Meta’s latest app, Threads, is an innovative addition to the social media landscape. A long-awaited tool for Instagram users, early adoption was through the roof. In under a year, the platform has amassed a huge following, with many Instagram users including it in their daily efforts.

One common question is whether or not users can have more than one Threads account. Instagram has made it easy to have and navigate between multiple accounts for years. Now, Threads users are wondering if they can count on the same experience with more than one account. Here’s what users need to know about using Threads across multiple accounts - and how to make the most of the platform on any account.

What is Threads?

Threads is a microblogging platform primarily designed for text posts, that can support photos and video as well. Similar to X (formerly Twitter), the Instagram-connected app allows users to create short snippets of copy to share their thoughts. Built by the Instagram team, Threads offers a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.

Launched about one year ago, Threads experienced near-immediate success, with 70 million users signing up only a day after the platform was released to the public. Both content creators and casual users are finding new ways to share their thoughts and connect with others through the app.

Instagram is already a popular platform for people around the world. Users have always been able to connect over photos and video, but Threads expands capabilities to text, creating a space to express ideas. Think of Threads as an extension of Instagram, where you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interest, including those that you already follow on Instagram as well as those who don’t. Plus, you can use Instagram’s existing suite of safety and user controls to make things nice and simple.

Threads also includes a “Trending Now” feature that helps you to find timely and relevant topics that other people are discussing. This is a great way to find and join in on conversations that you care about. You can find “Trending Now” topics in the “For You” feed, and see up to 5 topics displayed. These topics are determined by machine learning AI systems based on what people are currently engaging with on Threads. One important thing to note is that topics are not personalized to you; they simply show what is trending across the app in the US (Right now this feature is US only).

Topics that show as trending are chosen using AI systems that work on a variety of signals, including how many posts are made about the subject and how many people have engaged with those posts. Topics reflect more than just news stories, they are chosen from all posts that people are talking about. Additionally, once topics are selected, a team of content specialists review them along with corresponding search results. This is a way of ensuring that nothing violates Community Guidelines or Recommendation Guidelines and that topics won’t be duplicative or misleading in any way.

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What Threads Users Need to Know

If you’re not already using Threads, it’s worth giving it a try! It’s really simple to get started using your current Instagram account. The Instagram username and verification will carry over, but you can customize your profiles for Threads.

People who are under 16 (or 18 in some countries) will be defaulted into a private profile when they initially join Threads. From there, you can follow the same accounts that you do on Instagram, and find more people who are into the same things as you. The core accessibility features that people take advantage of on Instagram, like screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions, are also part of Threads.

Your feed includes threads posted by people you follow as well as recommended content from new creators you haven’t discovered yet. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes long. Of course, it’s really easy to share a Threads post to your Instagram story, or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.

Users can also control who can mention them or reply to them within Threads. Similar to Instagram, users can add hidden words to filter out replies that contain specific words. Users can also unfollow, block, restrict, or report a profile on Threads within the menu. Additionally, any accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will be automatically blocked on Threads.

The team at Meta is taking safety seriously, and enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines on content and interactions in the app.

Can You Have More Than One Thread Account?

It is possible to have more than one account on Threads. Instagram users with more than one account can create individual Threads profiles for each of their usernames. Unfortunately, switching between the profiles is not so simple.

Instagram organizes all of a user’ profiles into one dropdown menu which makes it easy to switch back and forth, but Threads doesn’t yet have this feature. So, in order to switch profiles, users must log out of Threads, go to Instagram and open the preferred account, then log back into Threads with that username.

Managing Multiple Threads Accounts

As mentioned, to switch to a different Threads profile, users must first be logged into the corresponding Instagram account. Go to Instagram and tap the profile picture icon on the bottom right of the app. Then, hit the arrow beside the username at the top of the profile page to open the menu containing all of a person’s Instagram profiles. From here, users should tap the account they want to switch to for Threads. Now, exit Instagram and open the Threads app.

To do this, users will need to log out of the previous account on Threads, which can be done by tapping the Settings menu (two horizontal lines) at the top right of their profile. At the bottom of Settings, you’ll see ‘Log out.’  Select that, then confirm in the popup. The Threads app will close, and when users reopen it, they’ll again see the option to ‘Log in with Instagram,’ now showing the username for the account they intend to switch to.

