- Instagram or Facebook: the two ways in
- What comes across and what stays separate
- What signing up with Facebook means
- Instagram sign-up and Facebook sign-up side by side
- Checks before you create the profile
- Running more than one Threads profile
- Linking a Mastodon or other fediverse profile
- Signing up without an Instagram account
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
You sign up for Threads by signing in with an Instagram or a Facebook account, and Instagram Help says you can create one Threads profile for each Instagram and Facebook account you have. Whichever route you take, who you follow and who follows you on Threads won't change who you follow or your followers on Instagram or Facebook.
If you need the background on what Threads is first, I've covered what the Threads app is and how it works separately. This page is about the sign-up decision itself, as of Nov 2026, and the small print that matters once you're running a business profile there.
Instagram or Facebook: the two ways in
Instagram Help's Create a profile on Threads article is short and clear: to create a Threads profile you need to sign in with your Instagram or Facebook account. Help then splits the steps into two routes, one for each, and the exact screens depend on your device.
The detail most people miss is the count. It's one Threads profile for each Instagram account and each Facebook account you have. So a business with an Instagram account and a Facebook account could, in principle, end up with two Threads profiles. That's handy if you want a brand profile and a personal one. It's a mess if you sign up twice by accident and split your audience. Decide which account your business profile should hang off before you tap anything.
What comes across and what stays separate
Help lists a handful of things to bear in mind, and each one changes how you'd set things up:
- Following is separate. Profiles you follow, and profiles following you, on Threads don't affect your following or followers on Instagram or Facebook. Unfollowing someone on Threads leaves your Instagram untouched.
- Some profile details are edited on Threads. You can update your bio, links and profile picture on Threads at any time.
- Everything else lives on the parent account. To change other things, such as personal information, you edit the Instagram or Facebook account you used to create the Threads profile.
- A verified Instagram account brings its badge. If you signed up with a verified Instagram account, a verification badge shows on your Threads profile, and you can only change your Threads profile picture on Instagram.
- A verified Facebook account doesn't. If you sign up with a verified Facebook account, Help says the badge won't carry over to Threads.
That last pair is the one I'd weigh most heavily for a brand. If your Instagram account is verified and your Facebook one is too, the Instagram route is the one that shows the badge on Threads. If verification is a separate project for you, there's a guide to getting verified on Threads.
What signing up with Facebook means
Instagram Help has a separate article on the Facebook route. The practical upside is one set of login details for both apps. The trade-off is that Meta combines your information across Threads and Facebook. Help says it uses that combined information to:
- personalise and measure ads, including showing more relevant ads on Facebook and Threads based on your profile and activity across accounts
- personalise content and suggestions, and help organisations understand how people engage with their posts and videos
- improve its products and offer optional activities that span them, such as surveys
If you change your mind later, Help says you can delete your Threads profile and that won't delete your Facebook account. The steps for that are in my guide on deleting a Threads account.
When the Facebook option doesn't appear
This one trips people up. Help says that if you can't sign up with Facebook, it may be because the Facebook app and the Threads app aren't both installed on the same mobile device. You need both on the same phone. And if you've already signed up with Facebook and the option to sign in with it has vanished, Help says the Facebook app may have been removed from that device.
Instagram sign-up and Facebook sign-up side by side
| Sign up with Instagram | Sign up with Facebook | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | Your Instagram account | Your Facebook account, plus the Facebook and Threads apps on the same mobile device |
| Profiles allowed | One Threads profile per Instagram account | One Threads profile per Facebook account |
| Verified badge | Shows on Threads if the Instagram account is verified | Doesn't carry over to Threads |
| Profile picture | Changed on Instagram if the account is verified | Editable on Threads |
| Following and followers | Separate from Instagram | Separate from Facebook |
| If it goes wrong | Check you're signed in to the right Instagram account | Check both apps are installed on the same phone |
Checks before you create the profile
- Decide whether this is a brand profile or a personal one, and pick the Instagram or Facebook account that matches.
- If the account you want to use is a verified Instagram account, plan to manage the Threads profile picture from Instagram.
- If you're going the Facebook route, install both the Facebook and Threads apps on the same mobile device first.
- Make sure you're signed in to the right account, so you don't create a second Threads profile by mistake.
- Have your bio and links ready, since those are the parts you edit on Threads itself.
Running more than one Threads profile
Help confirms you can create multiple Threads profiles and switch between them, which follows from the one-per-account rule. On Threads.com from a computer, Help's switching route is blunt: click Menu on the left, click Log out, then enter the username and password you want to log in with. For a small team juggling a brand profile and a founder profile on a shared laptop, that's the route.
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Linking a Mastodon or other fediverse profile
If you also run a profile on another server, such as Mastodon, Help says you can link your identity between the two by adding a link to that other profile in your Threads bio. It's a small thing, but it's how Help says to tie your identity together across the two.
Signing up without an Instagram account
Instagram Help has an article on signing up to Threads with or without an Instagram account, but what it shows depends on where you are, and in some areas it isn't available at all. If you don't have Instagram, the Facebook route above is the alternative Help names in its main sign-up article.
My verdict
For most businesses I'd start with the Instagram account your brand already uses, especially if it's verified, because that's the route where the badge shows on Threads. I'd go the Facebook route only if Facebook is where your brand lives and you're happy with Meta combining your information across the two apps. Skip creating a second profile until you've a clear reason for it, such as a separate brand that needs its own voice, because two half-run profiles help nobody.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign up for Threads without Instagram?
You can sign in with a Facebook account instead. Instagram Help also has an article on signing up with or without an Instagram account, but its content varies by area.
Does my Instagram verified badge show on Threads?
Yes. Instagram Help says that if the Instagram account you used is verified, a verification badge shows on your Threads profile. A verified Facebook account's badge won't carry over.
Why can't I sign up to Threads with Facebook?
Instagram Help says it may be because the Facebook app and the Threads app aren't both installed on the same mobile device. You need both apps on the same phone.
Will deleting Threads delete my Facebook account?
No. Instagram Help says that if you delete a Threads profile created with Facebook, your Facebook account isn't deleted.
How many Threads profiles can one person run?
Instagram Help says you can create one Threads profile for each Instagram and Facebook account you have, and switch between multiple profiles.
