Loading…
Instagram data export · 2026 walkthrough
The complete route through Instagram’s Download Your Information tool — on iPhone, Android or a computer — plus the settings that decide whether the archive is useful, and the fixes for the four things that usually go wrong.
LMKFR is independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Instagram or Meta. Instagram and Meta are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc.
Before you tap Start
Most “my export is missing data” stories start here, not in the ZIP. These are the choices worth slowing down for.
Step by step
Pick where you are. Tick each step as you go — the checklist is remembered on this device only, with no account and no server.
Starts in Instagram app. Menu wording moves between builds. If a label is different, use the search field in Settings and type "export".
0 of 6 steps ticked
Open Instagram, tap your profile picture, then tap the menu button (three lines) at the top right.
On an iPad the menu can sit in the left rail instead of the top right.Tap Settings and activity, then Accounts Center. On some builds it is labelled Meta Account first; open that, then Accounts Center.
If you manage more than one profile, Accounts Center is where all of them are listed.Tap Your information and permissions, then Export your information. The same screen is also reachable from the direct link in the box below.
Tap Create export, select the Instagram profile you want, and tap Next. Choose Export to device, not Export to external service.
Export to device keeps the file under your control. Nothing is sent to a third party.Pick All available information (or Specific types, including Messages, Connections, Activity and Content), All time, JSON, and High media quality if you have the space. Enter an email address you can open on this device, then tap Start export.
The three choices that decide whether the archive is useful later: all time, all categories, JSON.Open Instagram's email when it arrives (most arrive in hours to a few days; Meta allows up to 30 days), follow the link, sign in again if asked, and save the ZIP to Files or Downloads. The link is valid for 4 days.
Save the ZIP somewhere you will find it. Moving it to iCloud Drive or Files makes it easy to open on a computer later.Starts in Instagram app. Samsung and other Android builds can rename Settings and activity. The route through Accounts Center stays the same.
0 of 6 steps ticked
Open Instagram, tap your profile picture, then tap the menu button (three lines) at the top right.
Tap Settings and activity, then Accounts Center. If your build says Meta Account, open it and continue to Accounts Center.
The menu has a search field. Typing "export" often skips two screens.Tap Your information and permissions, then Export your information.
Tap Create export, choose the profile, and tap Next. Select Export to device so the archive is delivered to you rather than to an external service.
Select All available information (or Specific types with Messages, Connections, Activity and Content), All time, JSON, and High media quality. Use an email inbox you can open on this phone, then tap Start export.
A high-quality archive with years of messages can be several gigabytes. Make sure you have room in Downloads.When the email arrives, open the link, sign in if asked, and download the ZIP. The link lasts 4 days. Find it later in Downloads or the Files app.
Do not open the ZIP inside a browser tab. Download it first, then unzip with your file manager.Starts in accountscenter.instagram.com. The web flow uses the same Accounts Center as the app. The download link in the email opens the same place.
0 of 5 steps ticked
Sign in at instagram.com, open More, then Settings, or go directly to accountscenter.instagram.com. Pick Your information and permissions.
The direct link is in the box below. It opens the export screen without hunting through menus.Choose Export your information. If you manage several profiles, confirm which one the export is for.
Click Create export, choose the profile, and click Next. Select Export to device.
Select All available information, All time, JSON, and the media quality you can store. Enter an email address you can reach, then click Start export.
On a computer, JSON is much easier to inspect, search and compare than an HTML rendering.When the email arrives, download the ZIP to Downloads. The link is valid for 4 days. Sign in again if Instagram asks; that is normal.
If the browser warns that the file is large, keep it. A partial download produces a ZIP that will not open.Check your choices
Change a choice and see what it costs. No email required; nothing is submitted anywhere.
Timing
The wait is Meta’s, not yours. The deadline is the one thing you have to act on: the download link expires four days after the email arrives.
Meta publishes one official figure: the link email can take up to 30 days. Most exports arrive far sooner; a large all-time export with high-quality media takes longest.
After that the link expires. Requesting a new export is the only way back; an expired link cannot be revived.
You can close Instagram. The export continues on Meta's side and the email arrives when it is ready.
Messages and high-quality media dominate. A text-only archive is much smaller; photos and videos are the bulk.
