If you tried opening Instagram or Facebook on the morning of Friday, June 12, 2026 and got stuck on a blank feed or a “query error” message, you were not alone. A major outage hit Meta’s apps starting around 9:30 am ET (6:30 am PT), and within half an hour, reports on Downdetector crossed 100,000 for Facebook alone.
What happened during the outage
Users across the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East reported being logged out of their accounts, seeing blank screens, or getting repeated “unexpected error” and “query error” pop-ups. Facebook’s app, website and Messenger took the biggest hit. Instagram was also affected, mainly its feed and login system, though it stayed more stable than Facebook for many users. WhatsApp and Threads reportedly continued working normally for most people.
Cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco saw the highest number of reports, but the disruption was global, with people in Doha and across the Middle East also flagging issues on social media.
When did it start and how long did it last
The outage began around 9:30 am ET on Friday, June 12, 2026. Reports peaked near 10 am ET, with over 120,000 users affected at the worst point. By roughly 8:12 am PT (about 45 minutes to an hour later), services started coming back online, and Meta’s developer status page turned green again. Most users reported things were back to normal within an hour of the first reports.
Is there a fix if Instagram is still not working
This was a server side issue on Meta’s end, so there was nothing users could do to fix it directly. Restarting the app, clearing cache, or reinstalling will not help with this kind of outage, and repeatedly trying to log in can sometimes trigger a temporary lock on your account. The best move is simply to wait a few minutes and refresh.
Has this happened before
Yes. This is part of a pattern of recurring Meta outages, including a login issue in February 2024, a multi platform disruption around Super Tuesday in March 2024, and a three platform outage in December 2024 that lasted close to three hours. Facebook also had a partial outage earlier in 2026.
FAQs
Is Instagram down right now?
As of the afternoon of June 12, 2026, Instagram and Facebook services have largely returned to normal after the morning outage.
What time did Instagram go down today?
The outage started around 9:30 am ET (6:30 am PT) on June 12, 2026.
Why did Instagram show a query error?
The query error and login problems were caused by a server side failure on Meta’s infrastructure, not an issue with individual accounts or devices.
Did WhatsApp go down too?
No, WhatsApp and Threads continued working normally for most users during this outage.
How long did the Instagram and Facebook outage last?
The disruption lasted roughly 45 minutes to an hour, with services recovering by around 8:12 am PT.
