How to Turn Off Instagram Location (Phone and Post Tags)

There are really two things people mean by turning off Instagram location. One is stopping the app from seeing where your phone is. The other is removing a place name from a photo you've already shared. They use different settings, and it's easy to fix one and leave the other showing.

That matters for everyone, and especially for small business owners who post from home, a studio or a client's premises. I'll stick to what Instagram's Help Centre says and tell you where its pages stop.

What Instagram location access does on your phone

Instagram's page on device permissions lists Location Services as a way to improve account security, explore places nearby and add locations to posts. It also says you can change Instagram's permissions to your device's applications at any time in your device settings.

Another help page says Instagram's default setting for location is off, but you can turn it on whenever you post a photo, and you choose whether or not to allow Instagram access to your location. So if you've never allowed it, there may be nothing to switch off.

Turning off Instagram location on an iPhone

The Help Centre gives these steps for iPhone:

1. Leave the Instagram app and go to your iPhone's Settings.
2. Tap Privacy & Security, then tap Location Services.
3. Scroll down and tap Instagram.
4. Select Never to stop location access, or While Using the App to allow it only when the app is open.

Choose Never if you don't want Instagram to know your position at all. The While Using the App option is a middle ground that some people prefer when they tag places in their posts.

Turning off Instagram location from inside the Instagram app

Instagram also gives a route that starts in the app and sends you to your phone's settings:

1. Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
2. Tap Menu in the top right.
3. Below Your app and media, tap Device permissions.
4. Select Location Services as the item you want to view or update.
5. Tap Update device settings, then tap Open device settings.
6. In your device settings, turn Instagram's access to location on or off.

The help page adds that some permission settings let you give Instagram only limited access. Exactly how that looks depends on your phone's software, so follow what your own screen offers.

Turning off Instagram location on an Android phone

Instagram's Android help page says you can open your phone's settings, tap Apps, then scroll down and tap Instagram. From there you can adjust things like notifications and other app settings. The help pages I read didn't spell out the exact words for the location switch on every Android phone, so I won't claim a fixed label. The in-app Device permissions route above is the one Instagram describes, and it takes you to your phone's own settings page for Instagram.

Removing a location from an Instagram post you've already shared

Turning off phone access doesn't take a tag off an existing post. For that, Instagram's Help Centre gives these steps:

1. Above your photo or video, tap Options.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Tap the location name, then tap Edit location.
4. To remove it, choose the remove option. On iPhone the help page calls it Remove Location, and on Android you tap Remove next to Select a Location.
5. Tap Done to save your changes.

Keep in mind what the same page says about tagged locations: when people tap the location in your photo or video, they can see your content and other content tagged at the same location, and who can see and interact with it depends on your profile privacy setting.

Choosing not to add an Instagram location when you post

The simplest option is to leave it blank. When you share a post, Instagram's page says you tap Add location, find your location in the suggestions or search, tap Add location, then Add, then Share. If you skip those steps, no location is attached.

For a business, that can be the right call for posts made at home. If you do want customers to find a shop or event, tagging a public place can help, which is why I'd keep location for those posts and skip it elsewhere.

When a location tag helps a small business on Instagram

• Tagging a shop, venue or event can help local people find your post.
• Tagging a public place is different from sharing your phone's live position.
• Leaving location off protects the places you'd rather not announce.
• You can edit or remove a tag later if you change your mind.

If you're deciding how much to share, my notes on planning your Instagram marketing cover where posting decisions like this fit in your wider plan. And once your posts are doing their job, reading your Instagram dashboard numbers shows you whether location-tagged posts get noticed.

What to check if Instagram location won't turn off

• Confirm you changed the setting in your phone's own settings, not just in the app.
• Check whether you chose Never rather than While Using the App.
• Open the post and look at the location name; phone access and post tags are separate.
• Update the Instagram app and your phone software, because menu names change.
• If the setting is missing, use the Help Centre or report a problem from inside the app.

Instagram location settings at a glance

What you want	Where to go
Stop the app seeing your phone's position	Phone Settings, Location Services, Instagram, Never (iPhone)
Open the same setting from the app	Menu, Device permissions, Update device settings
Remove a tag from a shared post	Options, Edit, location name, Edit location
Post without a place name	Skip Add location when sharing

This guide is part of my Instagram Help: 81 Guides to Followers, Hashtags, Money, Accounts and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off location on Instagram?

Open your phone's Settings, find Instagram and choose Never for location access. You can also start from Menu, Device permissions in the app.

Does Instagram share my location by default?

Instagram's help page says its default setting for location is off, but you can turn location on whenever you post a photo.

How do I remove a location from an Instagram post?

Tap Options above the post, tap Edit, tap the location name, tap Edit location, remove it and tap Done.

Who can see a location tag on my post?

People who tap the location can see your content and other content tagged there, and Instagram says who can see it depends on your profile privacy setting.

Will turning off location stop me adding a place to posts?

Yes, you'd need to allow access again or search for a place by name when you add a location. Check your phone's options, as wording varies.