---
title: "How to Generate an Instagram Access Token"
url: "https://divipeople.com/docs/generate-instagram-access-token.md"
canonical: "https://divipeople.com/docs/generate-instagram-access-token/"
published: "2025-03-24"
modified: "2026-05-18"
author: "Fahim Reza"
tags:
  - "Divi Instagram Feed"
  - "Divi Social Plus"
---

# How to Generate an Instagram Access Token

***Last verified against Meta's Instagram Platform documentation in 2026, after the Instagram Basic Display API end-of-life (December 4, 2024).***

Divi Instagram Feed connects to Instagram using an **access token** that you generate in **your own** Meta developer app and paste into the plugin. When you click **Connect Account** in **Divi Instagram Feed → Accounts**, you'll be asked for two things:

1. **Access Token** — generated in your own Meta app using the steps below
2. **Account Type** — **Creator (Instagram Login)** or **Business (Facebook Page)**

Pick the track that matches your account.

## Why you generate your own token (no third-party app)

**[Divi Instagram Feed](https://divipeople.com/divi-instagram-feed/)** is deliberately designed so that **you create your own private Meta app and generate your own token**. Your Instagram account is **never connected to DiviPeople or any shared third-party application**, and your data never passes through our servers.

What this means for you:

- **Privacy & ownership** — the app is yours, the token is yours, the connection is strictly between *your* WordPress site and *your* Instagram account.
- **No vendor lock-in** — you can revoke or regenerate the token in your own Meta dashboard at any time, independent of the plugin.
- **No Meta App Review required** — because the app accesses **only your own account** (you are the app owner / a person with a role on the app), it can stay in **Development mode**. Meta App Review and Advanced Access are only needed when an app serves *other* people's accounts — which this model intentionally avoids.

The trade-off is a one-time setup: you'll spend ~10 minutes creating the app and generating the token. This guide covers every step in depth.

> **Before you start: Personal Instagram accounts are not supported. Your account must be a Professional account — *Creator* or *Business*. To switch: Instagram app → Settings → Account type and tools → Switch to professional account. Creator is enough and does not require a Facebook Page.**

## Which track should I use?

| Your situation | Use this track | Account Type to select |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Creator account, **no** Facebook Page | **Track A — Creator / Instagram Login** | **Creator (Instagram Login)** |
| Business account, **no** Facebook Page | **Track A — Creator / Instagram Login** | **Creator (Instagram Login)** |
| Business account **linked to a Facebook Page** | **Track B — Business** | **Business (Facebook Page)** |

**Track A is the simplest** and works for most people (Creator *and* Business accounts that aren't tied to a Facebook Page). Only use Track B if your Instagram is a Business account managed through a Facebook Page.

## Track A — Creator account token

This uses Meta's *Instagram API with Instagram Login*. No Facebook Page needed.

### Step 1 — Create a Meta developer account

1. Go to **[https://developers.facebook.com/](https://developers.facebook.com/)** and click **Get Started** (top-right). Log in with any Facebook account.
2. Complete the short developer registration (verify email/phone if prompted) and accept the policies. You do **not** need a Facebook Page or Business verification for this track.

### Step 2 — Create a Meta app

Go to **[https://developers.facebook.com/apps](https://developers.facebook.com/apps)** → click **Create App**. Meta walks you through a 5-step wizard (shown in the left sidebar). Here is exactly what to do at each step:

#### **App details**

- **App name:** anything for your own reference, e.g. `My Site Instagram Feed`.
- **App contact email:** your email address.
- Click **Next**.

![Ig access token](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ig-access-token-1-1-1024x507.png)

#### **Use cases**

- From the list, select **"Manage messaging & content on Instagram"** (icon: Instagram; description mentions the *Instagram API*).
- The name sounds messaging-focused, but this is **the Instagram API use case** — it's what provisions *API setup with Instagram login* and the `instagram_business_basic` permission needed to display your feed. You will not use the messaging/publishing features, and they require no action.
- Do **not** select Facebook Login, Marketing API, Threads, oEmbed, or Pages use cases.
- *(Alternative: "Create an app without a use case" also works, but then you must manually add the Instagram product later via the Dashboard. The use case above is the cleaner path.)*
- If a follow-up **app type** prompt appears, choose **Business**.
- Click **Next**.

![Ig access token](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ig-access-token-2-1024x685.png)

#### **Business**

- This asks you to connect a **Meta Business portfolio**.
- Choose **"I don't want to connect a business portfolio yet"** (or skip). Connecting a *verified* business is only required to **publish** an app for other people to use — this self-token model only ever accesses **your own** account, so it stays in Development mode and never needs publishing or business verification.
- Click **Next**.

