How to Fix Challenge Required on Instagram?

Are you facing the annoying Instagram challenge required error out of the blue? Do you want to know what it means, and most importantly, how to fix the challenge required error on Instagram? If so, you are in the right place!

The challenge required error can be annoying for any Instagram user. Whether you are using the social media app for personal reasons or to promote your business, encountering a challenge required issue can disrupt your scrolling and workflow. 

So, in this article, we’ll discuss the meaning of the challenge required error, along with the reasons that cause this, and some tried-and-tested solutions. Let’s start with the basics. 

What Does Challenge Required Mean on Instagram?

You’ll encounter a challenge_required error along with text that reads “a challenge is required to process this secured action”. It means you’ve tripped Instagram’s security system. A challenge required appears when the system suspects you of bot-like behavior.

Instagram has many systems like this to ensure that only real users are using the platform and not automated systems. Understanding why becomes even clearer once you know that studies have shown that one-third of the Internet is believed to be just bots in 2025.

Now that you know what it means when Instagram says challenge required, let’s go through what triggers it and how to fix it.

Why Does It Say Challenge Required on Instagram?

Several things can trigger a challenge_required error message. Almost all of them can be benign or suspicious, which is why Instagram checks in with an additional security check. Let’s go through each of them one by one:

1. Logging in from an unknown device or IP address: The most common reason behind the challenge_required error is when you try to log in to your account from an unknown device or IP address. The error is triggered to prevent unauthorized access.

2. Repeated login attempts: If you try to log into Instagram with incorrect credentials several times in a row, the system can detect it as suspicious activity and trigger the challenge required error.

3. Failed attempts to reset password: If you try and fail to reset your password, Instagram can interpret this as someone trying to force entry into an account that’s not theirs, which triggers the challenge.

4. Poor internet connection: If you have a slow internet connection, the browser or Instagram app will not properly connect with the security protocols, which can lead to a challenge required error. 

5. New IP address: Other than trying to log in from a new IP, your IP address may change mid-session (common if you’re using a VPN, for example). This can lead to a mismatch of the IP address of your current session compared to the previous one. It can cause the system to ask for further verification.

6. Instagram’s server issues: While Instagram is backed by Meta’s robust IT infrastructure, sudden outages and server issues are not that uncommon, leading to errors like challenge required.

7. Outdated app: Instagram gets regular updates to improve its security and performance. If you are using an older version, you can miss out on critical updates and face a variety of errors. 

8. Signs of automation: Other than the above specific causes, any activity that suggests social media automation can cause Instagram’s server to ask for further verification and pass the required challenge.

8 Ways to Fix the Instagram Challenge Required

The following is a step-by-step guide for how to fix the Instagram challenge_required errors. It is possible that you will bypass the error by simply reconnecting your network before moving to advanced solutions.

Note: The following solutions are for  normal users. If you are using automation software, skip to the next section.

1. Complete the Steps

The simplest solution to the Instagram challenge required error is to complete the steps listed by the platform. Generally, the on-screen instructions would tell you to prove your identity by re-entering your credentials and completing a captcha verification.

2. Check Your Internet Connection

If you are not able to bypass the challenge required screen, or it keeps showing up again and again, you should check your internet connection. A slow and unstable network can be the driving force behind many of these errors. It is always a good idea to check your connection speed via reliable sites like SpeedTest or any other. 

3. Login From a Different Network

If another connection is available, you can also try switching to it and accessing your Instagram again. If your current IP address is the problem, switching to a new network — and a new IP — may fix the Instagram error of the challenge required.

4. Check Instagram Server Status

In the event the problem isn’t on your end but Instagram’s servers, you can check Instagram’s official accounts on X and Facebook. Sites like Downdetector are also great to check outages and problems in real-time. 

5. Restart the App

In case you are using Instagram on your smartphone and have gotten the challenge required error, you should close the app completely and reopen it. An even better option would be to exit all apps, restart your device, and reopen the Instagram app. This might sound like an old gimmick, but it often works in fixing many issues, including the Instagram challenge required error.

6. Update the Instagram App

As a rule of thumb, you should use up-to-date apps for better security and performance. Apps like Instagram, especially, get regular updates for security patches. So, if you face an issue like a challenge required on your Instagram app, you should update your app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. 

7. Clear the Instagram App Cache

Accumulation of too much cache in your app can also result in errors like a challenge required. 

