How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover in limbo 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 old-fashioned convo past your ex you violence you didnt care aboutuntil nowdont panic. You might be nimble to acquire them back. Yep, Instagrams Data Download feature is your additional BFF (even though it's kinda maddening to use sometimes). Lets break this collect situation down.
Okay, first of allwhy does this even happen?
Instagram messages vanish. They do. You delete them upon impulse. The app glitches. Or maybe your account got hacked (happened to me in 2022long story, Ill accustom in a sec). But heres the thing: even if those DMs are once from your app, they might nevertheless be chilling in the background. And no, Instagram doesnt create it obvious.
But theres this neat little trick called Instagrams Data Download Tool. Technically designed for transparency, but honestly? It's a sneaky pretentiousness to dig taking place your own digital dirt. Recover old-fashioned 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 on both ends, it's probably gone. Like, essentially 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 quick story.
Back in in advance 2022, I was pretend a giveaway on my little coffee biz account (@brewwitchcoffee, shameless plug). I was DM-ing winners, sponsors, and influencers. shortly 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 aimless 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 encourage in a dusty-looking JSON file.
Lets get you there.

Step-by-Step: How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover drifting Messages

1. Head to Your Settings
   

Open Instagram > tap your profile > three lines summit 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 desire 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. choose the Format (HTML or JSON)
   

Pro tip? pick JSON. Its messy, yes, but more complete. You can retrieve it considering a text editor or upload it into some online JSON viewer. (Try jsonformatter.org or just use Notepad++.)

1. Wait (This allocation Sucks)
   

It takes time. Like, hours or even a day. Youll acquire an email in the same way as a download link. It expires after 4 days, for that reason dont snooze.

1. Download and Unzip
   

Once you acquire 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? look for inbox.json or sometimes just messages.json. And yep, its ugly. But your purposeless DMs are in theretimestamps, usernames, even emojis.

Real Talk: Reading the JSON Files
Okay, this parts gonna get 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 subsequently a specific person, use Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F for Mac) and search their username.
Also... fair warning: you might arrive across things you definitely forgot. (I found some embarrassing 2019 messages Im yet cringing about.)

Gotchas & strange Stuff

Group chats: Sometimes group DMs play a part in the works similar to strange labels in imitation of thread-3. Just right of entry them and skim.

Old voice notes: Theyre usually not saved unless the new 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. hence unless you saved them, they might be gone.

Cool Trick: Converting JSON to clean chat View
If you want to create the messages less ugly, there are tools. attempt a JSON-to-CSV converter, later import into Excel or Google Sheets. Makes it easier to entre considering a chat log.
Or... and this is shady... I later than paid a boy upon Fiverr to twist it into chat bubbles for me. extremely 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 certain deleted convos back 2023. No credited statement, just what Ive seen from personal use. (Yeah, conspiracy hats on.)
So dont get your hopes too high, but no question 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 rule are actually legit.

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

Final Thought (Kinda Ranty)
Honestly, its wild that Meta doesnt pay for us an easier artifice to recover deleted messages. Like, why conceal this in a zip file and make us decode it as soon as were on CSI: Social Media Edition?
But heyuntil they repair that (lol, never), the Data Download trick is your best shot.
Its not perfect. Its clunky. Half the time, it looks in imitation of gibberish.
But later you locate that one message? That loose hey from someone you havent talked to in years? Worth it.
Go dig stirring your digital past. Just maybe dont read it every at once. Some things are enlarged left forgotten or at least blurred out subsequent to selective memory.
Good luck, epoch traveler.