How to recover archived Instagram photos

After hiding some of your shots on Instagram , you had second thoughts and decided to remove them from the archive, in order to show them again in the feed: the problem, however, is that you haven’t used the aforementioned function since time immemorial and now you can’t anymore find the option you need!

Do not worry: if this is the case and, therefore, now you are wondering how to recover the photos stored on Instagram , I can explain to you how to succeed in your intent. I already anticipate that you can easily do this on both posts and stories, both from smartphones and tablets and from PCs.

What do you say, then, to put the chatter aside and get to work? Yup? Very well! Then I wish you a good reading and a good job: you will find everything explained below, and I assure you that it really is a breeze!

Index

• How to recover photos stored on Instagram in posts
  • From Android and iOS
  • From PC
• How to recover photos stored on Instagram in stories
  • From Android and iOS
  • From PC
• How to recover photos saved on Instagram
  • From Android and iOS
  • From PC
• In case of problems

How to recover photos stored on Instagram in posts

I start this tutorial by explaining how to recover the photos stored on Instagram in the posts , in order to show again in your feed the photos you had archived through the appropriate function of the social network.

The procedure can be implemented from smartphones and tablets , using the official Instagram app for Android (downloadable from the Play Store or alternative stores ) and iOS / iPadOS (downloadable from the App Store ).

As for the possibility of acting from a computer , using the Instagram application for Windows 10 and later or the web version of Instagram , you must know that unfortunately it is not possible to act as it is not possible to access the section relating to the post archive . The only thing you can do – as I will explain in the next chapters – is to use the Data Download tool , which allows you to download an archive of your contents, including archived photos, in order to possibly bring them back to the feed (or otherwise keep a copy).

From Android and iOS

If you use the Instagram app for smartphones and tablets , the first step you need to take to recover the photos stored on your profile is to log into your account (if you haven’t already done so).

Once this is done, go to your profile screen (by pressing on your profile picture ) and press the ☰ icon at the top right. Now, presses on the Archive item and make sure that the Archive section of the posts is visible , in which, in fact, you will find the photos or videos that you have previously archived.

At this point, locate the archived photo to restore, press on it, tap the button located (…) at the top right and, finally, press the Show in profile item in the menu that is shown to you.

By doing so, the archived post you have restored will be placed back on your profile, in the exact position it was before, based on the chronological order of publication.

Alternatively, through the Instagram app, by going to the Settings> Security> Download data section , you can type an email address and press the Request download button .

In this way you will receive, at the address provided, the download link for a file containing all the contents shared by you on Instagram (including previously archived posts): the archive can be downloaded by pressing the Download information button , present in the email received, but it will take some time to generate (sometimes even days).

For more information about it, refer to the procedures that I will provide you in the next chapter , as this operation is, at the time of writing, the only executable to be able to retrieve the archived posts by acting from a PC .

In addition, you can also learn more by reading my article dedicated to how to download photos from Instagram .

From PC

As anticipated, the post archive is not accessible from the Instagram application for Windows 10 and later, nor from the official Instagram site .

Therefore, if you want to recover the photos stored from your profile by working from a PC , you must necessarily use the Data Download feature , which allows you to download all the content published on Instagram, including archived posts.

To proceed, log in to your account in the application or on the Instagram site, click on your profile icon and then click on Settings> Privacy and security> Request download .

Then type in the email address where you wish to be sent the link to download the archive of your contents and click on the Next button . Once this is done, type in your account password and click the Request Download button .

Finally, in the email received containing the download link (valid only for the four days following sending, the generation of which will take up to a few days), press the Download information button , log in to your account and, to conclude , press again on the item Download information , to download the ZIP archive that contains all the contents of your account.

How to recover photos stored on Instagram in stories

Would you like to recover photos stored in Instagram Stories ? In this case, you will be happy to know that a native function is available on Instagram which, if enabled, allows you to automatically archive the Stories, once 24 hours have elapsed from publication: therefore it is possible to use it to recover photos (or videos) archived.