Add a calendar reminder three days from now. The file is generated on your device — no event data is sent anywhere.
Inside the ZIP
A folder tree, not a feed. Search it below or open a branch. The names are the actual shapes Instagram uses; long lists continue in numbered files.
instagram-<username>-<date>.zipThe archive Instagram emails you. Unzip it with your operating system, not with a browser.start_here.htmlMeta's own index page. Open it only to browse; it is not needed for analysis.inbox/One folder per conversation, each holding message_1.json and later shards.message_requests/Requests you have not accepted.filtered_requests/Hidden requests, when present.posts.jsonPost captions, timestamps and media references.stories.jsonStory records, including archived stories.reels.jsonReels records where Instagram includes them.liked_posts.jsonThe posts you liked, with timestamps where recorded.liked_comments.jsonComments you liked.comments/Comments you wrote, with the post they belong to.saved/Saved posts and collections. Saved media belongs to other people, so the archive stores links, not their files.story_interactions/Polls, quizzes, sliders, reactions and other story interactions.followers_1.jsonPeople who follow you. Read every numbered part, not just the first.following.jsonAccounts you follow.close_friends.jsonYour close friends list, if you use one.pending_follow_requests.jsonRequests you have sent that are still pending.recently_unfollowed_accounts.jsonAccounts Instagram recorded you unfollowing, when present.blocked_profiles.jsonAccounts you blocked, when present.personal_information/The profile facts you gave Meta: name, username, email, phone, bio and similar fields.security_and_login_information/Login and logout history, password changes, signup details and device records.logged_information/Searches, link history and past insights Instagram recorded.ads_information/Ad preferences, topics and the advertising profile Meta associated with the account.apps_and_websites_off_of_instagram/Apps and websites connected to your account, where present.preferences/Notification, language and display settings.media/Media files referenced by the JSON records: photos and videos in their own folders.files/Miscellaneous files Instagram includes, such as generated reports.When something goes wrong
Choose what happened. Every branch is a real, common failure — not a hypothetical.
Privacy
It can contain years of private messages, every account you follow, login locations and the places Instagram inferred about you. Treat it like a diary, not a screenshot.
Questions
Short answers, with the deadlines and limits stated plainly.
Meta publishes one official figure: the link email can take up to 30 days. Most exports arrive in hours to a few days, but there is no official estimate and no progress bar. The download link in the email is valid for 4 days, so download the ZIP as soon as it arrives.
Yes, when messages are included in the request. In a JSON export each conversation has a message_1.json file with sender, text, timestamp and reactions. HTML exports are less detailed. Deleted, unsent and vanish-mode messages are not brought back by an export.
Choose JSON if you want the complete machine-readable record, which is what analysis needs. HTML is easier to read by eye but Instagram leaves structured detail out of it. LMKFR reads both, but no reader can recover detail that was never written into the HTML.
An export is a snapshot, not a live view. Long lists are split into numbered files, new follows may not show up straight away, deleted accounts show as placeholders, and a shorter date range or unselected category leaves data out. Deleted posts and messages are not retained for a later export.
The safest copy is the one you download directly from Instagram and keep on your own device. LMKFR analyses the ZIP locally in your browser and does not upload it. Treat the ZIP as private: it can contain years of private messages and precise location data, so do not send it to a service you do not trust.
No. Download Your Information only exports the account you are signed in to. A public profile does not expose the private archive behind it, and an export of your own account cannot contain another person's messages or login history.
Yes. Sign in at instagram.com, open Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions, then Export your information. The web flow creates the same archive, and the download link arrives by email. Downloading on a computer is often easier for a large file.
The link is valid for 4 days and cannot be extended or recovered. Create a new export with the same settings and download the new ZIP promptly. Do not share the link; anyone who opens it can download your archive.
Instagram does not notify other people that you downloaded your own information. The export is built for the account that requested it and delivered to the contact address on that account.
No. Deletion removes the content from the account, so a later export cannot include it. Recently Deleted can hold some items for 30 days, and Meta says deletion can take up to 90 days to complete across systems, but an export is not a backup of removed content.
Ready when you are
No sign-up, no upload, no waiting for a server. LMKFR reads the archive in your browser and builds the analysis from the files you already downloaded.
or drag and drop it here
Analyzed locally. The file is never uploaded.