Free Checklist · Instagram Settings

Never post on Instagram again without these five settings.

I just learned these. Two of them stop Instagram from quietly limiting your account. Three of them put your reels in front of people who never open the app. Every tap, in order.

Before You Start

  • Your account set to public. Two of the five settings do nothing on a private account
  • The Instagram app on your phone for settings one to four
  • A computer for setting five. It is not in the app
  • A Facebook page or profile linked in Accounts Center, if you want setting three

5settings

Two protect your account. Three get your reels seen outside Instagram

2min

Total time on the phone, if you follow the paths below in order

1desktop

Setting five only exists on the desktop site. Do it last

$0

No tool, no subscription, no Meta Verified

The 5 Settings

The defaults work against you. Flip them.

01

Account Status: all three lines green

If Instagram has flagged your account or your content, it limits how far your posts travel and never says so in the feed. This screen is the only place it tells you.

Where it is

ProfileMenuSettings and activityAccount Status

What you want to see: Removed content and messaging issues, Availability to people under 18, and Features you can't use all show a green check.

If any line shows a warning, tap it and clear it before you post again. Posting into a restricted account is posting into a wall.

02

Flag for review: off

By default Instagram holds back accounts it thinks might be spam before they can follow you. Some are bots. A lot are real people with a new or quiet account. You never see them and they never see your posts.

Where it is

Settings and activityFollow and invite friendsFlag for review

What you want to see: Toggle off. Then open Followers, tap Flagged for review, and remove the obvious fakes yourself.

03

Share reels to Facebook automatically

Every reel you post can also run in the Facebook feed and Facebook Reels with no extra work. It is a second audience that most people never switch on.

Where it is

Settings and activityCrosspostingSharing across profilesAutomatically share

What you want to see: Your Instagram reels toggled on. Posts and stories are your call.

You need a Facebook page or profile connected in Accounts Center first. The toggle only appears once it is.

04

Allow search engines to show your videos

Google runs a Short videos row on a lot of searches. Your reels can sit in it, but only if this switch is on. It is off for most accounts.

Where it is

Settings and activityAccount privacyAllow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results

What you want to see: Toggle on. Your account has to be public for it to do anything.

05

Show account suggestions on profiles

When this is on, your profile can appear in the Suggested for you row on accounts like yours, including the big ones in your niche. Their visitors become your visitors.

Where it is

instagram.com on a computerEdit profileShow account suggestions on profilesSubmit

What you want to see: Checked, then saved. The setting only lives on the desktop site.

This one is easy to miss because the phone app does not show it anywhere.

After the Settings

Reach is the easy part. Content is the job.

These five switches widen the pipe. They do not fill it. The reel that sent you here was written, voiced, and edited by AI from one selfie frame. That whole machine is written up, step by step, in the AI Shorts field guide.

Want a content and AI system that turns the reach into booked calls?