Have you ever accidentally deleted important Instagram messages and wished you could get them back? It could be a heartwarming message from your husband, contact information for an important work project, or just a message that you want to hang on to and remember for years to come.
Don’t worry, it happens to everyone! There are also some ways to recover those deleted messages.
Instagram does not make it easy for people to know that there are routes to see and recover your recently deleted messages. In this guide, we will go over the easiest ways to recover deleted Instagram messages.
Why Do Instagram Messages Get Deleted?
Before we jump into recovery methods. Let’s first figure out the reasons messages disappear:
- Accidental deletion – You or the other person normally might not remember deleting the whole conversation.
- Account issues – Technical issues with an account that cause messages to disappear.
- App updates – App updates may affect old conversation data at times.
- Limited storage – Your phone, running low on space, can limit message availability at times.
Method 1: Using Instagram’s Official Data Download Feature
Instagram has integrated a feature to download your data, including deleted messages, in the safest way possible.
Step 1: Go to your profile settings
- Open up Instagram on your smartphone
- Tap on your profile picture on the bottom right corner
- Find the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) on the top right corner
Step 2: Go to your account settings
- Tap the hamburger menu
- Tap “Settings and Privacy“
- Look for “Accounts Centre” and tap
Step 3: Find download options
- Scroll down to find “Your information and permissions“
- Tap “Download your information“
- Then tap “Download or transfer information“
Step 4: Select what you want to download
- Under “How much information do you want?“, tap “Some of your information“
- Find “Messages” under “Your Instagram activity“
- Tick the checkbox next to “Messages“
- Tap “Next“
Step 5: Select your options in each section
- Select “Download to device” (recommended for beginners)
- Select your time range (select “All time” if you want everything)
- Select a format (HTML will be the easiest to read)
- Select your media quality
- Tap “Create files“
Step 6: Wait and download
- Instagram is preparing your data (this can take hours to days)
- You will receive a notification when it’s ready
- Download the file and browse your messages.
Method 2: Check Your Email Notifications
This is a very easy method a lot of people neglect to take advantage of:
- Look in your email inbox for any Instagram notifications
- Search for any emails about any messages you received from Instagram
- Most of these emails will contain portions of the deleted conversations
- You can search for “Instagram” in your email to quickly find these notifications
Method #3: Ask the Other Person
Often times, the simplest solution is the best option:
- Reach out to the person you were having a conversation with
- Simply ask them if they still have the messages on their device
- They can then take a screenshot or forward the important parts back to you
- This method will usually work best if the messages were recent
Method #4: Look for Instagram Message Recovery Software
Important Disclaimer: Be very careful when looking for third-party apps and tools for message recovery. Many of these software programs will claim they can recover Instagram messages, but often come at a cost.
Why Third-party Apps/Software can be Dangerous:
- They may steal your Instagram login information
- They could install harmful software on your device
- They could violate Instagram rules and lead to your account being banned
- Often, they don’t work as downloaded
If you still want to take the chance:
- Only try well-known and trusted software
- Never provide your Instagram password to any app
- Read reviews and research the tool first
- Make sure your antivirus software is turned on
Tips to Prevent Losing Messages in the Future
Regularly Backing Up Your Conversations
- Download your Instagram information once a quarter (every few months);
- Screenshots of any important conversations that you don’t want to lose
- Save important messages to the notes app on your phone
Be Cautious When Deleting!
- Be careful when deleting a conversation and double-check before doing so
- Remember that if you delete the conversation, they will delete the chat from their device as well
- If it is a conversation that you want to keep, you may want to Archive them instead
Use the Archive On Instagram’s Application
- Instagram provides the option to Archive conversations instead of deleting them
- By archiving the chats, they are not deleted. They will just be hidden from your inbox
- You can always bring them back by searching the person’s name
What to Do If Nothing Works
If none of these methods help you recover your messages:
- Reach out to Instagram support through the Help Center
- Explain your situation clearly
- Be patient, as they process many requests
- Understand that some messages from very old accounts may be lost forever
Important Things to Remember
Instagram’s Limitations:
- Instagram cannot guarantee a full recovery of messages
- Some messages may not be in your download of data
- Messages deleted from disabled accounts are typically gone forever
Privacy Considerations:
- Make sure to only attempt to recover your own messages
- Do not violate or invade the privacy of others
- It would be improperly wish for any recovery method to be used to snoop on others
Final Thoughts
It’s very frustrating to lose important messages from Instagram, but there is usually hope to restore the most important messages. Armed with the methods for restoring messages, the very best option is to download your data directly (that’s safe, free, and provided by Instagram).
Make it a point to regularly back up the important conversations and use caution when deleting messages. Armed with the above tips and methods, you will be prepared in the future to better prepare and contend with message loss.
The key is to act with urgency once you realize messages are missing. The sooner you attempt any of the recovery methods, the more likely you will regain all the messages.