# Common Issues ## Connection issues
Instagram login fails or "Sign in with Instagram" button doesn't work Instagram's authentication can fail if your account has two-factor authentication enabled or if there are recent suspicious login attempts. **Fix:** 1. Visit Instagram.com directly and make sure you can log in manually. 2. If 2FA is enabled, generate a fresh app password or temporarily disable 2FA during Coupler.io connection setup. 3. Clear your browser cookies and try the connection again. 4. If the issue persists, try a different browser (sometimes cache issues cause problems).
"Connection doesn't have access to any Instagram account" error This error means the Instagram account you connected doesn't have permission to access the public data you're requesting, or there's a mismatch between your personal and Business account. **Fix:** 1. Disconnect and reconnect your Instagram account in Coupler.io. 2. Make sure you're signing in with the same Instagram account that has access to the profiles you want to track. 3. If you're using a Business account, ensure it's properly linked to a Facebook Business Manager. 4. For Business accounts: go to Instagram Settings > Apps and Websites and check that Coupler.io is listed and has the correct permissions.
Can't find or log into Business Instagram from Facebook Business accounts require a Facebook Business Manager connection, which can be tricky if your accounts are linked incorrectly or if permissions are missing. **Fix:** 1. Log in to Facebook Business Manager separately and verify that your Instagram Business account is linked. 2. Go to Business Settings > Instagram Accounts and confirm the account appears there. 3. Disconnect Coupler.io, then reconnect using the same Facebook Business Manager credentials. 4. If you don't have a Business Manager, create one at business.facebook.com before attempting to connect in Coupler.io.
## Missing data
Profiles I entered are not returning any data If you're entering profile usernames but getting no results, the most common cause is a typo in the username or the account being private/deleted. **Fix:** 1. Double-check the username spelling. Instagram usernames are case-insensitive but must match exactly (no spaces, no special characters except periods and underscores). 2. Visit Instagram.com directly and search for the profile to confirm it's public and still active. 3. Make sure you're entering just the username (e.g., `nasa`), not the URL (e.g., `instagram.com/nasa`). 4. If the profile is private or deleted, no data will be available. Switch to a public account.
"Public profiles posts" is empty, but "Public profiles info" has data Some public accounts may have posts hidden from the API, or the posts may have been deleted since the last refresh. **Fix:** 1. Verify that the profile actually has public posts by visiting it on Instagram.com. 2. Run the data flow again to get the latest data. 3. If the account has posts but Coupler.io returns no data, the account may have API restrictions set by Instagram. Contact Instagram support to escalate. 4. As a workaround, try "Public profiles info" only for that account and manually track posts if needed.
Follower counts are outdated or don't match Instagram Instagram updates metrics in real time, but the API may cache data for a few minutes. If you're seeing a significant discrepancy, it could be a sync delay. **Fix:** 1. Wait 5–10 minutes and run the data flow again. Instagram's backend may not have synced the latest count yet. 2. Compare the data with what you see on Instagram.com directly; if it matches Instagram, the data is correct. 3. If the discrepancy is large (hundreds of followers off), there may be a temporary API issue. Try again in an hour.
## Rate limits
Data flow fails with "Error 400" or "Request failed" on large profile lists Instagram's API applies rate limits when you request data for too many profiles at once or in rapid succession. **Fix:** 1. **Reduce the number of profiles** in a single data flow. Instead of 20 profiles, try 5–10 per flow. 2. **Space out refreshes**. If you're monitoring many accounts, schedule one flow to run daily instead of hourly. 3. **Split by report type**. Run "Public profiles info" and "Public profiles posts" in separate scheduled flows at different times (e.g., one at 6 AM, one at 6 PM). 4. If you hit a rate limit error, wait 1 hour before retrying. Instagram throttles API access temporarily after repeated failures.
"Error 500" during data flow run A 500 error typically indicates an issue on Instagram's server side or a temporary connectivity problem. **Fix:** 1. **Wait 5–10 minutes and retry**. Transient server issues usually resolve quickly. 2. **Check your internet connection** and verify Coupler.io's status at status.coupler.io. 3. **Test with a single profile**. If you're tracking 20 accounts, try running with just 1 profile to isolate the issue. 4. **Reconnect your Instagram account** if errors persist. Sometimes a fresh OAuth token resolves backend sync issues. 5. If errors continue, contact Coupler.io support with your data flow ID.
## Permission errors
"Access denied" when trying to authorize Coupler.io This error occurs when your Instagram account doesn't have the required permissions or when the authorization scope has changed. **Fix:** 1. Log out of Instagram completely (instagram.com and facebook.com). 2. Log back in, then try connecting Coupler.io again. 3. During authorization, make sure you click "Allow" or "Authorize" when prompted for permissions. 4. If you're using a Business account, verify that your role is "Admin" in the Business Manager. Other roles may not have sufficient permissions.
Destination API error when saving data Your Instagram data is pulled successfully, but fails when writing to your destination (Google Sheets, Excel, etc.). **Fix:** 1. **For Google Sheets**: Verify you have edit permissions on the sheet and that it's not in a shared drive with restricted access. Try reconnecting your Google account in Coupler.io. 2. **For Excel/OneDrive**: Ensure the file isn't locked by another user or process. Close the file in Excel and try the run again. 3. **For BigQuery**: Check that the dataset and table exist and that your service account has write permissions. 4. Disconnect and reconnect your destination in Coupler.io, then run the data flow again.