How to Use Instagrams Data Download to Recover drifting Messages (Even the strange Ones You Forgot You Sent)
So youve purposeless your Instagram messages, huh? Whether it was a late-night confession, a client DM, or most likely that dated convo later than your ex you mistreatment you didnt care aboutuntil nowdont panic. You might be able to get them back. Yep, Instagrams Data Download feature is your other BFF (even while it’s kinda maddening to use sometimes). Lets break this amassed event 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 bearing in mind from your app, they might still be chilling in the background. And no, Instagram doesnt make it obvious.
But theres this neat tiny trick called Instagrams Data Download Tool. Technically designed for transparency, but honestly? It’s a sneaky pretentiousness to dig up your own digital dirt. Recover obsolete 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 every time deleted the convo on both ends, it’s probably gone. Like, really 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 period My DMs Vanished for No Reason
Real fast story.
Back in in advance 2022, I was play in a giveaway on my small 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. subsequently I suspected a weird app update. Turned out, Instagram just purposeless 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 put up to in a dusty-looking JSON file.
Lets get you there.

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

1. Head to Your Settings

Open Instagram > tap your profile > three lines summit right > Your activity > scroll all along > 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 pick 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? choose JSON. Its messy, yes, but more complete. You can approach it following a text editor or upload it into some online JSON viewer. (Try jsonformatter.org or just use Notepad++.)

1. Wait (This portion Sucks)

It takes time. Like, hours or even a day. Youll acquire an email next a download link. It expires after 4 days, suitably 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 aimless DMs are in theretimestamps, usernames, even emojis.

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

Gotchas & weird Stuff

Group chats: Sometimes organization DMs pretense going on following weird labels in the same way as thread-3. Just door them and skim.

Old voice notes: Theyre usually not saved unless the other 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. for that reason unless you saved them, they might be gone.

Cool Trick: Converting JSON to clean chat View
If you desire to create the messages less ugly, there are tools. attempt a JSON-to-CSV converter, after that import into Excel or Google Sheets. Makes it easier to entre taking into consideration a talk log.
Or… and this is shady… I as soon as paid a boy upon Fiverr to point it into talk bubbles for me. definitely 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 as soon as for good.
Also, Instagram started lightly redacting determined deleted convos back 2023. No endorsed statement, just what Ive seen from personal use. (Yeah, conspiracy hats on.)
So dont get your hopes too high, but very 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 manage 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 offer us an easier mannerism to recover deleted messages. Like, why hide 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 with gibberish.
But bearing in mind you find that one message? That drifting hey from someone you havent talked to in years? Worth it.
Go dig happening your digital past. Just maybe dont entrance it all at once. Some things are improved left forgotten or at least blurred out afterward selective memory.
Good luck, period traveler.