In the Instagram app, open your profile and choose Edit profile → Links → Add external link. Paste the URL, save it, then return to your profile to check it. Instagram supports up to five website links. Instagram's setup instructions.
You can use a normal website address. For an app available on both iPhone and Android, you can also use one URL that routes visitors to the appropriate store. Choose the destination based on what you want someone to do after reading your bio.
01 Add your first link
Copy the full URL before opening Instagram. If it's an app-store listing, open it once and check the app name and developer. It's easy to copy the wrong listing when a few apps have similar names.
- Open your Instagram profile.
- Choose Edit profile, then Links.
- Select Add external link and paste the website address.
- Save with Done on iPhone, then return to your profile.
These steps follow Instagram's iPhone help article. Its desktop guidance directs you to the mobile app to add a website.
Open the saved link from your profile. Check both the destination and the words around it. A bio that says "Download the app" should lead to a download path; "See how it works" can lead to a product explanation.
Instagram says profile websites are visible to people on and off Instagram. Choose an address you intend to share publicly. Profile website visibility.
02 Add more links and put the useful one first
You can add another website through the same Links control. To change the order, open Links → Options → Reorder links, drag a link to its new position, and save. To remove one, select it and choose Remove link. Instagram's link-management guidance.
For a small app studio, the list might include a download link, support and the studio website. Put the current priority first. During a launch, that will often be the app; on a support-focused account, help may deserve the first position.
You don't have to fill all five spaces. Add a destination when it gives visitors a useful choice. If several links do the same job, decide which one you want people to use.
03 Choose a download path for iPhone and Android
Two store links let visitors choose their platform. A website can explain the app before showing store buttons. A smart app link uses routing rules to send the visitor toward a configured destination.
For example, a studio releasing a habit-tracking app could configure this setup:
| Visitor | Destination to configure |
|---|---|
| iPhone | The app's Apple App Store listing |
| Android | The app's Google Play listing |
| Desktop | A page explaining the app with download options |
This is an example configuration, not a record of completed device tests. With AppRoute smart routing, you set the destinations and put the resulting URL in your profile. Basic store routing does not require a mobile SDK.
A studio with several apps may still want a page where people can choose which app interests them. Each download button can lead to that app's own smart link. Our bio-link guide for apps explains that choice in more detail.
04 If the link is missing or opens the wrong page
Start with the saved address. Open Edit profile and check that the URL is in Links. Compare it with the destination you intended to paste, including the domain and path.
Try the full address in a browser. If the destination fails there too, fix it before changing your Instagram profile again. If the address works but Instagram rejects it, record the error and use Instagram's help options. Replacing it with a series of redirects makes the problem harder to diagnose.
For a smart link that reaches the wrong store, check the routing settings and saved destinations. Copying an Android listing into the iOS field will still produce a working URL, just the wrong result for the visitor.
After saving a correction, check the profile as a visitor would see it. The editing screen alone won't tell you whether the whole path works.
05 Test the actual profile on both phones
Ask someone with an iPhone and someone with an Android phone to open your Instagram profile and tap the link. Have them record the app listing they reach and any screen they must pass through first. Test the website fallback from a desktop browser too.
Use this blank checklist for your own results:
| Check | Result to record |
|---|---|
| iPhone profile tap | Listing reached and any browser prompt |
| Android profile tap | Listing reached and any browser prompt |
| Desktop visit to the URL | Fallback page reached |
| Destination updated | Whether the unchanged public URL reaches the new destination |
Repeat the relevant checks after changing a destination. Keep the routing checklist beside the app's launch notes so the next person updating the link knows what to verify.
06 Separate Instagram traffic from other placements
Use a dedicated campaign name for the profile link. An example convention is utm_source=instagram, utm_medium=organic-social and utm_campaign=app-launch. Use a different source value for TikTok, then verify that the values appear as intended in your reports. See the UTM naming guide.
AppRoute click analytics helps you compare traffic to your links. Pro and Team plans also support importing overall revenue from Stripe and RevenueCat for comparison. Revenue attribution from individual link clicks is coming soon. A click and a purchase on the same day are not proof that one caused the other.
For one website, Instagram's native links may cover the whole job. If your app needs different destinations by device, set up an app bio link, test it, and use that URL in your profile.
Also setting up TikTok? Read the TikTok bio-link tutorial. If you need a page with several destinations, compare Linktree alternatives.