Growbot not showing up on Instagram: how to open the panel

Growbot opens from its icon in your browser toolbar, or with Alt+G on an Instagram page. If nothing happens, reload the tab and check the extension's site access.

Why

Growbot does not add a button to Instagram's own layout. It opens as a panel over the page when you ask for it, so right after installing it is easy to think nothing happened. Most of the time the panel is one click away. When it really will not appear, the cause is almost always one of a few browser settings.

How to use it

Open the panel

Go to instagram.com and make sure you are logged in.
Click the Growbot icon in your browser toolbar. If you do not see it, click the puzzle-piece extensions button and pin Growbot.
Or press Alt+G while the Instagram tab is focused. Press it again, or Alt+Esc, to hide the panel. On a Mac, use Option+Esc.
If no Instagram tab is open, clicking the toolbar icon opens one for you. If Instagram is open in another tab, the icon switches to it and opens the panel.

If the panel still does not appear

Reload the Instagram tab. Tabs that were already open when you installed or updated Growbot do not have it yet.
Make sure the extension is on. Go to chrome://extensions and check that Growbot's switch is enabled.
Check site access. On the same page, click Details under Growbot and make sure Site access allows instagram.com. If it is set to on click only, Growbot cannot load on the page by itself.
Update Growbot. On chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode and click Update. The News & Updates tab inside Growbot shows which version you have.
Rule out other extensions. Extensions that change Instagram's pages can get in the way. If Growbot works in a fresh Chrome profile, turn your other Instagram extensions off one at a time to find the conflict.
On Firefox, the same steps apply from about:addons.

If you see a sign-in box instead

Growbot asks you to sign in to a Growbot account for features that save data to your account, such as the Actions Queue. Use Sign In / Register. This is a Growbot account, not your Instagram login. Growbot never asks for your Instagram password.

Tips

Pin Growbot to the toolbar once and you will not need to hunt for it again.
Growbot only runs on instagram.com. It will not appear on other websites or inside the Instagram mobile app.
If the panel opens but seems stuck, check the Log tab first. It usually says what Growbot is waiting for.