How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover at a loose end Messages (Even the weird Ones You Forgot You Sent)
So youve loose your Instagram messages, huh? Whether it was a late-night confession, a client DM, or most likely that dated convo taking into account your ex you ill-treatment you didnt care aboutuntil nowdont panic. You might be competent to acquire them back. Yep, Instagrams Data Download feature is your supplementary BFF (even while it’s kinda irritating to use sometimes). Lets fracture this collection situation down.
Okay, first of allwhy does this even happen?
Instagram messages vanish. They do. You delete them on impulse. The app glitches. Or maybe your account got hacked (happened to me in 2022long story, Ill explain in a sec). But heres the thing: even if those DMs are in the manner of from your app, they might yet be chilling in the background. And no, Instagram doesnt create it obvious.
But theres this neat tiny trick called Instagrams Data Download Tool. Technically designed for transparency, but honestly? It’s a sneaky habit to dig happening your own digital dirt. Recover antiquated DMs, pics, videos… even stuff you think you never posted.
Lets dive in. Like, properly. None of that generic go to settings fluff.

WaitBack Up. Can You Actually Recover Deleted Instagram Messages?
Well… yes and no.
If you permanently deleted the convo upon both ends, it’s probably gone. Like, in reality vanished into the Meta void. But sometimes? Sometimes it’s just hiding. maybe it’s archived in the data Instagram stores for security or policy reasons. (Yeah, sure.)
Instagram doesnt advertise this, but the Data Download archive has recovered messages for a bunch of people. Me included.

That times My DMs Vanished for No Reason
Real quick story.
Back in upfront 2022, I was play a part a giveaway upon my small coffee biz account (@brewwitchcoffee, shameless plug). I was DM-ing winners, sponsors, and influencers. snappishly one dayhalf the DMs were just… gone.
At first, I thought I accidentally unsent them. then I suspected a strange app update. Turned out, Instagram just loose them. No explanation. No fix.
So I tried the Data Download thing, mostly out of desperation. And boomthere they were. Not all, but like, 80% of the messages came support in a dusty-looking JSON file.
Lets get you there.

Step-by-Step: How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover at a loose end Messages

1. Head to Your Settings

Open Instagram > tap your profile > three lines top right > Your activity > scroll the length of > tap Download your information.

Youll look something like:
Download a copy of your information.

1. Input Your Email

Put in the email you want the file sent to. You cant pick which parts of your data to downloadInstagram sends everything. Like, everything. Prepare for a giant ZIP file.

1. pick the Format (HTML or JSON)

Pro tip? choose JSON. Its messy, yes, but more complete. You can you recover deleted instagram messages gain access to it with a text editor or upload it into some online JSON viewer. (Try jsonformatter.org or just use Notepad++.)

1. Wait (This share Sucks)

It takes time. Like, hours or even a day. Youll get an email with a download link. It expires after 4 days, as a result dont snooze.

1. Download and Unzip

Once you acquire the link, download and unzip it. Inside, youll find folders like:

messages

media

profile

ads_and_interests (cringe)

Go to the messages folder. Inside that? see for inbox.json or sometimes just messages.json. And yep, its ugly. But your drifting DMs are in theretimestamps, usernames, even emojis.

Real Talk: Reading the JSON Files
Okay, this parts gonna acquire messy. Youll right of entry this giant chunk of text, and it’s like:
jsonCopyEdit
{} “conversation”: [
{} {} {}
{} {} {} {} {} “sender”: “thatcoolbarista88”,
{} {} {} {} {} “message”: “Thanks for the coupon code “,
{} {} {} {} {} “timestamp”: “1629982938732”
{} {} {}
{} ]

It’s readable but tedious. If youre looking for a convo considering a specific person, use Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F for Mac) and search their username.
Also… fair warning: you might arrive across things you unquestionably forgot. (I found some embarrassing 2019 messages Im still cringing about.)

Gotchas & weird Stuff

Group chats: Sometimes action DMs perform going on like weird labels in the manner of thread-3. Just contact them and skim.

Old voice notes: Theyre usually not saved unless the additional person sent them.

Unsent messages? Nope. If you unsent a message, it wont be there. But if they unsent it? It might nevertheless linger. (Creepy, right?)

Images: Linked, not embedded. fittingly unless you saved them, they might be gone.

Cool Trick: Converting JSON to tidy talk View
If you want to make the messages less ugly, there are tools. try a JSON-to-CSV converter, then import into Excel or Google Sheets. Makes it easier to contact similar to a chat log.
Or… and this is shady… I bearing in mind paid a guy on Fiverr to approach it into chat bubbles for me. enormously unnecessary. But it looked cool.

What If It Doesnt Work?
Sometimes? It doesnt. Instagrams weird. If the messages arent in the data file, theyre likely subsequent to for good.
Also, Instagram started lightly redacting clear deleted convos in the past 2023. No recognized statement, just what Ive seen from personal use. (Yeah, conspiracy hats on.)
So dont get your hopes too high, but enormously try.

Tips to Avoid Losing Messages Again

Screenshot important convos (yeah, I know its messy).

Use a third-party backup toolsome are shady, but some considering AirDroid Parental govern are actually legit.

Dont rely on Instagram for mission-critical stuff. Honestly, they dont care if your brand agreement details vanish. Backup everything.

Final Thought (Kinda Ranty)
Honestly, its wild that Meta doesnt pay for us an easier habit to recover deleted messages. Like, why hide this in a zip file and make us decode it in the manner of were on CSI: Social Media Edition?
But heyuntil they fix that (lol, never), the Data Download trick is your best shot.
Its not perfect. Its clunky. Half the time, it looks like gibberish.
But behind you locate that one message? That floating hey from someone you havent talked to in years? Worth it.
Go dig occurring your digital past. Just maybe dont right to use it all at once. Some things are greater than before left forgotten or at least blurred out gone selective memory.
Good luck, epoch traveler.