How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover aimless Messages (Even the strange Ones You Forgot You Sent)
So youve at a loose end your Instagram messages, huh? Whether it was a late-night confession, a client DM, or maybe that dated convo afterward your ex you manipulate you didnt care aboutuntil nowdont panic. You might be adept to get them back. Yep, Instagrams Data Download feature is your new BFF (even while it’s kinda maddening to use sometimes). Lets fracture this summative concern down.
Okay, first of allwhy does this even happen?
Instagram messages vanish. They do. You delete them on impulse. The app glitches. Or most likely your account got hacked (happened to me in 2022long story, Ill accustom in a sec). But heres the thing: even if those DMs are similar to from your app, they might yet be chilling in the background. And no, Instagram doesnt make it obvious.
But theres this neat little trick called Instagrams Data Download Tool. Technically expected for transparency, but honestly? It’s a sneaky way to dig stirring your own digital dirt. Recover outdated DMs, pics, videos… even stuff you think you never posted.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 for ever and a day deleted the convo on both ends, it’s probably gone. Like, essentially vanished into the Meta void. But sometimes? Sometimes it’s just hiding. most likely 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 grow old My DMs Vanished for No Reason
Real quick story.
Back in in advance 2022, I was act out a giveaway on my little 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. next I suspected a weird app update. Turned out, Instagram just floating 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 back up in a dusty-looking JSON file.
Lets acquire you there.

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

1. Head to Your Settings

Open Instagram > tap your profile > three lines summit right > Your activity > scroll by the side of > tap Download your information.

Youll see 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. pick the Format (HTML or JSON)

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

1. Wait (This allowance Sucks)

It takes time. Like, hours or even a day. Youll get an email later 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 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 purposeless DMs are in theretimestamps, usernames, even emojis.

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

Gotchas & weird Stuff

Group chats: Sometimes outfit DMs pretend happening in imitation of strange labels later than thread-3. Just read 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 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 want to create the messages less ugly, there are tools. attempt a JSON-to-CSV converter, subsequently import into Excel or Google Sheets. Makes it easier to edit next a chat log.
Or… and this is shady… I in imitation of paid a guy on Fiverr to slope 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 when for good.
Also, Instagram started lightly redacting certain deleted convos previously 2023. No attributed statement, just what Ive seen from personal use. (Yeah, conspiracy hats on.)
So dont acquire your hopes too high, but entirely 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 in imitation of AirDroid Parental direct are actually legit.

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

Final Thought (Kinda Ranty)
Honestly, its wild that Meta doesnt find the money for us an easier pretension to recover deleted messages. Like, why conceal this in a zip file and make us decode it gone 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 next gibberish.
But similar to you locate that one message? That wandering hey from someone you havent talked to in years? Worth it.
Go dig stirring your digital past. Just maybe dont approach it all at once. Some things are improved left forgotten or at least blurred out as soon as selective memory.
Good luck, epoch traveler.