How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover drifting Messages (Even the weird Ones You Forgot You Sent)
So youve free your Instagram messages, huh? Whether it was a late-night confession, a client DM, or maybe that old convo in the same way as your ex you treat badly you didnt care aboutuntil nowdont panic. You might be nimble to get them back. Yep, Instagrams Data Download feature is your other BFF (even even though it's kinda annoying to use sometimes). Lets fracture this combined concern down.
Okay, first of allwhy does this even happen?
Instagram messages vanish. They do. You delete them upon impulse. The app glitches. Or most likely your account got hacked (happened to me in 2022long story, Ill run by in a sec). But heres the thing: even if those DMs are with from your app, they might yet be chilling in the background. And no, Instagram doesnt create it obvious.
But theres this neat little trick called Instagrams Data Download Tool. Technically intended for transparency, but honestly? It's a sneaky artifice to dig taking place your own digital dirt. Recover archaic 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 constantly 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 epoch My DMs Vanished for No Reason
Real fast story.
Back in to the fore 2022, I was piece of legislation a giveaway upon my little coffee biz account (@brewwitchcoffee, shameless plug). I was DM-ing winners, sponsors, and influencers. suddenly one dayhalf the DMs were just... gone.
At first, I thought I accidentally unsent them. subsequently I suspected a strange app update. Turned out, Instagram just drifting 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 acquire you there.

Step-by-Step: how can i recover deleted instagram messages to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover lost Messages

1. Head to Your Settings

Open Instagram > tap your profile > three lines top right > Your activity > scroll alongside > 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 choose 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 approach it later than a text editor or upload it into some online JSON viewer. (Try jsonformatter.org or just use Notepad++.)

1. Wait (This ration Sucks)

It takes time. Like, hours or even a day. Youll acquire an email taking into account a download link. It expires after 4 days, thus dont snooze.

1. Download and Unzip

Once you get the link, download and unzip it. Inside, youll locate 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 floating DMs are in theretimestamps, usernames, even emojis.

Real Talk: Reading the JSON Files
Okay, this parts gonna acquire messy. Youll admission 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 past a specific person, use Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F for Mac) and search their username.
Also... fair warning: you might come across things you no question forgot. (I found some embarrassing 2019 messages Im nevertheless cringing about.)

Gotchas & strange Stuff

Group chats: Sometimes outfit DMs work occurring similar to weird labels following thread-3. Just admission them and skim.

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

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

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

Cool Trick: Converting JSON to tidy chat View
If you desire 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 admission later a talk log.
Or... and this is shady... I in imitation of paid a guy on Fiverr to tilt 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 in the same way as for good.
Also, Instagram started lightly redacting positive deleted convos past 2023. No recognized statement, just what Ive seen from personal use. (Yeah, conspiracy hats on.)
So dont get your hopes too high, but certainly 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 similar to AirDroid Parental control are actually legit.

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

Final Thought (Kinda Ranty)
Honestly, its wild that Meta doesnt manage to pay for us an easier pretentiousness to recover deleted messages. Like, why conceal this in a zip file and make us decode it with were upon 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 as soon as gibberish.
But when you find that one message? That free hey from someone you havent talked to in years? Worth it.
Go dig occurring your digital past. Just most likely dont admittance it every at once. Some things are bigger left forgotten or at least blurred out following selective memory.
Good luck, get older traveler.