Account deactivation on Instagram results in the temporary suspension of a user’s profile. While the account is deactivated, it becomes invisible to other users. This means it will not appear in search results, and existing followers will no longer see the profile in their following list or activity feeds.
The impact of account deactivation differs from account deletion. Deletion is permanent, whereas deactivation is reversible. Because the profile essentially vanishes during deactivation, the effect is similar to being unfollowed in the short term. The account’s name will be removed from a follower’s following list, and any direct messages from the deactivated account will show the user as ‘Instagram User.’