How To Add Facebook Friends To Instagram (Step-By-Step)

Recently known as Meta, this technology company is the parent to various apps and platforms that millions of people use every day including Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.

As such, the folks at Meta are always trying to make the interactions between their platforms as smooth as possible. One of the ways to achieve this is by allowing you to easily find and follow friends from one app in the other.

Today’s article is a step-by-step guide on how to add Facebook friends to Instagram, whether on your smartphone or your computer. We’re also sharing a few problems that could prevent the process and how you can fix them.

How to Link Your Facebook and Instagram Accounts

Before all else, you need to link both your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Without this step, none of the following ones will work.

That said, you can link the accounts either from Instagram or Facebook. Below are the steps to do it from each platform.

Linking From Instagram

If you’re on the Instagram app on your smartphone (iOS or Android), follow the next steps:

1. Open the app and log into your Instagram account.
2. Tap your avatar photo on the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile.
3. Tap the 3 dots or 3 lines on the upper right corner of the screen to access the Menu.
4. Choose ‘Settings’.
   
5. Select ‘Accounts Center’.
   
6. Choose ‘Accounts and profiles’.
7. Hit ‘Add accounts’ then add your Facebook account information.

If you’re on the Instagram page on your computer’s web browser, follow the next steps:

1. Log into your account.
2. Click on your avatar photo in the upper right corner of the screen.
3. Click ‘Settings’ from the menu.
   
4. Click ‘Accounts Center’ at the bottom.
   
5. Click ‘Add accounts’ then add your Facebook account information.

Linking From Facebook

If you want to link your account from the Facebook app on your smartphone, follow the next steps:

1. Open the app then tap the 3 lines icon on the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner.
   
3. At the very bottom, tap ‘Accounts Center’.
   
4. Tap ‘Add accounts’ then add your Instagram account information

If you’re on the Facebook page from your computer’s web browser, follow the next steps:

1. Log into your account.
2. Click on the arrow icon at the upper right corner of the screen.
   
3. Click ‘Settings & privacy’ from the drop-down menu.
   
4. Click ‘Settings’
   
5. Click ‘Accounts Center’ at the bottom of the menu on the left.
   
6. Click ‘Add accounts’ then add your Instagram account information.

How to Add Facebook Friends to Instagram on Smartphone

To follow your Facebook friends on Instagram via your smartphone app, follow the next steps:

1. Open your Instagram app and log into your account.
2. Tap your avatar photo on the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile.
3. Tap the 3 dots or 3 lines on the upper right corner of the screen to access the Menu.
4. Tap ‘Settings’.
   
5. Choose ‘Follow and invite Friends’.
   
6. Tap ‘Follow contacts’.
   
7. Open the ‘Suggested’ tab and ‘Connect to Facebook’ should appear.
8. Tap ‘Connect’.

From here, all your friends on Facebook who have Instagram accounts linked will show up as suggestions. You can choose who to add by tapping ‘Follow’ in front of their name.

How to Add Facebook Friends to Instagram on PC

Using your computer to access the Instagram desktop version on any web browser, you can only delete synced Facebook friends but you can’t add them. If this is what you’re aiming for, follow the next steps:

1. Open the browser.
2. Go to the Instagram web page and log into your account.
3. Tap your avatar photo on the upper right corner of the screen. You should see a menu appear.
4. From this menu, click ‘Settings’.
   
5. From the menu on the left side of the screen, click ‘Manage Contacts’.
   
6. You’ll see a delete option.

Issues that Prevent Following Facebook Friends on Instagram and How to Fix them

There are a bunch of reasons that could keep you from adding your Facebook friends to Instagram. Here are the most common problems and how you can work around them:

1. Your Facebook Friends Don’t Have an Instagram Account

You may not realize it right away, but this is often the case when you can’t find certain Facebook friends on Instagram.

If so, the only solution is to invite these Facebook friends to join Instagram using the following steps:

1. Open your Instagram app and log into your account.
2. Tap your avatar photo on the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile.
3. Tap the 3 dots or 3 lines on the upper right corner of the screen to access the Menu.
4. Tap ‘Settings’.
   
5. Choose ‘Follow and invite Friends’.
   
6. Tap ‘Invite friends via …’ then choose the Facebook app.
   

2. You’ve Followed Too Many Friends in a Short Window of Time

In this case, your account will be action-blocked for a certain period during which you won’t be able to follow anyone.

To solve this problem, all you can do is wait. Typically, Instagram will remove the block within 3 hours if this is your first-time mass following.

If it’s your second time, you’ll have to wait a full day, then 3 days, then 10, then a month. If you do it again after that, your account will be action-blocked for good.

3. Instagram Is Experiencing a Bug or Error

The problem may be in the Instagram app itself and has nothing to do with you making a mistake. In this case, you can try the following to fix it:

• Uninstall the application then download the latest version from the App Store or Play Store.
• Alternatively, check whether or not there’s an update due. If there’s something wrong with the app, chances are an update is all it needs.
• Report the problem to Instagram so they can work on fixing it. You can do this via the app by following the next steps:
  • Tap your avatar photo on the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile.
  • Tap the 3 dots or 3 lines on the upper right corner of the screen to access the Menu.
  • Tap ‘Settings’.
    
  • Tap ‘Help’.
    
  • Tap ‘Report a problem’.
    
• Download and install the BlueStacks app on your computer then use it to log into your Instagram account. This works whether you’re an iOS or Android user.

Wrap Up

There you have it, an easy step-by-step guide on how to add Facebook friends to Instagram. Remember, you must link the two accounts first, so be sure to follow the steps in the first section of our article before trying anything else.