Obtain Your Facebook or Instagram Token to Integrate & Display Feeds on Your Alumnly Platform

How to Generate Instagram Token

Part 1 – Create the App

  1. Go to Meta for Developers
    Visit developers.facebook.com and log in with your Facebook account.
  2. Go to My Apps
    Click Apps in the top navigation bar, then click the Create App button.
  3. Select App Type
    You will be asked “What do you want your app to do?” — select Other, then click Next.
  4. Select App Type as Business
    On the next screen, select Business as the app type, then click Next.
  5. Fill in App Details
    Fill in the following fields:
  • App name — e.g. JWAM Grammar’s Feed
  • App contact email — your email address
  • Business Account — link it to your Meta Business account if prompted
  • Then click Create App. You may be asked to re-enter your Facebook password to confirm.

Part 2 – Add Instagram Product

  1. Go to the App Dashboard
    After creation you’ll land on the App Dashboard. In the left sidebar click Add Product.
  2. Find Instagram
    Scroll through the product list and find Instagram. Click Set up.
  3. Choose API Setup with Instagram Login
    You’ll be presented with two options:
  • API setup with Instagram login
  • API setup with Facebook login
  1. Select API setup with Instagram login and click Next.

Part 3 – Add Instagram Tester

  1. Go to App Roles
    In the left sidebar click App Roles, then click Roles.
  2. Click Add People
    On the Roles page, click the Add People button.
  3. Select Instagram Tester
    A dialog will appear with role options — select Instagram Tester.
  4. Search for Your Instagram Username
    In the search textbox, type your Instagram username and select your account from the results.
  5. Confirm and Add
    Click Add to confirm. The Instagram account will now be added as a tester for your app.

Part 4 – Accept the Tester Invite on Instagram

  1. Open Instagram in a New Tab
    Open a new browser tab or window and go to instagram.com. Log in to the Instagram account you added as a tester.
  2. Open Settings
    In the left sidebar click More at the bottom, then click Settings from the menu that appears.
  3. Go to Website Permissions
    Inside Settings, navigate to Website Permissions.
  4. Go to Apps and Websites
    Click Apps and Websites from the list of options.
  5. Open Tester Invites
    Click on the Tester Invites tab. You should see a pending invite from your Meta app.
  6. Accept the Invite
    Click Accept next to the invite. Your Instagram account is now an approved tester for the app and is ready to generate access tokens.

Part 5 – Generate the Access Token

  1. Go Back to Your App
    Switch back to the Meta Developer tab and go to your app dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Instagram API Setup
    In the left sidebar click Instagram, then click API setup with Instagram login.
  3. Generate Access Token
    Scroll down to the Generate access tokens section and click Generate token.
  4. Add Account
    Click Add account, then click Continue to proceed.
  5. Log in via the Popup Window
    A new popup window will appear prompting you to log in with your Instagram credentials. Enter your Instagram username and password and complete the login.
  6. Grant Permissions
    After logging in, you will be asked to grant the app the necessary permissions. Review and click Allow to confirm.
  7. Copy the Access Token
    Once authorised, the access token will be displayed. Copy it immediately and store it somewhere safe — it will not be shown again in full.

How to Generate Facebook Token

  1. Create Facebook App
    Go to developers.facebook.com, then click My Apps.
  2. Click “Create App”
    Choose Other, then click Next.
  3. Choose “None”
    Select None, then click Next.
  4. Enter App Name
    Enter the app name, keep the remaining fields unchanged, then click Create App.
  5. Open Graph API Explorer
    In the header menu, hover on Tools, then select Graph API Explorer.
  6. Select Your App
    In the right-hand Meta App dropdown, select your app.
  7. Get Page Access Token
    In the User or Page field, select Get Page Access Token.
  8. Select Your Facebook Page
    In the popup window, select your desired Facebook Page, then click Next.
  9. Grant Permissions
    Turn on:
  • Read content posted on the Page
  • Show a list of the Pages you manage
     
  1. Then click Done.
  2. Add Permission Dropdown
    Use the Add Permission dropdown if additional permissions are required.
  3. Open Access Token Tool
    In the access token textbox, click the info icon, then click Open in Access Token Tool. A new tab will open.
  4. Extend Access Token
    In the Access Token Debugger page, at the bottom, click Extend Access Token to extend the token expiry to two months.
  5. Copy the Long-Lived Access Token
    Copy the new long-lived access token.
  6. Generate a Never-Expiring Page Token
    Copy that long-lived token and paste it into the below URL together with your page_id, then open it in the browser:

    https://graph.facebook.com/{page_id}?fields=access_token&access_token={long_lived_token}

    To get your Page ID: go to your page, click About, then Page Transparency.

  7. Verify the Token
    Check that token in the Access Token Debugger tool and verify the Expires field, which should show Never.
  8. Provide the Final Token
    Finally, provide us with the new access token without expiration.