If you receive an error message when trying to display your posts then you can use the table below to diagnose the issue and find the relevant solution.
Why are API requests being delayed?
If your website attempts to make several bad API requests in a short period of time, Instagram will temporarily block all requests from your website. To prevent this, the plugin will set a delay of 5 minutes until another API request is made. You can save your settings at Instagram Feed > Settings > Feeds to immediately try another API request.
I’m seeing error messages that no longer apply. Why is this?
The plugin will log API errors to help troubleshoot connection issues. Only some of these errors will clear on their own when the issue is resolved. If you’d like to reset these error messages, go to Instagram Feed > Settings > Advanced and click the Reset button next to Reset Error Log. You can also save your settings at Instagram Feed > Settings > Feeds to clear hashtag related errors.
API Error 400: Your account is connected to Facebook account, and your Facebook account’s future off-Facebook activity is currently turned off.
Due to how the Instagram/Facebook API works, if the future off-Facebook activity setting is disabled, you can not use our Instagram or Facebook apps to display the feed. In order to connect the source and display the feed, you will have to connect using a Facebook account or Instagram account with its connected Facebook account that does have this enabled. There is currently no way around this since it is a limitation in the API directly, which we can not affect.You can find detailed information about the off-Facebook activity here: https://www.facebook.com/help/1224342157705160
Error: No posts found:
- User feed: The account has no posts made on Instagram.com
- Recent hashtag feed: No posts have been made to this hashtag in the last 24 hours
- You are using a lot of IGTV posts in your feed – See below
- Issue with your Access Token – See API Error 400: The access_token provided is invalid
- Too much filtering with includewords, excludewords, whitelist, or blocking photos – See this FAQ
Your account has a lot of IGTV posts
Instagram does not yet support IGTV posts in its API. However, these posts are still counted in the API request even if they aren’t returned. This can lead to the plugin thinking there are no posts available if all recent posts are IGTV posts.
Solution:
To fix this issue, go to the “Customize” tab inside the settings page for “Instagram Feed” and find the setting “API request size” and raise it to 25 or more depending on how often you use IGTV posts.
Your account is private: Access token will expire.
This is due to the account being set as “private” on Instagram. Private accounts need to be manually reconnected every 60 days in order to retrieve new posts.
Solution:
Make your account “public” or remember to reconnect the account once every 60 days.
Error: Cannot retrieve posts for this hashtag: The Hashtag “XXXXXXXX” requested by the user either cannot be seen due to missing permissions, is invalid or doesn’t exist.
- No public posts have been made with this hashtag. Once a post is made with this hashtag, this error will be resolved
API error 100: Tried accessing nonexisting field (media_product_type) on node type (Media)
The error you are seeing is due to a sudden Instagram API change; an update to our plugin is required. Please update your plugin in your WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins to the latest version (Free 6.1.5 or Pro 6.2.4 or above)
After this, you will need to reconnect your source. For instructions on how to do this, please see this reconnection documentation.
API error 100: Unsupported get request.
API error 100: Unsupported get request. Object with ID ‘xxxxxxxxxxxxx’ does not exist, cannot be loaded due to missing permissions, or does not support this operation.
This can also be due to the Source ID not matching the authenticated source for the Access Token. A potential cause would be settings changes on Instagram/Facebook. Potential Causes:
- Changing the admin users of the related Facebook page
- Changing the password for the Instagram or Facebook account
- Changing your privacy settings for either Instagram or Facebook
- Changing settings related to App permissions for either Instagram or Facebook
Solution:
You can reconnect the Source by following this FAQ.
Note: If the error message is still displayed after doing this then try clearing the error log in the following location: Instagram Feed > Settings > Advanced > “Reset Error Log” button.
API error 190: Error validating access token.
You have an issue with your Access Token. This can be due to changing the password in the connected account or other Security Changes, or due to our app being removed from the account’s Business Integrations. You may also have copied your access token incorrectly when trying to connect an account.
