How to Add, Change, or Hide a Category Label on Instagram

TL;DR: On an Instagram Business or Creator account, open Profile → Edit profile → Category to choose or change your category. To show or hide the label, go to Edit profile → Profile display and turn Display category label on or off. Save with Done or the check mark. Hiding the label keeps your category selected and your account professional. If you have a personal account, you can choose a category during professional account setup. Professional profiles are public.

Suppose a visitor sees the name “Sunday Table” on Instagram. Is it a restaurant, a food magazine or a supper club? A visible Restaurant label answers that question before the visitor even reads the bio. Now consider “Sunday Table Restaurant.” The very same label contributes rather less.

At Dumpor, that is the question we would ask before displaying a category. What does this one line tell a stranger that the rest of the profile has yet to explain? The answer will help you decide whether to add the label, change its wording by choosing another category, or hide it altogether.

Find the right setting for what you want to change

An Instagram category is a description you select from a list. On professional profiles, the category can appear as a separate line near the name and bio. It gives a visitor a quick indication of what a person does or what kind of organisation runs the account.

Instagram gives you two decisions. You choose which category describes the account, then choose whether people see that description. A photography studio can have Photographer selected in its settings even while the public profile shows only its name and written introduction.

How to add a category label to an Instagram profile

Already have a Business or Creator account? Open your profile, tap Edit profile, then Category. Select the closest description, save it, and look under Profile display for Display category label. Turn it on if you want the wording to appear publicly. In some versions, Display on profile appears on the category selection screen itself.

Starting with a personal account? First decide whether a public profile suits you. If keeping your posts private matters, you can describe your work in the written bio and keep your personal account. To add the official category field, use the professional setup in the Instagram mobile app.

1. Open the profile you intend to change and tap the menu in the upper-right corner.
2. In Settings and activity, find For professionals and tap Account type and tools.
3. Choose Switch to professional account and continue to the category picker.
4. Search for a term that describes your work. Tap one of the results.
5. If you see Display on profile, choose whether the label should be visible.
6. Follow the prompts to confirm the switch and choose Creator or Business.
7. Review any contact or Facebook Page options offered during setup. You can skip the optional Page connection.
8. Return to your profile. If the category is missing from the header, check Edit profile → Profile display and save your display preference.

One small distinction saves a fair amount of searching. Creator is an account type. Digital creator is a category you may see in the picker. You can choose a Creator account and use a more specific description, such as Photographer, if that better describes the work people come to see.

How to change your Instagram business or creator category

Open the category field when the description itself is wrong. For instance, a photographer who now runs a clothing shop might want a retail category. Simply hiding the old label would leave Photographer selected in the editor.

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap Edit profile.
2. Under the professional information section, tap Category or Business category.
3. Enter a word describing your main activity and review the suggested results.
4. Select the category you want and tap Done or the check mark.
5. Save the profile if the editor asks you to confirm again.
6. Reopen the category field to verify the selection. If you display the label, also check the profile header.

Search using the words a customer would use. Someone looking for a person to photograph a wedding is likely to understand Photographer immediately. “Visual storyteller” may suit the studio’s voice, but it belongs in the bio if the category picker does not offer it.

A broader term can be the more accurate choice. A ceramic artist might sell finished pieces, take commissions and teach classes. If the work has three strands, choose the description that can reasonably cover them, then use the bio to explain which services are currently available.

How to hide the category label and show it again

On your professional profile, tap Edit profile → Profile display. Find Display category label, switch it off, and confirm. Visit your profile to check that the category line has disappeared.

On a Business account, Profile display may sit under Public business information. If your layout puts Display on profile beside the selected category instead, use that switch and save. Pay attention to the name of the control, especially if the same screen also includes a contact information setting.

To show the label again, return to the same screen, turn its display switch on, and save. The category you previously chose should appear. If you had selected an old description, update the category before restoring its visibility.

When showing the category helps a visitor

A visible category earns its space when it settles a question. A trading name may be unfamiliar, two businesses may have similar names, or the photographs may show the product beautifully without explaining who sells it.

Consider a shop called “The Second Shelf.” From the name alone, a visitor could reasonably expect books, furniture or kitchenware. If the business sells books and the picker offers an accurate bookstore category, the label supplies the missing information. The bio can then explain that the shop specialises in used cookbooks and takes orders for local collection.

We would lean towards showing the label when at least one of the following is true:

• The account name gives little indication of the occupation or business.
• Visitors frequently ask what the account offers.
• A familiar category accurately describes the main activity.
• The label makes room in the bio for useful details such as location, specialisation or booking instructions.

When hiding the category makes more sense

Sometimes the available wording is too broad. Entrepreneur may be accurate, yet it tells a prospective client very little about a person who restores antique maps. If that person’s bio opens with “Antique map restoration and conservation,” the custom description gets the visitor to the point more quickly.

Repetition is another good reason to hide a label. “Harbour Street Photography” followed by “Photographer” and then “Photography studio” spends three lines introducing essentially the same idea. The studio could hide the category and open with “Family portraits in Bristol.” Or it could keep Photographer visible and use the bio for session details. Either arrangement gives the reader more information.

What to put in the bio when you hide the label

Start with the fact the category was meant to communicate. For a studio, that might be “Product photography for independent food brands.” It tells a potential client what the studio makes and whom it serves. If location affects the decision, add it. Then give the reader one practical next step.

Make the next step easy to recognise. If the bio invites visitors to request a quote, give the corresponding link a clear title and send them to the enquiry form. Our guide covers adding and arranging links in your Instagram bio.

When the work is easier to show than describe, give one example a prominent place on the grid. A conservator could feature a before-and-after repair with a caption explaining which commissions the studio accepts. Here is how to pin posts and Reels to your profile.

Why the category option or label may be missing

Start with the symptom. A missing Category field, a hidden label and an unsuitable category suggestion have different solutions.

If a saved change seems to have disappeared, reopen Edit profile before repeating it. Check the selected category and its display switch independently. Then open the profile from another account or ask a colleague to read the header as a visitor sees it. The editor is supposed to show you information you may have chosen to hide publicly.

On a computer, look in More → Settings → Professional account for the category and its display option. If the web layout differs, use the mobile instructions above. For a recurring save error, update the app and record which field fails. A report sent through Instagram’s help menu is easier to investigate when it includes the account type, the attempted change and the exact error message.

If you are using Dumpor to research public Instagram profiles and a result looks different from what you expected, include the public username and the detail you were trying to check when you send a request to the Dumpor team.