Deleted something by accident? Don’t panic. Instagram keeps deleted posts, Reels and stories in a “Recently deleted” folder for a while before removing them for good.
Step by step
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1
Open Your activity
Go to your profile, tap the menu (≡) and choose “Your activity”.
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2
Open Recently deleted
Scroll to “Recently deleted”. Posts, Reels and stories are in separate tabs.
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3
Restore the item
Tap the item, then ⋯ › Restore. Instagram may send a security code by email or SMS to confirm it’s you.
How long you have
- Posts and Reels: 30 days after deletion.
- Stories that weren’t in your archive: up to 24 hours.
After that they’re gone permanently, and Instagram support can’t bring them back.
Archive instead of delete
If you want a post off your profile but might want it back later, archive it: tap ⋯ on the post and choose Archive. It disappears from your profile but keeps its likes and comments, and you can show it again at any time from menu (≡) › Archive.
Make sure story archiving is on, too: Settings › Archiving and downloading › “Save story to archive”. Then every story is kept privately after it expires.
If it’s already gone
- Check your phone’s gallery – Instagram can save a copy of what you post (Settings › Archiving and downloading).
- Look through old data exports, if you made any.
- If a friend reposted it to their story, they may still have it.
For the future, a regular data export is the simplest safety net.