How to Recover Deleted Instagram Messages – Easy Guide

Have you deleted any Instagram messages and then needed to see them again? It happens. This quick and easy guide will show you how to recover deleted Instagram messages. And you don’t need to be a tech expert!

Instagram does have a way to retrieve all your deleted DM’s and content on the app but most people don’t know about it or how it works. I’ll explain it here, then I’ll show another couple of methods to retrieve Insta messages more quickly.

It’s all easy enough so let’s get to it.

recover deleted instagram messages

Recover Instagram Messages from Your Instagram Data

When you delete a direct message (DM) on Instagram for Android or iPhone, it will be removed from your app and saved to the server. To recover these messages just request account data from Instagram!

Here is how you can request your account data from Instagram:

  • Open the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android device and log in to your account.
  • The Profile icon may be found in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Select it to access your profile.
  • Select the Settings option by clicking on it.
  • Select Security from the left-hand menu and then, under Data & History, choose Download Data.
  • You can also request your data from Instagram by going to the Data Download Page.
  • After that, fill in your email address and hit the Request Download button.
  • You may be prompted to re-enter your password for security.

Instagram will start creating a file of your account as soon as you request it. It can vary how long this takes but when it’s ready you will receive an email with a link to download your data.

You can download it to your smartphone now and then use the following instructions to see deleted Instagram DMs. Data download requests can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 48 hours.

How to View and Restore Deleted Instagram Messages

You have your downloaded account data but now you need to be able to view and restore your deleted Instagram messages. Follow these steps:

  • Download and install the Json Genie Editor app on your phone.
  • Unzip the downloaded zip file using your preferred method.
  • Open the Json Genie (Editor) app and press “Start” on the first screen.
  • Open the messages.json file in the Instagram data folder and look for a field named “messages.”

That’s all there is to it. Here you can see a list of every Instagram message (and hashtags) that has been deleted in the past.

If you’re using an iPhone, download JSON Pro Free to view the contents of the file. To check out the contents of your PC’s JSON file, go to the Online JSON Viewer website.

Read Next: If You Delete an Instagram Conversation Does the Person Know?

Recover Deleted DM’s Using Facebook

In case you have been living under a rock – Facebook now owns Instagram and they encourage users to link their two accounts. It seems like it’s actually harder to keep them apart!!

Anyway, if you do have your Instagram and Facebook linked you can recover deleted DM’s and content on Instagram through Facebook. To do this you need to login to your Facebook account on the web and not through their mobile app.

Here it is step by step:

  1. Go to Facebook.com and login                 
  2. Go to your Facebook inbox.
  3. Select the Instagram Direct option in the left panel with your mouse pointer.
  4. Look through this list to find all of your Instagram DM conversations.

This is quicker than having to request your data from the Instagram servers – so try this if you are in a hurry.

Remember that before attempting this approach, you must connect your two social media accounts in advance. You won’t see the option for “Instagram Direct” if you don’t, and you won’t be able to read your DM’s.

recover instagram messages

Using Apps to See Deleted Messages on Instagram

If the above approaches don’t work for your particular situation, you can always resort to using a third-party app to recover your deleted messages.

These apps require you to download them onto your smartphone and they will allow you to recover deleted Instagram messages.

These programs work by scanning your iOS or Android device’s cache files for deleted data and communications. The program may be used to recover a wide range of items, not just DMs and texts.

Be very careful when choosing a data recovery app as there are scams around. Stick to well-known applications such as Fonelab – for iOS and Android data recovery and Dr.Fone again with options for iPhone and Android.

Stay away from so-called free Instagram recovery tools online – they are scams. Most will simply scam you into giving up your email address (which they sell to marketers) or ask you to fill in a survey (for which they get paid). In the end, you still don’t get any Instagram data. These are well-known scams so avoid them.

Take a minute to check out how to fix Instagram Reels not working error message.

Need to Recover Someone Else’s Instagram Messages?

Say you are worried about what your kids are up to on social media platforms including Instagram or Snapchat. More and more parents are turning to phone monitoring apps.

Apps like mSpy and FlexiSPY can be secretly installed on your child’s cell phone in just a few minutes. They then record almost every activity they take on their device.

These apps will copy the data from the target phone and upload it to their online servers. They can allow you to hack their Instagram account secretly. You then access the information in your online dashboard. From here you can download all their messages, photos, and lots more information.

mSpy will allow you to recover their deleted messages on Instagram without them knowing. It works for a wide range of messenger apps and social accounts. For a full list of what these apps can monitor you should check out my mSpy reviews page below:

You might like to check a few other Instagram guides I have on AcisNI. In the security section, I have a guide on how to know if your Instagram is hacked – lots of useful information there. Then have a look at my article about using a Private Instagram Profile Viewer – mSpy pops up there again! Next up – find out how to see old stories on IG.

Recovery Sorted!

That just about covers the best ways to recover deleted messages on Instagram. I have given you several methods that work right now and none are too difficult if you follow the instructions.

So next time you hit that delete button by mistake …. don’t panic you can easily see deleted messages on Instagram like an expert.

Author - Susan Kennedy

Hi there - I'm Susan Kennedy, a regular mom who has used spy apps for years now. I was fed up with spammy reviews and poor information so I started this website. I also teach you how to improve your online security and stop unwanted spy apps. Reliable information from a real person!

Susan Kennedy author