Solution:
Remove the source from the plugin navigating to Instagram Feed > Settings > remove the connected source(s) by clicking the red trash icon, then click the Save Changes button. After that, try getting a new access token and manually connecting. To make sure you create a valid Access Token, you can follow our guide here.
API error 18: Limit of 30 unique hashtag searches per week has been reached.
Instagram has a limit of 30 unique hashtag searches on a rolling weekly basis. If your site requires more than 30 hashtag feeds, you will need to create a second Facebook/Instagram business account and connect it by going to Instagram Feed > Settings and clicking Add Source in the Manage Sources section.
API error 1: An unknown error has occurred.
Make sure that you are updated to the latest version of the plugin. If this error still appears, there may be a Facebook/Instagram API issue. Contact support.
API error 2: An unexpected error has occurred. Please retry your request later.
There may be a temporary issue with Instagram/Facebook’s API. Try clearing your cache by going to Instagram Feed > Settings > Feeds and clicking Clear All Caches. If the feed still isn’t updating after a few hours, contact support.
Error 999: Access token could not be decrypted.
All Instagram data, including access tokens, are encrypted in your database. If you migrate your database from another site, such as a development or staging site, you may need to reconnect your account or accounts for feeds to update by following these steps:
Remove the source from the plugin navigating to Instagram Feed > Settings > remove the connected source(s) by clicking the red trash icon, then click the Save Changes button. After that, click Add Source and recreate the connection. You can also try retrieving an access token and manually creating a connection with our guide here.
If you reconnect your account but it continuously gets disconnected again with Error 999 appearing, please follow the steps in this guide to correct the issue.
Connection Error: http_request_failed – cURL error 7: Failed to connect to api.instagram.com port 443: Connection refused
Some hosts have restrictions or security settings to prevent remote requests to other websites.
Solution:
Usually they can fix this or make an exception for your site. Try contacting your host with a message like this:
It looks like our Instagram plugin is encountering an error when trying to connect to the Instagram API. The developers asked us to contact you and mention that we are seeing the error http_request_failed – cURL error 7: Failed to connect to api.instagram.com port 443: Connection timed out when trying to make remote connections to api.instagram.com/.
Connection Error: http_request_failed – cURL error 6: Could not resolve host: graph.facebook.com
Your server may not be connected to the internet or your host may be blocking the connection. If you are using a local development environment, make sure you are connected to the internet.
Connection Error: http_request_failed – cURL error 28: Resolving timed out after 10000 milliseconds
Your server may have restrictions on connecting to the Instagram API.
Solution:
If this occurs when trying to connect a source, try reconnecting after 10 minutes or so. If this doesn’t resolve the problem or it’s intermittent, try contacting your host and mention that you are seeing this error when trying to connect to the Instagram API.
An alternative solution is to try connecting as a “Business” profile by following these instructions.
API error 200: Requires instagram_basic permission to manage the object, the app may have the permission but in order to use this API the app needs to be owned by a verified business.
This happens when the connection between a Facebook page and the Instagram Business Profile connected to the plugin is removed.
Solution:
In order to connect your source as an Instagram Business Profile, there must be a link to a Facebook page. Make sure your account is configured correctly by following this guide: Instagram Business Profiles – Smash Balloon.
Reconnect your source in the plugin. To do so, please follow the steps below:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard > Instagram Feed > Settings > remove the connected source(s) by clicking the red trash icon (See Screenshot), then click the Save Settings button.
- Click the Add Source button, select your Account Type, and click the blue Login with Facebook button, when sent to Facebook, you’ll need to click the Edit Settings button to review your connection settings and ensure ALL pages, profiles, and permissions are selected.
- Once your source has been re-added, click the Save Changes button.
- Navigate to your feed settings > Sources, and ensure the account you reconnected to the plugin is linked to the feed you display (See Screenshot).
If you’re still having trouble displaying your posts after trying the common issues above then please contact support for assistance.
