Below you'll find the most frequent publishing errors along with recommendations on what to do if they happen. In all cases, if the error persists or if you are unable to figure out how to fix the problem, we are here to help. Please contact support.
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The video format is not supported. Please check spec for supported video formats.
Recommendation
This error indicates that your video file doesn’t meet Instagram’s technical specifications, such as resolution, file size, or bitrate, for posts sent via their API (which tools like Vista Social use to publish to Instagram).
If you have Vista Social’s built-in video processing enabled, we’ll automatically convert your video to meet Instagram’s requirements before posting.
How to check if video processing was enabled:
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At the account level:
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At the post level:
Open the failed post from the calendar
→ Click the three-dot menu (top right)
→ Select Settings
→ Check if video processing was set to Yes or No
If you had video processing enabled and still received this error, please contact our support team for further investigation.
If video processing was disabled, try enabling it or manually reformat your video to meet Instagram’s media specifications.
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Page request limit reached.
Recommendation
The profile has reached its API calls limit; therefore, we are not able to publish on this profile or sync its new comments. The API calls limit is based on daily active people (DAP) - the higher your page's DAP, the higher the rate limit threshold. As soon as the threshold is reached, the profile is locked by Instagram/Facebook, and the only way to get this "resolved" is to wait for the profile to be unlocked by the native platform. If the error persists, please contact support.
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The aspect ratio is not supported.
Recommendation
The aspect ratio of the image must be within 4:5 to 1.91:1. Crop the image and try to publish it again. If the error persists, please contact support.
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An unexpected error has occurred. Please retry your request later.
Recommendation
Unknown error - we have no further information on this one. The only thing we can recommend is publishing the same content again later. If the error persists, please contact support.
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Error validating access token: The session has been invalidated because the user changed their password or Facebook has changed the session for security reasons.
Recommendation
It appears that Vista Social no longer has valid access to your profile. It has either expired or has been revoked. You simply need to reconnect this profile. If the error persists, please contact support.
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The image format is not supported.
Recommendation
The problem is most likely the image resolution - Instagram allows a max resolution of 1920x1080px. Posts that fail with this error message usually contain images with a much higher resolution. Resize the image and try publishing again. If the error persists, please contact support.
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Fatal
Recommendation
This error is returned when the Instagram anti-spam mechanism is triggered. Instagram does not say what caused it since it is all AI algorithm-driven, and how you can prevent it (there are no further details along with the error message). Instagram intentionally does not share the details to prevent someone from trying to circumvent or play around with their system. Our recommendation is to modify the post and try to publish this post again. If the error persists, please contact support.
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(#10) The user is not an Instagram Business
Recommendation
This publishing error can happen when you switch your Instagram Business Account to an Instagram Creator Account. Publishing on a Creator Account is not available via the Instagram API at the moment, so we recommend you switch your account back to a Business Account. If the error persists, please contact support.
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(#10) Application does not have permission for this action
Recommendation
- Check that the Instagram account and Facebook Page are still connected correctly.
- Also, please check that you have an Admin role on linked Facebook Page.
- Reconnect with your Facebook account and accept all permissions.
- If the error persists, please contact support.
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"User access is restricted" or "User is unavailable - The Instagram account is either inactive or restricted" or "The Instagram account is restricted"
Recommendation
This account has been restricted by Instagram. This usually happens when the account violates Instagram's Community Guidelines or Terms of Use. You'll need to log in to this account in the Instagram app and follow on-screen instructions to re-enable your account.
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You reached maximum number of posts that is allowed to be published by Content Publishing API.
Recommendation
When using tools like Vista Social to publish content to Instagram, each Instagram profile is allowed to publish a maximum of 50 posts within a 24-hour period. Please wait before further publishing. If the error persists, please contact support.
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Application request limit reached
Recommendation
It appears that Facebook and Instagram networks are very busy. Please wait a bit and then try your post again. If the error persists, please contact support.
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We restrict certain activity to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake.
Recommendation
Similar to #6, Instagram AI-driven algorithms have flagged this post. Instagram intentionally does not share the details to prevent someone from trying to circumvent or play around with their system. Our recommendation is to modify the post and try to publish this post again. If the error persists, please contact support.
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This Instagram account is inactive, checkpointed, or restricted. Please sign in to the Instagram app and complete any actions the app requires to re-enable your account.
Recommendation
Various factors, such as logging in from multiple devices into the same Instagram account or using automation apps requesting login credentials, can trigger these checkpoints.
To resolve this, we suggest logging in to your Instagram account through the mobile app and following the on-screen instructions to address any checkpoints.
Please keep in mind that even after completing these steps, it may take some time for the checkpoint to be cleared. These checkpoints are automated mechanisms within Instagram, often powered by AI.
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"The following user(s) cannot be accessed" or "The user {instagram handle} cannot be tagged on this media"
Recommendation
This error means that one or more users you’re trying to tag or add as a collaborator can’t be accessed through Instagram’s API.
The most common reason is that the profile is set to private. Instagram’s API does not allow third-party tools like Vista Social to tag or collaborate with private accounts.
To resolve this:
Check if the profile you’re trying to tag or collaborate with is private.
If so, you’ll need to either remove the tag/collaboration or reach out to the user to confirm their account is set to public.
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Error: Media upload has failed with error code 2207001 or 2207052
Recommendation
Instagram's network is very busy. Please wait a bit and then try your post again. If the error persists, please contact support.
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We limit how often you can post, comment or do other things in a given amount of time in order to help protect the community from spam. You can try again later.
Recommendation
This message appears when you've exceeded a social media platform's activity limits by posting, commenting, or performing other actions too frequently within a short time period. Platforms use these automated rate limits to prevent spam, protect users from excessive content, and maintain platform quality by blocking what appears to be bot-like behavior. To resolve this, simply wait for the specified time period (usually minutes to hours) and then slow down your activity rate to avoid triggering the limits again - common triggers include rapid posting, excessive liking/commenting, or quickly following multiple accounts.
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Error: Media upload has failed with error code 0
This error is related to recent changes in Instagram’s API—the system that tools like Vista Social use to connect to Instagram and publish posts.
Recommendation
Please try uploading the post again. In usual cases, the issue resolves on retry.
If the error persists, don’t hesitate to reach out to support so we can assist further. 🙏
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This video is published, but Instagram did not confirm its identity.
Recommendation
When Vista Social sends a post to Instagram, we wait for the Instagram to confirm its publishing status. Once they confirm that video is published, we ask Instagram for that video's identity. In some very rare cases, Instagram fails to return this information to us.
The good news:
The good news is that the post is published.
The not-so-good news:
There is no calendar display issue. You will see the post you have scheduled which will show 'Published' but it won't allow you to see stats and navigate to the published post. The calendar will eventually display another item that we will pull directly from Instagram. It is the actual published post. This can be confusing, but rest assured, only 1 post has been published.
Need further help?
If you have any questions or need additional help, feel free to contact our awesome support team. We are here to assist you! 💙
Related Reading:
Republishing a failed post on Vista Social
Troubleshooting Instagram Post Failures: "The Instagram Account is Restricted"