Social media management can be hectic and time-consuming for the uninitiated. You may have to sift through lots of data, schedule your posts, archive non-performing content, or delete posts that seemingly don’t resonate with your audience. If you accidentally delete the wrong post, it can also be a moment of panic.
Fortunately, Instagram does what it can to make this process easier – and most importantly, fool-proof. There are backup plans in addition to creative features to play around with your photos, stories, and reels and better manage them. Even if you mistakenly delete a post or a hacker removes your content, you can access and restore it. If you want to permanently delete it, you also have this option.
Previously, deleting a post on Instagram meant it was gone forever, never to be recovered. However, after listening to feedback, Instagram introduced the Recently Deleted feature to help users find, review, and restore deleted content.
This guide explains how to see deleted posts on Instagram, so you can restore them to your IG profile or permanently delete them.
What’s the Recently Deleted Feature on Instagram?
The Recently Deleted folder is a relatively new feature on Instagram that allows you to manage your deleted content. Whether you want to know how to recover deleted photo on Instagram or permanently delete unwanted content, you can complete all these tasks in the Recently Deleted folder.
The feature works like your computer’s or phone’s recycle bin. It stores deleted posts temporarily, and you can only access them after verifying your account. This security measure ensures that someone cannot delete your content permanently, even if they have access to your account.
However, there is a catch. You can only access the Recently Deleted folder from the Instagram mobile app. The feature is not available on the desktop/web version. Moreover, you only have 30 days to decide whether to restore or permanently delete your posts. Due to storage restrictions, Instagram will auto-delete the posts within 30 days of their deletion from your profile. For deleted Instagram stories not in your archive, you have up to 24 hours to recover them.
How to Find Deleted Posts on Instagram
Finding deleted Instagram posts is fast and straightforward. The best part is you can access your deleted posts for about a month.
Here’s how to see deleted Instagram post:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
- Log into your account
- Tap the profile icon or profile photo at the bottom to access your profile
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines) at the top-left
- Tap Your Activity
- Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted
- Tap the icon with multiple squares to see deleted Instagram posts
- Find the posts you’d like to restore or permanently delete
Note: You might not see the Recently Deleted option if you don’t have recently deleted posts.
How to Find Deleted Story on Instagram
Finding deleted Instagram stories is a different ball game. After all, you don’t have much time. As mentioned at the outset, deleted stories not previously saved in Story Archives get deleted within 24 hours. Instagram stories that you delete from your archive last 30 days in the Recently Deleted folder before auto-deletion.
With that said, here’s how to find a deleted story on Instagram:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
- Log into your account
- Tap the profile icon or profile photo at the bottom to access your profile
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines) at the top-left
- Tap Your Activity
- Scroll down and tap Recently deleted
- Tap the stories icon to find your deleted story
How to Recover Deleted Instagram Posts
All recovered posts go back to your profile, minus the likes and comments. They will appear as a new post. Previously archived posts and stories will go back to your archives, while recently shared stories will appear in Your Story on your profile.
Here’s how to restore deleted Instagram posts:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
- Log into your account
- Tap the profile icon or profile photo at the bottom to access your profile
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines) at the top-left
- Tap Your Activity
- Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted
- Tap the type of content you’d like to restore
- Find the posts or stories you’d like to restore
- Tap the post or story you want to restore
- Tap the three dots at the top-right
- Tap Restore or Restore To Your Profile
- Verify your Instagram account via email or text
- Your post will return to your archive or Instagram profile
How to Recover Deleted Instagram Posts After 30 Days
Sometimes, it’s hard to keep tabs on all your posts. There’s little chance of knowing if a hacker has deleted your posts if you have thousands of them. As such, the 30-day period might elapse, meaning your posts are gone forever.
Fortunately, there’s a slight chance of recovering deleted posts after 30 days. According to Instagram, the deletion process might take up to 90 days. Your deleted posts might not be in the Recently Deleted folder, but Instagram might keep copies in their backup storage. If you’re lucky, you can recover your deleted Instagram posts even after the window period expires.
Here’s how to recover deleted Instagram posts after 30 days:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap the profile icon or your profile picture at the bottom-right
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines)
- Tap Your Activity
- Scroll to Information You Shared With Instagram
- Tap Download Your Information
- Fill in your email address
- Tap Request Download
- Enter your Instagram password
- Tap Next in the top-right
- Tap Done
- Go to your email inbox and tap the download link from Instagram
- Once downloaded, use a zip extractor app to extract the downloaded files
- Go to the appropriate photo to access your photos or videos
- Post them afresh on Instagram
Check your camera roll if you still can’t find your deleted Instagram posts after taking the above steps. Some people save their posts on their devices before posting them on Instagram. The only difference is that you may have to design the post afresh before uploading it to Instagram.
You may also contact Instagram for help if you notice someone hacked your account and deleted your posts. Instagram might restore your posts under such circumstances if they have them in their backup storage.
FAQs
Does Instagram delete posts automatically?
Instagram does not delete posts from individual accounts. However, Instagram can delete your content if it infringes intellectual property rights or copyright rules. Your old or damaged photos might also get deleted because of occasional technical issues. Instagram might try to recover the deleted posts and take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Can I see deleted Instagram posts from other users?
No. You cannot see deleted Instagram posts from other Instagram users due to privacy restrictions. Access to the Recently Deleted folder is only available to the owner of the posts. You may only find deleted Instagram posts from someone else’s account if they give you the login credentials to their Instagram account.
Does deleting instagram posts hurt my account?
Yes. Deleting an instagram account can affect your engagement and visibility, since all likes and comments associated with the posts will be removed. Even if the post was shared by your followers, it will be deleted, since the original post doesn’t exist anymore.
Can I recover deleted Instagram messages?
No. Unlike Instagram posts, it is impossible to recover deleted messages once they are deleted from your inbox. However, this only applies to your account, since other people will still have the chats on their inbox.
What happens when I delete my instagram account?
If you mistakenly delete your account, all your posts, likes, comments and followers will be removed. The good news is that you may be able to recover your account within 30 days. After 30 days, the account will be deleted permanently. It is also important to note that it takes about 90 days for a deleted account to be removed from Instagram servers.
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