Fixing “Unable to upload the media: Invalid user id” for Instagram

This error occurs when at least one collaborator username for added in SocialBu for Instagram Post is not a valid or accessible Instagram account via the official API. This includes cases where: ​

• The username is typed incorrectly or refers to a user that does not exist. ​

• The username belongs to a private account or an account that has restricted tags/collaborations. ​

• The account is not a professional (Business or Creator) profile that the Instagram API can work with

How to fix it:

Check the collaborator username

• Make sure the @username exists on Instagram and is spelled 100% correctly (copy–paste from the Instagram app to avoid typos).​

• Confirm account type & privacy

  • Ensure the collaborator uses a professional (Business or Creator) account that is accessible via the Instagram API.​

  • Ask them to make the profile public and allow tags/collabs from everyone (or at least from your account); private or restricted accounts can cause the “Invalid user id” error.​

• If the post works without collaborators

  • If the same post publishes after removing collaborators, the error is caused by one or more collaborator usernames being invalid, non‑existent, private, or restricted.