If you want someone else answering your clinic’s Instagram messages, Shared access lets you invite them to your account without giving them your password. They have seven days to accept, and they only see your DMs if you switch on inbox access for them.
Instagram’s Help Centre says the feature is only available to eligible accounts. Where it lists numbers, they are tied to Meta One plans: up to 4 people on Advanced, 8 on Expert and 30 on Max. Everything below comes from Meta’s own help pages, read in October 2026 and linked at the bottom.
What Instagram Shared Access is
Shared access is Instagram’s way of letting people you trust work on your account while they stay logged in as themselves. Meta’s own example is a business owner who wants to share access with employees “so that they can help respond to messages”.
People you invite can post, like and comment from your account. If yours is a professional account, they can also run ads and view insights.
They cannot disable your account, give access to anyone else, or change your username, password or contact details. Your login stays yours.
Why you might not see Shared access in your menu
This is the question most people searching for the feature are stuck on. Instagram says Shared access is only available to eligible accounts, that it is not available to teens, and that the number of people you can invite depends on your eligibility.
Meta does not publish a full eligibility list. The invitation limits it does publish belong to its Meta One subscription plans. So if Shared access is missing from your menu, your account is not eligible right now, and the Meta Business Suite route further down is the one to use.
How to give someone Shared access, step by step
These are the steps from Instagram’s Help Centre, in the app:
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Shared access.
- Tap Invite people.
- Search for the person’s Instagram account and select them.
- Tap Send invitation.
The person gets a notification and has seven days to accept. You get a notification when they accept or decline, or if the invitation expires. An expired invitation can be sent again.
Switch on inbox access, or they cannot see your DMs
Accepting the invitation does not open your inbox. Instagram keeps messages off until you allow them, person by person. For a clinic handing over its DMs, this is the setting that matters.
- Go to your profile and tap Menu.
- Tap Shared access.
- Under Manage, tap Inbox access.
- Tap the toggle next to the person, then tap Allow.
Once inbox access is on, they can view, send and reply to messages and make or receive calls from your inbox. The people you message will see in the chat that your account is shared. Instagram also notes that inbox access includes your chats with Meta AI, so clear out anything personal there first.
Story access works the same way, under Story access, and is also off until you allow it.
What they can and cannot do
| Someone with Shared access can | They cannot |
|---|---|
| Post, like and comment from your account | Change your username, password or contact details |
| Read and answer your DMs, once you allow inbox access | Give access to anyone else |
| Add to your story, once you allow story access | Disable your account |
| Run ads and view insights, on a professional account | See your DMs or stories before you allow it |
| Block people on your behalf, and may see who you have blocked | Keep access after you block them |
The blocking point is worth knowing before you invite anyone. Someone working your inbox can block a time-waster for you. They may also be able to see your block list.
How to check what they have done, and take access away
Everything a shared person does is logged. Go to Menu, then Shared access, and tap Account activity to see everything, or tap the three dots next to one person to see only theirs. Instagram says this covers posts and reels, comments, likes and new follows, among other actions.
Instagram says you can manage and revoke access at any time from the same Shared access screen. To stop someone reading your messages but keep their other access, switch their Inbox access toggle off. Blocking someone you have shared access with also removes them straight away.
On their side, the person can leave your account whenever they like. Access can also end without anyone doing anything, if Instagram decides the account is no longer eligible or if the owner cancels the Meta One plan that allowed it. If you rely on someone answering your enquiries, check the access is still there each month.
If Shared access is not available to you: Meta Business Suite
If your clinic’s Instagram is a business account linked to a Meta business portfolio, Meta Business Suite is the other official way to give a person access without your password. You add them to the business portfolio, assign them the Instagram account, and choose which tasks they can do, such as managing messages or content. Meta’s steps are in its Business Help Centre, linked below.
It takes more setting up than Shared access. Its advantage is that access is controlled at the business level, which suits a clinic with several staff or more than one account.
Shared access, Meta Business Suite or your password
| Shared access | Meta Business Suite | Giving out your password | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who logs in | Each person, as themselves | Each person, as themselves | Someone else, as you |
| DM access | Only if you switch on inbox access | Only if you assign that task | Everything, always |
| Do you see what they did? | Yes, in Account activity | Yes, at business level | No |
| Taking access away | From the Shared access screen | From business settings | Change your password and hope |
| Availability | Eligible accounts only | Business accounts in a portfolio | Always, which is the problem |
Giving out your password is the one route Meta does not offer you, and it is the one that leaves you unable to see who did what.
Who you are actually letting in: agency, virtual assistant or automation tool
Most clinic owners looking at this are deciding who to outsource their Instagram DMs to. There are three usual routes, and each needs a different kind of access.
- An agency or DM setting service. A team works inside your inbox on your behalf. They need inbox access and nothing else to answer and book. Ask exactly which route they use to get in, and who on their team will be reading your messages.
- A virtual assistant or freelance setter. One person, often on a few hours a week. The same access applies. Shared access suits this well, because you can see their activity and switch them off in seconds.
- An automation tool. Software connected to your account that sends or answers messages for you. This is a different arrangement from a person with Shared access, and it sits under Instagram’s rules on automated activity, which we cover in is DM outreach allowed on Instagram.
