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How to Download Your Instagram Data (Photos, Videos, Messages)

Before you delete or deactivate, back everything up. Here is how to request and open your full Instagram data export.

2 min read Updated April 20, 2022 Independently verified

Instagram lets you export a full copy of your account’s data — photos, videos, messages, comments, and account details — directly from Settings. It’s worth doing before deactivating or deleting anything, and it’s simply good practice even if you’re not going anywhere.

What’s included in the export

  • All photos and videos you’ve posted, including ones in your archive
  • Direct message conversations, including media sent inside them
  • Comments you’ve made and received, and posts you’ve liked
  • Profile information: bio, contact details, and account settings history
  • Search history and information Instagram has inferred about your interests

Content you’ve already permanently deleted before requesting the export won’t appear — the download reflects what’s currently on the account, not a historical archive.

How to request your data

  1. Go to your profile and open Settings and privacy.
  2. Tap Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions.
  3. Select Download your information, then Request a download.
  4. Choose the account, then select Some of your information or All of your information depending on what you need.
  5. Pick a file format and date range, then submit the request.

Instagram sends a notification and an email once the file is ready — this can take anywhere from a few minutes to about 48 hours depending on how much content is on the account.

Choosing between HTML and JSON

HTML is the better choice for most people — it opens like a simple website in any browser, with photos, messages, and posts organized into clickable folders. JSON is the better choice if you or someone helping you plans to process the data programmatically, since it’s structured for scripts rather than for reading directly.

Opening and using your export

  1. Download the .zip file from the link in your email or in-app notification.
  2. Extract it to a folder on your device.
  3. For HTML exports, open the index.html file in any browser to browse everything visually.
  4. For JSON exports, media and data are split across labeled subfolders like messages, media, and personal_information.

Once you’ve confirmed the download opens correctly and contains what you expect, it’s safe to move on to deactivating or permanently deleting your account.

Frequently asked questions

It typically takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on how much content is on the account and current server load.
You can choose HTML, which opens like a website in your browser, or JSON, which is better if you plan to process the data with a script or import it elsewhere.
Archived stories and posts you have not deleted are included; content you already deleted permanently is not part of the export.

Delete Instagram is an independent help resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the platforms it covers. Steps reflect the app's behavior at time of publishing and may change as the platform updates its interface.