Instagram Second Account: When It Needs Its Own Email

Updated October 2, 2026 · 5 min read

To make a second Instagram account, open your profile and tap the menu. Go to Settings, scroll to the bottom and tap Add account, then Create new account. The app lets you add up to five accounts and switch between them without logging out.

Short answer on the email: Instagram may offer to set up the new account with your current login info. The two accounts are then linked through Accounts Center. That is fine for a personal side profile. For a brand, a client or a team, give the account its own email. This guide explains why, and where that email can come from.

How to add a second account

Menus change a little between app versions, but the steps are close to these:

Open Instagram, go to your profile, and tap the menu at the top right.
Open Settings, scroll to the bottom, and tap Add account.
Choose Create new account and pick a username.
If Instagram offers to use your current login info, decide now: accept it for a personal side profile, or sign up with a separate email.
If you use an email, Instagram sends a confirmation code to it. Type the code, set a password and finish your profile.

To switch accounts later, tap your username at the top of your profile and pick the other account.

Shared login or its own email?

	Shared login (Accounts Center)	Its own email
Setup	Fastest, no new email needed	Needs an email that can receive the code
Who can get in	Anyone with your main login	Anyone with this account's email or password
Working for a brand or client	Tied to your personal login	Its own login, which the brand or client can own
Recovery if something goes wrong	Through your main account	Through that email
Link to your personal profile	Linked in Accounts Center	Kept apart, unless you link it

A brand or client account should outlive your personal phone, your job, or your contract. That is the main reason to give it its own email. It also means nobody has to share a personal password to work on it.

Where the separate email can come from

A new Gmail account you create and keep. This is the best choice for a long-term brand account. Add your own recovery options to it.
The client's own email address. This is best when the client should own the account from day one.
A rented inbox for the confirmation code. This fits test and QA profiles, short campaigns, or sign-ups where you will switch to a permanent email right after.

Be clear about the last option. A rented inbox is a real @gmail.com or @icloud.com address, but you do not get its password, and it receives codes only during the order period. After that, Instagram cannot reach you through it, so a password reset by email will fail. For any account you plan to keep, add your own phone number or change the email to a permanent one in Accounts Center, under Personal details.

Getting the code with a rented Gmail inbox

Here is how it works on OTPGmail:

Open the rent page, pick Instagram, and choose @gmail.com or @icloud.com as the inbox type. iCloud inboxes are usually cheaper than Gmail, depending on the service. You are charged only when an address is issued.
In Instagram's sign-up, choose to sign up with email and paste the address.
The code appears on your order page, usually within about 2 minutes. You never sign in to the inbox.
Type the code, set a strong password and save it somewhere safe.
If Instagram sends another code, for example when you sign in on a second device, it appears on the same order. Extra codes cost nothing within the order period when the service sends more than one. The limit and time window are shown before you rent.

If no code arrives within the waiting time (25 minutes at most), the order cancels itself with a 100% refund. Over the last 30 days, 89% of the Instagram rentals on OTPGmail received a code. Live prices and stock are on the Instagram inbox page, and our guide to renting a Gmail for Instagram verification covers the sign-up in more depth.

Keep it within Instagram's rules

Instagram lets one person run several accounts. Its terms still apply to every one of them. Do not pretend to be someone else, do not mislead people, and do not open a new account after Instagram has disabled yours. Create only the accounts you actually need, one at a time.

Use rented inboxes for legitimate work, such as setting up a brand profile, a client project, or a test account for QA. OTPGmail is not responsible for misuse.

If the code is not showing up at all, read Instagram confirmation code not reaching email for the causes and fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How many Instagram accounts can I have?

The app lets you add up to five accounts and switch between them without logging out. Each account still needs its own username.

Can two Instagram accounts use the same email?

Not as two separate sign-ups. If you sign up with an email that another account already uses, Instagram will not accept it. The exception is a new account created from inside your current one, which Instagram may let you link with the same login info through Accounts Center.

How do I make a second Instagram account (second account kaise banaye)?

Go to your profile, open the menu, then Settings. Scroll down, tap Add account, then Create new account. Choose a username, then sign up with an email or use your current login info.

Can I use a rented inbox for a long-term brand account?

Only for the sign-up step. The inbox receives codes only during the order period, so add your own phone number or change the email to a permanent one right after sign-up.

Does my second account need a new phone number?

No. You can sign up with an email instead. If you choose an email, make sure you will still be able to reach it later, or add your own contact details after sign-up.