Whichever you choose, a person working your inbox should be using their own Instagram account through one of Meta’s routes, so their access can be seen and removed.
What is an Instagram DM setter?
A DM setter is a person who works inside a business’s Instagram inbox to start conversations, reply, follow up and book appointments. For a clinic, that means messaging the people already close to you: followers, story viewers, post engagers, old enquiries and lapsed clients.
At Booked For You, the Instagram DM appointment-setting service for UK clinics, the Setter starts 50 new conversations every weekday from the clinic’s own account, nurtures the replies and books qualified appointments into the diary.
The UK part: your DMs contain health information
Clinic DMs are different from most businesses’ DMs. A client asking whether a peel will help her rosacea, or whether she can have a treatment while pregnant, is telling you about her health. The ICO lists data concerning health as special category data under UK GDPR, which is personal data that needs more protection because it is sensitive.
So before you switch on inbox access for anyone, three things are worth doing:
- Know who is reading. Shared access shows you each person by name. Keep the list short.
- Put it in writing. When an outside business handles personal data on your behalf, UK GDPR expects a contract that covers, among other things, acting only on your instructions, confidentiality, security, and deleting or returning the data when the work ends. The ICO’s page on what that contract must include is linked below. Booked For You’s privacy policy says it acts as a data processor under the clinic’s instructions when it runs outreach.
- Take access away on the day someone leaves. A former assistant with inbox access can still read every client conversation. Instagram lets you remove access at any time, so do it the same day.
This section is general information, not legal advice. Check the ICO guidance linked below, or speak to your own adviser, about your clinic’s situation.
Is it safe to let someone else answer my clinic’s DMs?
It is as safe as the access route and the person you choose. With Shared access or Meta Business Suite, they never have your password, you can see what they do, and you can remove them at any time.
The fear most clinic owners describe is about voice: someone in your account who sounds nothing like you. That is solved before anyone is invited. Agree the scripts and the tone first, and ask to approve them. Booked For You’s terms commit to sending only messages the clinic has approved in tone and content.
Will Instagram restrict my account if someone else is working on it?
With Shared access, nobody else logs in as you. Each person works from their own account and switches across to yours, which is the arrangement Instagram built for this. What does get accounts restricted is what gets sent, and that is covered in is DM outreach allowed on Instagram.
If you would like a team to work your DMs this way, the Setter is £697 a month with a three-month minimum, and you can register your interest in about a minute.
Sources
- How to share an Instagram account with someone Instagram Help Centre. Invite steps, inbox and story access, account activity. Read 9 October 2026.
- About shared access on Instagram Instagram Help Centre. What people you invite can and cannot do.
- How to use shared access if you've been invited Instagram Help Centre. The invitee's side: accepting, switching, leaving.
- How to share an Instagram account with someone using Meta One Meta Help Centre. Invitation limits by Meta One plan.
- Add people to a business portfolio and assign a business asset Meta Business Help Centre. The Meta Business Suite route.
- Special category data ICO. Data concerning health is special category data.
- What needs to be included in the contract? ICO. What a controller and processor contract must cover.
About the author
Kat Martyn, Founder. Kat Martyn spent fifteen years in sales and marketing before retraining in skin at 33. She opened her own aesthetics clinic in 2019 and has since mentored more than 300 clinic owners. She founded Booked For You, the Instagram DM appointment-setting service for UK clinics.
Quick answers
Where do I find shared access in Instagram?
In the Instagram app, go to your profile, tap Menu in the top right, then tap Shared access. If Shared access is not in the menu, Instagram says the feature is only available to eligible accounts, so your account may not have it yet.
Can two people be on the same Instagram account at once?
Yes, with Shared access. Each person stays logged in to their own Instagram account and switches across to yours, so nobody needs your password. You can see the actions they take on your account from the Shared access screen.
What does shared access mean on Instagram?
It is Instagram's feature for letting people you trust work on your account without your password. They can post, like and comment, and on a professional account run ads and view insights. They cannot change your username, password or contact details, and they cannot give access to anyone else.
How do I give someone shared access to my Instagram account?
Go to your profile, tap Menu, tap Shared access, tap Invite people, search for their account and send the invitation. They have seven days to accept. To let them answer your messages, go back to Shared access and switch on Inbox access for them.
Why is Instagram shared access not showing?
Instagram says Shared access is only available to eligible accounts and is not available to teens, and that how many people you can invite depends on eligibility. Its Help Centre lists invitation limits for Meta One subscription plans. If the option is missing, your account is not eligible at the moment, and Meta Business Suite is the other route for a business account.
Can I take shared access away from someone?
Yes. Instagram says you can manage and revoke access at any time from the Shared access screen, and you can switch off inbox access on its own with the toggle next to their name. Blocking someone you have shared access with also removes their access automatically.
What is an Instagram DM setter?
A DM setter is a person who works inside a business's Instagram inbox to start conversations, reply, follow up and book appointments. For a clinic that usually means messaging followers, story viewers, old enquiries and lapsed clients, and putting booked appointments into the diary.