“How does a Threads profile relate to my Instagram account?”
How does a Threads profile relate to my Instagram account?
Short answer
A Threads profile is connected to the Instagram or Facebook account you logged in with, and anyone with either account can create one. Meta says it imports your name, username and profile details, and deleting Threads does not delete your Instagram profile. Threadgehog starts after setup: it writes posts for the profile.
Steps
- 1
Pick the Instagram account to connect
Use the one whose username you want public.
- 2
Fill in photo, bio and link
Profile, then Edit profile.
- 3
Set the profile to public
More, Settings, Privacy, Private profile.
- 4
Decide about fediverse sharing
It changes what reply limits you can use.
- 5
Draft the first week of posts
Do it before you tell anyone about the account.
How the two accounts are linked
Meta's Help Center describes Threads as an app from Instagram where you can view and share public conversations. It says anyone who has an Instagram or Facebook account can create a Threads profile, and that when you create one, it is connected to the Instagram or Facebook account you logged in with.
Meta also lists what Threads uses from that account: your login information, account ID, name and username, profile information such as picture and bio, your connections, your age, and your account status relating to intellectual property violations and Community Standards. This is how a new profile arrives with a picture and bio already filled in. Meta's Privacy Policy and the Threads Supplemental Privacy Policy govern that use.
In practice, that means the account you pick has consequences. Its name and username arrive on Threads, and your age affects settings such as default privacy. Use an account whose public details you are happy to show to a new audience.
What you can change on Threads
The Help Center article on editing your profile says you can update your bio, username, links and profile picture. If you created the Threads profile with a mobile number or email, you can also edit your name from Threads. Name and username can also be changed in Meta Account settings.
A warning from the same article: if your Threads username is shared with your Instagram profile, changing it may affect certain features on Threads. To use the same username on both, the profiles need to be in the same Meta Account.
Pick the username with care before you start posting. A name people can say aloud and spell is worth more than a clever one, and changing it later affects how people find you.
Public or private
Meta says your profile name, photo, username and bio are always public. The privacy setting decides who can see and interact with your posts. If you are under 18, a new Threads profile is set to private by default, and teens 16 to 17 can change it.
On the web, the path is More, then Settings, then Privacy, then Private profile. For an account that exists to promote something, a private profile defeats the purpose, since people need to see posts to follow. If you switch to private after turning on fediverse sharing, Threads turns the sharing off and asks other servers to delete your profile and content; see Threads and the fediverse.
Check the setting before your first post goes out. A new profile that starts public is visible to anyone, so read your bio and photo as a stranger would.
Leaving Threads without leaving Instagram
Meta states that deleting your Threads profile does not delete your Instagram or Facebook profile. After you request deletion, your profile, content, likes and followers are permanently deleted 30 days later, and you can cancel in that window by logging back in. After deletion you must wait 90 days before signing up again with the same Instagram profile.
If you only want a break, the Help Center points to temporarily deactivating the profile instead. Decide which you want before you start a promotion account, because a deleted profile cannot be recovered after the 30 days.
Meta's article also notes that Threads in Meta Account is not available everywhere, and that the number of days you can cancel deletion varies by region.
Because of the 90 day wait, do not delete and recreate a profile to fix a small mistake. Edit the profile instead; almost everything on the page can be changed in place.
Setup order for a promotion account
Choose which Instagram account the profile should connect to. Use the one whose username you want people to see. Fill in the photo, bio and link through Edit profile. Keep the profile public. Decide about fediverse sharing, which has its own effects on replies. Then plan the first week of posts.
Posting rules are the next step. Threads posting limits lists the 500 character cap and the daily cap, and how often to post on Threads helps you choose a pace. If you plan to schedule, the Threads API for schedulers explains how a tool gets permission to post for you.
A bio has a short job: say who you are and what you post about in a line or two, and give one link. Write it so a visitor who sees only the profile page understands the account in five seconds. Use the same wording across the profile and the first few posts, so the voice is consistent from the first scroll.
If you run more than one brand, give each its own Instagram account and Threads profile, and keep notes on which login goes with which. Meta's help pages describe managing profiles through Meta Account settings, so check there for the current steps instead of relying on a screenshot from a guide.
Starting from an empty profile
A new profile has no posts, so the first impression is a bare page. Write a handful of posts before you tell anyone about the account, so a visitor sees something. Start a Threads account from zero covers the first week.
Plan the first posts as a set. Three to five posts that say who you are, what you make and one thing you have learned give a visitor enough to decide whether to follow. Threadgehog's find posts that work guide shows how to collect examples to base them on.
Where Threadgehog fits
Threadgehog starts after the profile exists. Set up the Threads profile first, then Threadgehog writes posts and threads in a style learned from about ten example posts, including for a brand-new account with no posts, and hands approved posts to your scheduler. The site is in waitlist mode, with the 14-day free trial starting when the Mac app opens.
Questions
Do I need an Instagram account to use Threads?
Meta says anyone with an Instagram or Facebook account can create a Threads profile.
Does deleting Threads delete my Instagram?
No. Meta says deleting your Threads profile does not delete your Instagram or Facebook profile.
Can I use a different username on Threads?
You can update your username on Threads. If it is shared with Instagram, changing it may affect certain features.
Is a Threads profile public?
You choose. Name, photo, username and bio are always public, and the privacy setting controls who sees your posts.
How long until a deleted Threads profile is gone?
Content is permanently deleted 30 days after the request, and you wait 90 days to sign up again with the same Instagram profile.
What information does Threads take from Instagram?
Login information, account ID, name, username, profile information, connections, age and some account status, per the Help Center.
Sources
- Threads Help Center: about Threads (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threads Help Center: edit your profile (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threads Help Center: public or private profile (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threads Help Center: delete your Threads profile (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threadgehog pricing and FAQ (checked 2026-10-17)