![Ig access token](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ig-access-token-3-1024x474.png)

#### **Requirements**

- This is an informational screen listing what would be required to take the app live (business verification, App Review, etc.). **You don't need to act on any of it** for personal/own-account use.
- Click **Next**.

![Ig access token](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ig-access-token-4-1024x443.png)

#### **Overview**

- Review the summary, then click **Create app** (re-enter your Facebook password if prompted).
- You land on the app **Dashboard**.

![Ig access token](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ig-access-token-5-1024x801.png)

> Leave the app in **Development** mode. Because it will only ever access *your own* Instagram account, it never needs to be switched to Live or submitted for Meta App Review.

### Step 3 — Open "API setup with Instagram login"

Because you selected the Instagram use case in Step 2, **the Instagram product is already added** — you do **not** need to "Add product" manually.

1. In the left menu open **Instagram → API setup with Instagram login**.
2. You'll see three numbered sections; you'll use **1. Generate access tokens**.

> If you instead chose "Create an app without a use case," add it now: Dashboard → **Add products to your app** → **Instagram → Set up**, then return here.

### Step 4 — Add the Instagram account as an Instagram Tester

The Instagram account **whose feed you want to display** must be added to your app with the **Instagram Tester** role before you can generate a token for it.

1. In the left sidebar, open **App roles → Roles**.
2. Click the **Add People** button (top-right).
3. In the *Add people to your app* dialog, scroll to **Additional roles for this app** and select **Instagram Tester**. *(Meta's text here still says "required by the Instagram Basic Display API" — that label is outdated; it's the same tester-role mechanism the current Instagram API uses. Ignore the wording.)*
4. In the search box at the bottom, type the **Instagram username whose feed you want to show** (e.g. `solstice.ai`), select it, and click **Add**.
5. The account now shows under **Instagram Testers** with status *Pending*.

![App roles](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/app-roles-1024x442.png)

**Then accept the invite from the Instagram side (required):**

1. From that Instagram account  **→** **Website permissions → Apps and websites → Tester invitations**, then **Accept**.
2. **Accept** the invitation from your app. The status in the app's Roles tab changes to *Active*.

![Ig invitations](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ig-invitations-1-1-1024x617.png)

**Requirements (token generation will silently fail otherwise):**

- **Professional account only.** Personal accounts can't be added — Instagram will prompt conversion (Instagram app → *Settings → Account type and tools → Switch to professional account → Creator*). Creator does **not** require a Facebook Page.
- **The account must be public.** Tokens are only issued for **public** profiles (Instagram app → *Settings → Account privacy*).

### Step 5 — Generate the access token

Once the account shows as an **Active** Instagram Tester, go back to **Instagram → API setup with Instagram login → 1. Generate access tokens** and click **Add account** (log in with that Instagram account if prompted — it will now succeed). Then:

1. Next to your connected username, click **Generate token**.
2. Confirm in the popup. A long token string is displayed.
3. Click the copy icon and **save it somewhere safe immediately** — Meta shows the full token only once.

![Login with instagram account](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/login-with-instagram-account--798x1024.png)
![Optin permisions](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/optin-permisions-803x1024.png)

This is a **long-lived token (valid ~60 days)**. Divi Instagram Feed refreshes it automatically before it expires, so you normally generate it only once.

> **Optional — manual short→long-lived exchange.** If a tool gave you a short-lived token (valid 1 hour), find your **App secret** under **App settings → Basic** (click *Show*), then call:
> 
> ```
> GET https://graph.instagram.com/access_token
>     ?grant_type=ig_exchange_token
>     &client_secret=YOUR_INSTAGRAM_APP_SECRET
>     &access_token=YOUR_SHORT_LIVED_TOKEN
> ```
> 
> Open that URL in a browser; the JSON response's `access_token` is the long-lived token (60 days, refreshable after 24 hours).

### Step 6 — Add the token to the Divi Instagram Feed dashboard

![Divi instagram feed dashboard](https://divipeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/divi-instagram-feed-dashboard-1024x489.png)

1. In WordPress admin, open **Divi Instagram Feed → Accounts**.
2. Read the notice confirming a Professional account is required.
3. Click the **Connect Account** button (top-right of the Accounts card).
4. In the dialog that opens:
  - **Access Token:** paste the long token string from Step 5 (no spaces, no quotes).
  - **Account Type:** select **Creator (Instagram Login)**.
5. Click **Connect** / **Submit**.
6. The plugin validates the token against Instagram and, on success, shows your account in the **Connected Accounts** list with its username and profile picture.
7. Edit any page → add the **Instagram Feed** module → in **Source**, choose this account.

