The Instagram Graph API is Meta’s official API for Business and Creator accounts.

It lets you:

Read account information (followers, profile data)

Manage content (publish posts, stories, reels)

Access insights (reach, impressions, engagement)

Work with hashtags, mentions, and comments

It does not work for personal Instagram accounts.

To use it:

Convert your Instagram to Business/Creator.

Link it to a Facebook Page.

Create a Facebook App in the Meta Developer Portal.

Generate an Access Token.

Permissions (Scopes)

When requesting an access token, your app must request permissions.

The most common ones:

instagram_basic → read profile info and media

pages_show_list → list pages connected to a user

instagram_manage_comments → read & reply to comments`

instagram_manage_insights → read insights/analytics

pages_read_engagement → needed for engagement data

pages_manage_metadata → required for some connections

instagram_content_publish → publish posts, reels, stories

instagram_manage_messages → manage Direct Messages (if approved)

Without the right permission, API calls return OAuth errors.

What Can You Do with the Instagram Graph API?

With the Instagram Graph API, you can:

Read account information → username, followers, profile details

Manage content → publish posts, reels, and stories

Access insights → impressions, reach, engagement metrics

Work with hashtags → search, get top/recent media

Manage conversations → reply to comments, read messages (if approved)

Important: It does not work for personal Instagram accounts. You must have a Business or Creator account.

Step 1: Create a Facebook Developer App

Go to Meta for Developers.

Click My Apps → Create App.

Choose the app type → Business is recommended.

Enter:

App Name (avoid using “Instagram” or “Facebook” in the name).

Contact Email.

Click Create App and confirm with your Facebook password.

Done! Your app is now created.

We have to log into the Facebook developer account and create an app

Step 2: Add Instagram Graph API to Your App

In your App Dashboard, click Add a Product.

Find Instagram Graph API → click Set Up.

Also add Facebook Login (required for authentication).

Why both?

Instagram Graph API → lets you work with IG accounts.

Facebook Login → handles authentication and token generation.

2. Then we have to create an App. In this blog, I will select my app type as None, but if you want to select the business type, you can.

Step 3: Configure App Settings

Go to Settings → Basic.

Copy your App ID and App Secret.

Save them somewhere safe (like Notepad).

You’ll need these later to generate tokens.

3. Choose a display name for your app (any name you like). Don’t use words like Instagram or Facebook in the name, or you’ll get an error. Click Create App. You may be asked to enter your Facebook password to confirm. Once done, your new app will be created successfully.

Step 4: Convert Your Instagram to Business/Creator & Link to Facebook Page

Open Instagram → Settings → Account → Switch to Professional Account.

Choose Business or Creator.

On Facebook, either:

Create a new Page, or

Use an existing Page.

Link your Instagram account to this Facebook Page:

Page Settings → Instagram → Connect Account.

This step is critical — without it, your IG account won’t be visible in API responses.

4. In your app dashboard, go to “Add a Product”.

Find Instagram Graph API and click Set Up → this adds it to your app.

You also need Facebook Login for the Instagram API to work.

Go back to the dashboard, find Facebook Login, and click Set Up.

Step 5: Generate a Short-Lived Access Token

Open Graph API Explorer.

Select your App from the dropdown.

Click Generate Access Token.

You now have a short-lived token (valid for 1 hour).

5. In Valid OAuth Redirect URIs, enter the redirect URL (the link where users will be sent after they log in and give permissions).

This URL will also receive the access code you need to create a token.

6. In the left menu, click Settings → Basic.

Here you will see your App ID and App Secret.

Copy both and save them in a safe place (like Notepad).

You will need these to connect to the Graph API.

7. Go to your Instagram account setting and make it a professional account, you can make your account a business account or a creator account.

8. After that go to Facebook and select a page if you have created it already otherwise create a new Facebook page, and then go to the page and then to page settings there you will find an Instagram option using which you can link your account with the Facebook page

9. First we will get the access_token URL from Facebook by hovering on the tools option and then clicking on Graph API Explorer.

10. Permissions for getting the Instagram graph api

Under Permissions, check the boxes for:

instagram_basic → read profile/media

pages_show_list → get connected pages

instagram_manage_insights → insights/metrics

instagram_manage_comments → reply to comments

(add more if needed, like instagram_content_publish)

Conclusion

The Instagram Graph API is a powerful tool for developers, marketers, and businesses who want to go beyond the app and build custom solutions. From fetching posts and stories to publishing new content and analyzing insights, the API provides everything you need — as long as your setup is correct.

The most important steps are:

Converting your Instagram to a Business or Creator account.

Linking it to a Facebook Page.

Creating a Facebook Developer App.

Generating and securing a long-lived access token.

Once these are in place, you can start making API calls confidently and expand into advanced features like comments, hashtags, and messaging.

By mastering this setup, you unlock the ability to create your own Instagram tools, automate reports, or even build complete social media platforms powered by Meta’s ecosystem.

How to Generate Instagram Graph API Access Token with Permissions and Token Management Guide