Is your Instagram feed feeling cluttered, or there are images you want to get rid of? Instagram photos don’t have to be forever, and the app let’s you delete them easily. The problem is that it’s possible to change your mind about a deleted photo and want it back.
The good news is that Instagram lets you restore deleted posts within 30 days of when you deleted it.
Instagram also has the Archive feature so you can remove images without deleting them permanently. Whether you accidentally deleted a post, or want to bring back old content you got rid of, there are methods to explore for recovering or viewing deleted Instagram content. Let’s go over them to help you get those photos back.
What Happens to Deleted Instagram Content?
First, let’s talk about what happens when a photo is deleted on Instagram. When you delete a post, it typically disappears from your feed immediately. This does not, however, mean that the post is totally gone forever. According to the Instagram website, deleted photos are stored for up to 30 days through the “recently deleted” feature.
How to Recover a Deleted Instagram Post
When it comes to seeing a deleted Instagram post, you have a couple of options to choose from.
Check the Recently Deleted Section
- Open the Instagram App on a mobile device
- Click on your Profile Photo
- Click on the Three Dash Menu Icon
- Select Your Activity
- Scroll down to Recently Deleted
- You’ll be able to access photos that you’ve deleted for 30 days, then Instagram deletes them permanently.
Restore Deleted Instagram Photos From the Archive
If you’re considering deleting an Instagram photo, but are unsure, you can put it in the Archive. The Archive is where Instagram saves your Instagram Stories after the 24 hours they stay up. You can also store static posts here so they aren’t on your feed. This is a good option for users who may want to clean up their feed without deleting posts permanently.
Here’s how to access the archive:
- Go to your Instagram Profile
- Select your Profile Picture
- Click the three dash menu icon
- Select Archive
- You’ll see your story posts first, and you can toggle to the posts archive
- You can select posts to put them back on your feed
Third-Party Recovery Tools
You can also use third-party tools to recover deleted photos, but they may not work very well. Be weary of putting your information into a third-party tool, especially when Instagram has features built in to recover deleted photos.
Closing Thoughts
The bottom line is that Instagram gives you the option to recover old photos as long as it’s within 30 days. If you want to remove a post from your feed, but not delete it forever you can store it in the archive.
