Are you getting a “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request” error on Instagram?
Here’s the second part of the error, “Please try again in a moment”.
The error typically happens if you’ve recently deactivated or temporarily disabled your Instagram account.
It can also happen if you’re logging into Instagram during an outage.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to fix “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request. Please try again in a moment” on Instagram.
- What does Instagram say “Sorry we couldn’t complete your request”?
- How to fix “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request” on Instagram
What does Instagram say “Sorry we couldn’t complete your request”?
Instagram says “Sorry we couldn’t complete your request” because Instagram is most likely down.
If Instagram is down, you need to wait for 24 to 48 hours for it to be fixed.
The error message usually happens to users who’ve temporarily disabled or deactivated their Instagram accounts.
It can also happen if you failed too many of your login attempts.
If you can’t log in to Instagram—you’re probably not the only one facing it.
Sometimes, the login feature might have an outage—which prevents you from logging in even though you used the correct username and password.
Outages occur several times a year and people typically go on Twitter to complain about them.
How to fix “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request” on Instagram
To fix “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request”, you need to first verify if Instagram is down.
If it’s not down, you can either try switching to mobile data/Wi-Fi, waiting for 24 to 48 hours, or updating Instagram.
If you already updated the app to the latest version, you need to wait for a new update.
You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling Instagram to clear its cache.
1. Check if Instagram is down
If you’re getting the “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request” error, you need to first check if Instagram is down.
There are two methods to check if Instagram is down.
The first method is to go to downdetector.com and search for “Instagram”.
After that, check if there are a lot of reports or if there is a spike in the graph.
If so, it means that the app is most likely down and you need to wait until it’s back up.
The second method is to use Twitter and search for “Instagram down” or the error message that you’re facing.
Check the top and latest tweets to see if anyone is facing the same issue as you.
If there are multiple users tweeting about it, it means that the app is probably down.
Instagram downtimes typically last for no more than 24 hours, so you need to be patient and wait.
2. Switch to mobile data/Wi-Fi
In some cases, your IP address might be temporarily banned by Instagram.
This can happen if you failed a lot of login attempts.
To fix this, you can try switching your network.
If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, try switching to mobile data.
On the other hand, if you’re using mobile data, try switching to a Wi-Fi network.
You can also download a free VPN app and connect to a VPN.
By doing so, your IP address will be changed and you should be able to log in.
3. Wait it out (24 to 48 hours)
The foolproof way to fix the login error is to wait for 24 to 48 hours.
Instagram outages like the “Sorry, we couldn’t complete your request” error happen frequently.
Most errors on Instagram will go away after a day or two.
If there’s an outage, there’s nothing you can do to fix the login issue except wait it out.
Many users said that they are able to log in after waiting.
A Twitter user, @JubapuMuhammed tweeted that he’s experiencing the “We couldn’t complete your request” error on June 27.
A few days later, he tweeted that his account is activated.
4. Update/uninstall and reinstall Instagram
The final method is to update Instagram to the latest version.
Apparently, some Instagram updates contain bugs and glitches.
If that’s the case, Instagram will release a follow-up update to fix it.
Open the Google Play Store or App Store, search for “Instagram”, and tap on “Update”.
If you already updated Instagram to the latest version, you need to wait for a new update.
Or you can uninstall and reinstall the app.
This will clear the app’s cache and it’ll be updated to the latest version.
Further reading
3 Ways to Fix “Sorry there was a problem with your request” on Instagram
How to Fix “There was a problem with logging you in to Instagram
How to Fix “We’re sorry, but something went wrong” on Instagram