To rotate or revoke later: click **Remove** on the account here, regenerate or delete the token in your Meta App Dashboard, then reconnect.

## Track B — Business account token (with a Facebook Page)

Use this only if your Instagram is a **Business** account connected to a **Facebook Page**. This uses the *Instagram Graph API* via Facebook Login.

### Step 1 — Confirm the connection

1. The Instagram account must be set to **Business**.
2. It must be linked to a **Facebook Page** (Instagram app → *Settings → Account type and tools → Sharing to other apps* / link from the Facebook Page's settings).

### Step 2 — Create a Meta app

1. Go to **[https://developers.facebook.com/apps](https://developers.facebook.com/apps)** → **Create App**.
2. Choose app type **Business**, name it, and create it.

### Step 3 — Get a User token via Graph API Explorer

1. Open **[https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer](https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer)**.
2. Top-right, select your app under **Meta App**.
3. Click **Generate Access Token** and log in with the Facebook account that manages the Page.
4. When prompted for permissions, grant:
  - `instagram_basic`
  - `pages_show_list`
  - `pages_read_engagement`
5. Approve the Page that's linked to your Instagram Business account.
6. Copy the generated **User access token**.

### Step 4 — Convert to a long-lived token

Short tokens from the Explorer expire in ~1 hour. Exchange for a ~60-day token:

```
GET https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/oauth/access_token
    ?grant_type=fb_exchange_token
    &client_id=YOUR_APP_ID
    &client_secret=YOUR_APP_SECRET
    &fb_exchange_token=YOUR_SHORT_LIVED_TOKEN
```

(You can also use the **Access Token Tool** at `developers.facebook.com/tools/accesstoken` to get the long-lived token without building the URL.)

Copy the resulting long-lived `access_token`.

### Step 5 — Add the token to the Divi Instagram Feed dashboard

1. WordPress admin → **Divi Instagram Feed → Accounts**.
2. Click **Connect Account** (top-right of the Accounts card).
3. In the dialog:
  - **Access Token:** paste the **long-lived** token from Step 4.
  - **Account Type:** select **Business (Facebook Page)**.
4. Click **Connect** / **Submit**. The plugin calls the Instagram Graph API, resolves the Instagram Business account linked to your Facebook Page automatically, and adds it to the **Connected Accounts** list.
5. Add the **Instagram Feed** module to a page and pick this account under **Source**.

To rotate or revoke later: **Remove** the account here, then regenerate/invalidate the token in your Meta app, and reconnect.

## After connecting

- **Token refresh** is automatic (~every 30 days via WordPress cron) for the Creator/Personal track, well within the 60-day window. On very low-traffic sites, ensure WP-Cron runs (or wire a real system cron to `wp-cron.php`).
- **Multiple accounts** can be connected; each module picks one.
- **To rotate or revoke:** click **Remove** on the account in the plugin, delete/regenerate the token in the Meta App Dashboard, and reconnect.

## Troubleshooting token issues

| Problem | Cause / fix |
| --- | --- |
| "Connect" fails immediately | Account is still **personal**. Switch to Professional and regenerate. |
| "Add account" won't add it / no token can be generated | The Instagram account is **private**. Tokens generate only for **public** accounts — set the profile to public and retry. |
| Can't log in during "Add account" | Use the app's **App roles → Roles** tab to add the account with the **Instagram tester** role, then accept the tester invite from the Instagram account. |
| Token works then dies after ~1 hour | You pasted a **short-lived** token — do the long-lived exchange (Step 4 of either track). |
| Token dies after ~60 days | Not refreshed (WP-Cron not firing). Reconnect and set up a real system cron. |
| Business track: no Page listed in Explorer | Instagram isn't linked to a Facebook Page, or the account isn't Business. Fix the link first. |
| "Invalid platform app" / permission errors | Wrong **Account Type** selected for the token, or missing scopes. Match the track to the type. |

### Sources

- [Instagram Platform — Get started (Instagram API with Instagram Login) — Meta](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/instagram-api-with-instagram-login/get-started/)
- [Access Token reference — Meta](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/reference/access_token/)
- [Instagram Platform Changelog — Meta](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/changelog/)