You must know that the procedure in question can only be performed from a smartphone / tablet, using the Instagram app for Android and iOS / iPadOS . From a computer (from the Web or through the Instagram application for Windows 10 and later) it is not possible to access the Stories archive for the moment . Also in this case it is only possible to use the Data Download tool , which I told you about in the previous chapter. Here are all the details.

From Android and iOS

To recover photos stored in Stories from the Instagram mobile app , the first step you need to take is to make sure that the aforementioned automatic archiving feature is enabled.

If this is already active, the “expired” photos you posted in your Stories will already be archived; otherwise, by activating it now, archiving will be valid starting from the next Stories you are going to share.

To verify that the function in question is enabled, start the app of the famous photographic social network and, if necessary, log in to your account .

Now, on the main Instagram screen, swipe to the left to view the Stories editor ; then press on the gear symbol located at the top left and tap on the History item .

Once this is done, check that the Save history in archive item is active : if not, enable the function by moving the lever to ON . Then press on the Finish item , at the top right, to confirm and apply the changes made.

At this point, to retrieve the photos stored in the Stories , go to your profile (by pressing on your profile photo ), press the ☰ icon located at the top right and tap on the Archive item , in the menu you see on the screen. Then press on the Post Archive item and select the Stories Archive option , to go to this section.

Identify, therefore, the archived photos of your interest, press them and use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to change the image: by tapping on Share you can share the photo again in a Story , send it to specific users via direct messages or save it in the gallery of the device used.

By pressing instead on Highlight you can add the photo to the highlighted content on your profile, while pressing the button (…) you can delete the image ( Delete ), save it locally ( Save photo ) or, again, share it as a post ( Share as post ).

In conclusion, keep in mind that all the contents posted in the Stories that are archived are visible only and exclusively by you and are sorted chronologically, with an exact date below.

Alternatively, even in this case you can use the Data Download function , which allows you to retrieve all the content that has also been shared in the Instagram Stories . More info here .

From PC

As anticipated, from a PC , acting through the Instagram application for Windows 10 or using the official website of the social network , it is not possible to see the archive of the Stories .

Therefore, to retrieve the content published in the stories that are now “expired”, you must use the Data Download tool which allows you to download a ZIP archive of all the content and text relating to your account.

To make use of it, follow the instructions I gave you in the previous chapter , in order to download the file containing the archive of all the contents published on your Instagram account, from the Settings> Privacy and security> Request download section .

How to recover photos saved on Instagram

Have you saved photos on Instagram through the appropriate function of the social network and, now, would you like to know how to find them? No problem: follow the instructions I give you in the next chapters, to do it from your smartphone and tablet and from your PC .

From Android and iOS

Retrieving photos saved on Instagram through the appropriate social network app for Android and iOS / iPadOS is very simple.

To start, in fact, once logged into your account , go to your profile screen ( your profile icon), then press the ☰ icon located at the top right and, finally, tap on the Saved item located in the menu you see on the screen.

All the posts you have saved will be visible on the next screen: just tap on the one you are interested in to view it.

From PC

If you are using the Instagram application for Windows 10 and later or you are logged in to your account from the Web , acting through the official website of the photographic social network , first click on the icon of your profile located at the top right.

Once this is done, in the menu that is shown to you, press on the item Saved items : all the photos and videos published in the posts by other users that you have previously saved on Instagram, through the appropriate function with the bookmark icon , will be visible in this screen. Therefore, you just have to click on them to view them. Easy, right?

In case of problems

Despite having followed my instructions in detail, have you not yet been able to recover your photos stored on Instagram or has some other hitch arisen that you cannot solve? In this case, I suggest you connect to the official help center of the social network to see if, among the various topics listed, there is something that can do for you.

In fact, just select a topic from those available on the left and then press on the relevant question on the right side of the screen to read the information provided.

If you deem it appropriate, you can also perform a search, by typing the problem you encountered in the search field How can we help you located at the top and then selecting the relevant suggestion from those proposed to you (if available).

Finally, for further information on the possibility of contacting Instagram for the resolution of other problems, I invite you to read my article on how to contact Instagram through which I have explained to you how to get in touch with the social assistance team network.