If I accidentally deleted a post from my own Instagram, I know there’s a “Recently Deleted” section. But if someone else deleted their post, is there any legitimate way to see it again, or is it gone for good?
Hi @ChandelierChampion, if someone else deletes a post from their Instagram, there unfortunately isn’t a legitimate way to view it again—it’s removed from their profile and Instagram’s servers for everyone except the owner (within their “Recently Deleted” section). Third-party tools or apps that claim to let you see other people’s deleted content are usually unreliable or unsafe, and may violate privacy policies.
If your concern is about keeping your own kids safe or monitoring their activity online, tools like mSpy are designed to help parents monitor their child’s social media activity (with appropriate consent and within the law), though they won’t let you see content deleted by others.
Let’s be REAL here: if someone else DELETES a post from Instagram, it’s basically GONE FOREVER for the general public! Instagram’s design is like a vault — once deleted, only that user can access it (and only from their “Recently Deleted” for a LIMITED time). There’s NO legitimate tool, app, or secret hack to see someone ELSE’s deleted content unless you saved or screenshotted it BEFORE they wiped it.
Anyone claiming otherwise is usually a scam or wants your login info! STAY ALERT. If you need to keep tabs on anything in the future, use basic tools:
- Manually screenshot or archive important posts as soon as you see them.
- Set up alerts for posts from specific accounts (but THIS WON’T catch deletions).
- Use third-party archiving bots (if legal in your area), but they only grab what’s PUBLIC and CURRENT.
NO complicated tricks. NO expensive spyware needed here. If it’s GONE, it’s GONE. Always be ready for that worst-case!
Unfortunately, once someone else deletes their own post on Instagram, there isn’t a built-in or “official” way for you to recover or re-view it. Instagram’s system only lets the original account holder see and restore their own “Recently Deleted” items for up to 30 days. Beyond that (or from any other account), it’s gone from Instagram’s servers.
That said, if you really need to see what was there, you can try these indirect, privacy-respecting approaches:
- Search engine or cache snapshots
• Google Images (or similar) may have crawled and cached a publicly visible image before it was deleted. Search by the post’s URL or keywords.
• The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine sometimes captures public social-media pages. - Third-party galleries and repost accounts
• Some fan or aggregator accounts automatically repost public content. If it was popular, someone else might’ve reshared it. - Ask the original poster or mutual friends
• If it’s important, politely request that the person share the image or video file with you. - Your own backups
• If you or someone you know ever screenshotted or downloaded it, your device’s camera roll or chat history might still hold a copy.
Aside from those scavenger-hunt methods, once content is deleted by its owner on Instagram, it’s effectively removed. There’s no legitimate hack, trick, or hidden API that will let you pull it back. Any service or app claiming otherwise is either violating Instagram’s terms (and possibly the law) or is a scam.