Obviously, this process is a little clunky and tedious, particularly for people who need to switch back and forth on their Instagram accounts often. Though there will likely be a better system put forth by Instagram soon, there is another workaround that can make things easier.

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Use Shift as your browser, and you can move between accounts seamlessly and without this cumbersome process. Here is a step-by-step overview of how to switch Instagram accounts, so that you can easily get into the correct Threads account:

1. Open the Instagram app - Launch the Instagram app on your mobile device. Make sure you are logged in to your current Instagram account.
2. Go to your profile page - Tap on the profile icon at the bottom right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile page.
3. Access the account switching menu - On your profile page, look for the three horizontal lines or the hamburger icon at the top right corner of the screen. Tap on it to open the side menu.
4. Select the "Settings" option - From the side menu, scroll down and locate the "Settings" option and tap on it to access the settings menu.
5. Tap on the "Add Account" option - In the settings menu, look for the "Add Account" option. It is usually located at the bottom of the list and then click on it to proceed.
6. Enter your login credentials - You will be taken to the login screen where you can enter the username and password for the Instagram account you want to switch to. Alternatively, you can choose to log in using Facebook if your accounts are connected.
7. Switch between accounts - Once you have successfully logged in to the new account, you can switch between your accounts by tapping on the profile icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. This will display a list of all the accounts you have logged in to. Simply tap on the account you want to switch to.
8. Explore, post, and interact - You are now switched to the selected Instagram account. You can explore the feed, post content, view and respond to notifications, and interact with other users just like you would with your primary account.
9. Switch back to the previous account - When the time comes to switch back to your previous account, repeat step 7 and select the desired account from the list.

Simplify with Shift

If you want to skip the endless logging in and out - on Instagram and Threads, as well as other apps - the simplest approach is to implement Shift. Shift provides the easiest way to manage multiple profiles on your desktop. To begin with, you’ll need to download Shift. After the program is installed, you can open it on your desktop and begin to add each of your accounts. Simply click the “plus” sign on the left taskbar and select “Add Account”. You will enter the first email address and then keep repeating that process with additional accounts. After you’ve added an account, you shouldn’t need to log in again.

Once you’ve completed that process, your accounts will be visible on the left of your screen. You can then access the account that goes with each unique email address. Simply click on each account, then choose the specific icon from the upper-right corner to get to the files related to each login. From there, you can easily toggle back and forth, plus view, upload, and download from this screen just as you would in any web browser. Shift is highly intuitive and the functionality behaves just like what you are already used to in a web browser.

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The Most Powerful Tool for Managing Multiple Accounts

Shift is an innovative platform that can be used for a better, more organized digital experience, whether you are using multiple profiles or just one. You can use Shift to work within focused web tabs and by accessing the web from inside Shift, you can manage your tabs and organize them for a better browsing experience. Users love the ability to streamline tabs in the way that works for them - for example by account or project. They can keep context, avoid distraction, and increase overall efficiency.

Furthermore, you can easily access and store information like bookmarks in Workspaces. This makes it simple to have important applications visible and organized by Workspace, and bookmark them for quick access later on.

Anyone who uses online platforms will find Shift to be a powerful resource. With Shift, you can organize and manage the following in your personal or professional life:

• Mail - Connect all of your Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 accounts and manage everything from one centralized workstation.
• Apps - WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger—we have everything you need to get it done. Browse our Apps Directory, connect yours, and switch between them easily.
• Search - Save time and find exactly what you're looking for across any of your Mail, Calendar, and Drive accounts.
• Chrome extensions - Enjoy access to Boomerang, Grammarly, LastPass, and many of your other favorite Chrome Extensions.
• Workspaces - Create a Workspace with the exact apps, tabs, and bookmarks you need, then share it with your team to get the job done.
• Account management - Toggle between your most-used accounts, check notifications and streamline your workflow.

Threads is quickly becoming a must-have for content creators and casual social media users alike. If you want to explore using multiple accounts on the platform, give these tips a try. Make sure to follow our blog for all the latest info on trends, tips, and tech advice.