you can view all the former usernames and full names that you’ve used on your account, as well as former bio texts and links in bio.

How to View the Age of an Instagram Account Started by Someone Else?

There are a few reasons why someone would be curious about when another user created their account.

Perhaps you have been following a celebrity for a long time, and you want to see when they started their account. Maybe you’d like to check the authenticity?

People create fake accounts on Instagram all the time, mostly to leave anonymous comments that are often offensive. If you notice strange activity from an account, one of the first steps is to check the join date and see whether it was very recent.

There are two ways you can check the age of the Instagram account created by someone else.

Check the Instagram About This Account Section to Find the Created Date

In 2018, Instagram took two significant steps toward verification and authentication for accounts with many followers.

Once an Instagram account crosses a certain threshold in the number of followers (they don’t specify the number), it receives the “About This Account” section, containing all the relevant information about the account, including its age.

This section ensures that even though an account has many followers, its audience can check whether they’ve acquired them recently or not. To find out the age of the Instagram account made by someone else, you must use the mobile app. The Instagram website does not provide the “About this account” option, as confirmed on Feb. 15, 2022, on Android 11 and Windows 10.

1. Open the Instagram app on Android or iPhone. Navigate to the account you want to check, then tap on the horizontal ellipsis (three dots) in the top right corner.
   
2. A menu will pop up from the bottom of the screen. Tap on the About This Account “option.
   
3. Under Account Information, you’ll see the Date Joined entry.
   

Based on the date the account got created, you can judge the account’s authenticity. The concept is “kinda” similar to checking for posts on a questionable Facebook profile. If it’s relatively new, it may not be genuine. The section will also tell which country the account is based in, list former usernames, and display the followers you share with them.

Check Posts to Estimate the Instagram Joined Date

By default, Instagram doesn’t provide all profiles with the About This Account section. Even those profiles with considerable follower numbers might not have it. Older accounts with fewer followers might not have it either. All verified accounts will have it, though. But what are you supposed to do if the section is missing from the account you want to check?

There isn’t much you can do. Your best option is to go to a specific Instagram account and scroll down to the first post. If it resembles a reasonably new profile, there won’t be much to scroll through, which may mean that the account is a copy or fake. In any case, the first post’s date could be around the time the person or business joined the platform, provided they haven’t deleted any older posts or didn’t bring it up months later to start using it. This method will not be very accurate, but it can at least get some idea of how long they have had their account.

Perhaps you find yourself surprised when you think about how long it has been since the day you created your Instagram account, or you might have opened a few accounts and don’t remember which one came first or second.

When it comes to other users’ accounts, there are several benefits to knowing how long they’ve been on Instagram. There are many fake celebrity accounts out there. So, looking for the About This Account section can help determine authenticity. Also, if an Instagram profile doesn’t feature this section, your best way to figure out the age of the account is to look for the first post they have, although it is never a guarantee that it was the first one or when they opened the account.