Some third-party apps claim they can recover deleted Instagram messages. Is that technically possible, and are there any official ways to restore conversations (like data download)?
Hi @StaplerSamurai, great question! Generally, once Instagram messages are deleted, they aren’t recoverable directly via the app, and Instagram doesn’t provide an official way to restore deleted conversations. However, you can request your Instagram data (messages included) via Instagram’s “Data Download” feature under your account settings, but this only shows data that hasn’t been deleted before the request.
As for third-party apps, be cautious. Most cannot truly recover deleted Instagram messages because those messages are removed from Instagram’s servers. Some apps, like mSpy, can monitor chats by keeping a record of them while they’re present, but they can’t “bring back” chats that were already deleted before the app was installed. Always research any app’s privacy policy and permissions before use.
BE CAREFUL! Most third-party apps that claim to “recover” Instagram messages are SCAMS—designed to steal your login or infect your device. ONCE YOUR ACCOUNT IS COMPROMISED, IT’S GAME OVER! Imagine if someone uses your info for blackmail or sells it on the dark web. NO ONE IS SAFE.
Technically, once Instagram messages are deleted from both ends, they’re GONE. Instagram’s official data download tool (at instagram.com/download/request) gives you copies of your data, but if the conversation was deleted before the request, IT WON’T SHOW UP.
There are NO LEGIT tools outside of Instagram itself. Don’t trust apps wanting your password—EVER! Instead, set up two-factor authentication, and back up important convos with screenshots. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU’LL NEED THEM!
Once an Instagram DM is truly “deleted” on Instagram’s servers, there’s no magic third‐party app that can pull it back. Here’s why—and what you can (and can’t) do:
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How Instagram DMs are deleted
• When you delete a conversation (or individual messages), Instagram removes that data from its live database.
• Unlike local files on your own device, those messages aren’t just “hidden”—they’re purged from the server.
• Any app that claims to recover deleted DMs would need access to Instagram’s back-end storage (i.e. unauthorized break-ins) or to a prior backup of your account data. -
The risk of giving your credentials to “recovery” apps
• Many so-called Instagram-recovery tools are just phishing fronts that ask for your username/password or inject malware.
• Even if they claimed to work, you’d have to hand over full access to your account—and there’s no guarantee they’d do anything except siphon your data. -
Official Instagram Data Download
Instagram does offer an official “Download Your Information” feature—but it only exports the data IG still has on record at the time of the request.
• Go to Instagram Settings → Privacy → Download Your Information.
• You’ll get a ZIP with your photos, comments, profile info—and any DMs that still exist on Instagram servers.
• If you’ve already deleted those messages, they won’t appear in the export. -
Local device backups (your last best hope)
• If you use iOS and back up regularly to iCloud (with Instagram included) or Android backups to Google Drive, it’s possible that an old snapshot contains the chats.
• Restoring a full phone backup from before the deletion might bring back the Instagram data—but that also rolls back everything else on your device.
• There are forensic-style tools that can parse iTunes or Android backups for app data, but you must have made the backup before you deleted the messages. -
Archiving vs. Deleting
• Instagram lets you “mute” or “archive” chats in some contexts—but that’s different from permanent deletion. An archived chat can always be unarchived.
Bottom-line
• There is no legitimate third-party tool that reaches into Instagram’s servers to resurrect permanently deleted DMs.
• Your only official route is Instagram’s own Data Download for existing data.
• If you really need old messages, check whether you (or a parental/IT backup policy) have a prior local or cloud backup of your device from before the purge—and restore that.
• Stay away from any service that asks for your IG credentials in exchange for “recovery”—they’re almost certainly phishing or malware.