Understanding

Instagram asset and role permissions

Inside a Business Portfolio, your Instagram account is an asset you assign people to — and admins of the connected Facebook Page inherit certain Instagram permissions automatically.

In the Meta business world, an Instagram account is not a place you log into — it is an asset you assign people to, like a Facebook Page or an ad account. Permissions come from two directions: the portfolio role a person holds (admin or employee), and the specific asset-level permissions you give them on that Instagram account. On top of that, admins of the connected Facebook Page inherit certain Instagram permissions through the connection itself.

Portfolio roles and asset permissions

The two layers that combine to decide what a person can do on your Instagram account: their portfolio role, and the asset-level permissions assigned on the account.

RoleWhere it livesCan doCannot do
Business Portfolio — Admin access
Can delegate to others
business.facebook.com → Settings → People
Entire Business Portfolio
  • Manage all assets, people, partners, and billing
  • Grant Admin or Employee access to others
  • Delete the portfolio
Portfolio Admin is the highest privilege — protect this role tightly.
Business Portfolio — Employee access
business.facebook.com → Settings → People
Only assigned assets
  • Work on specific assets they are explicitly granted
  • Access assets they are not assigned to
  • Add new people to the portfolio
Instagram asset — Full control
Can delegate to others
business.facebook.com → Accounts → Instagram accounts → Assign people
Specific Instagram account
  • Manage everything on the Instagram account
  • Reassign or revoke other people on this asset
  • Connect / disconnect from other Meta assets
Instagram — Create content
Asset-level Instagram permissions
Posting and content
  • Create posts, stories, reels
  • Edit drafts
  • Run ads
  • Reassign people
Instagram — Messages & community activity
Asset-level Instagram permissions
Inbox and community
  • Read and reply to DMs, comments, mentions
Instagram — Community activity
Asset-level Instagram permissions
Comments and mentions only
  • Reply to comments and mentions
  • Access DMs
Instagram — Ads
Asset-level + Ad Account permissions
Boosted posts and ad campaigns
  • Run ads tied to this Instagram account
Ad permission typically also requires Ad Account access — a common point of mis-grants.
Instagram — Insights
Asset-level Instagram permissions
Read-only
  • View account insights and content performance

How the layers combine

Portfolio role first: a portfolio admin can manage everything and grant access to others; an employee can only reach the assets they are explicitly assigned. This decides the breadth of someone's reach.

Asset permission second: on a given Instagram account you grant full control or specific tasks. This decides the depth of what they can do on that one account.

And the connection wrinkle: because the Instagram account is connected to a Facebook Page, the Page's admins inherit certain Instagram permissions automatically. That is why auditing access means checking the connected Page's admins, not just the people explicitly assigned to the Instagram asset. The pure portfolio-and-asset mechanics are the same ones the Facebook hub covers in depth.

Frequently asked questions

An asset. Inside a Business Portfolio you assign people to the Instagram account the same way you assign them to a Page or ad account, then choose what they can do on it.

Delvia

Access issues are easier to prevent when roles, owners, and responsibilities are recorded clearly

Most access problems trace back to the same gap — no clear record of who has access, what role they hold, and what should happen when that changes. Delvia helps you keep that record so problems are visible before they become incidents.

Delvia is free on iPhone and Android. Keep a clear record of who has access to your accounts — and what to do when that changes — wherever you are.