Android: Android users can easily clear the cache of their Instagram app by following these steps:

• Open Settings
• Scroll down and open Apps to see the list of apps installed on your device. 
• Type Instagram in the search bar and tap on it.
• Tap Clear data in the bottom right corner.
• Choose the clear cache option and restart your app.

iOS: If you are an iPhone or iPad user, you’ll have to offload or uninstall the Instagram app to clear its cache:

Offload app:

• Open General settings and tap iPhone storage.
• Find the Instagram app under iPhone storage and choose the Offload App option.
• Offloading the app will clear its cache. You can reinstall the app immediately, or if you are encountering an IP ban, it is recommended to wait at least a day before the reinstallation.

Uninstall app:

Offloading only clears the app’s cache. If you want to reset it completely and also delete the data, you can consider uninstalling and reinstalling the Instagram app. Simply tap the Delete App option.

8. Reinstall Your App

If none of the previous solutions are working, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. It can resolve many glitches related to the installation. To get better results, you should wait for a day or two after uninstalling the app and then reinstalling it from the app store.

How to Bypass the Instagram Challenge Required Error When Using Automation?

Instagram’s security systems classify automated activities as suspicious, no matter why you might be using automation software. Instagram considers such security protocols as necessary in light of studies showing that about 95 million accounts on Instagram could be bots. 

So, if you are actually automating your Instagram activities, you should be prepared to face the challenge required error and additional verification steps on your screen. 

The good thing is that there are several things you can do to prevent, bypass, and fix Instagram’s challenge_required, even when automating:

• Make your fingerprints as real as possible: Use anti-detect browsers so your browser fingerprints, among others, are as realistic as possible. Make sure your identifying information broadcasts a consistent profile. This can also help isolate accounts from each other to avoid contamination.
• Humanize your actions: Libraries like Playwright let you integrate more human-like actions more easily than some alternatives. Randomized scrolling delays and interaction behavior avoid tripping anti-bot flags as easily. You’ll have to experiment to find the right timings.
• Warm up your account: An account’s historical data factors into how much Instagram will trust a “slip up”. A fresh account is inherently more suspicious. If you want to save yourself the headache of warming up accounts yourself, you might want to buy an Instagram account instead.
• Check for leaks: Make sure your real IP isn’t leaking via something silly like WebRTC, double check your time zone and locale settings, and even your user agent. It could be that your headless browser’s giving itself away.
• Make your profile as real as possible: Creating a realistic profile that looks and behaves like an actual human Instagram user is the key to avoiding red flags like challenge required error. This includes writing a short bio, uploading a profile picture, and creating some posts. 
• Space out your automated actions: Double check that you’ve got delays on your script’s interactions; you may have overlooked some or have the timing wrong.
• Perform a variety of actions: Intersperse your actions to avoid repeating the same types too often. Instead of solely following new accounts, add some liking, commenting, scrolling, etc.
• Captcha Solvers: If the captcha itself is tripping up your script, captcha solvers can automate bypassing them for you.
• Unrealistic geo-hopping: If you’re rotating your proxies, try to stay within the same geolocation rather than swapping between different countries or states.
• Consider a higher quality proxy: If you’ve double and triple checked all your script’s other variables, your proxy could be the problem. Something like Playwright makes integrating proxies easy; mobile proxies in particular can offer better automation results in bot-unfriendly territory like Instagram.

Conclusion

While the Instagram challenge_required error can be annoying, following the step-by-step guide in this article should solve the problem for you. If Instagram tells you that a challenge is required, you should first try to complete the on-screen verification steps to fix the issue. You can also try other solutions like restarting the app, using a different network, or reinstalling the app.

Key Takeaways

• Challenge required error on Instagram means Instagram’s security system has detected suspicious activity on your end, such as using automated software. 
• The challenge_required error is triggered by “bot-like” behavior, even if your actions are benign.
• You can fix the Instagram challenge required error by completing the verification steps,  changing networks, updating your app, clearing the app’s cache, or reinstalling the app. 
• If the challenge required error is triggered because you are automating, then you need to modify your script to mimic the behaviour of a human Instagram user. 

Remember that if you are using an Instagram automation tool, you should expect the challenge required error to pop up because of Instagram’s strict anti-bot mechanisms. So, the best thing you can do to streamline your automation efforts is to adopt a proactive approach and use a mobile proxy to avoid IP bans and errors like verification or challenge required in the first place. 

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