How to restore Instagram deleted photos, posts, stories: Process explained

Instagram users can now review and restore deleted photos, posts, stories, etc. with the help of Recently Deleted feature of the app.

Check steps to restore deleted Instagram photos and posts using the Recently Deleted feature. (Pixabay)

Instagram is being used especially by youngsters, teens and others to share their pictures, stories, reels, among others with their followers on the app. It is a nifty way of staying in touch with everyone. But what if your content gets deleted by mistake? Well, the good news is that you can manage the content on Instagram if it gets mistakenly deleted. Yes, Instagram has a feature that allows you to manage your content on the application. You can review and restore Instagram deleted posts, stories, photos, etc., by using the Recently Deleted feature.

It can be noted that hackers sometimes delete content when they gain access to an account and people had no way of easily getting their photos and videos back. But now Instagram will ask people to first verify that they are the rightful account holders when permanently deleting or restoring content from Recently Deleted.

The "Recently Deleted" feature was rolled out by Instagram in February 2021. The application has also added protections to help prevent hackers from compromising your account and deleting posts you have shared.

How to use Instagram Recently Deleted feature

Contents like photos, videos, reels, IGTV videos and stories that you choose to delete are removed from your account immediately and moved to the Recently Deleted folder. Users can note that deleted stories that are not in your archive will stay in the folder for up to 24 hours. Everything else will be automatically deleted 30 days later.

During those 30 days, you can access your deleted content by going to Settings and then Account and Recently Deleted on the latest version of the Instagram app. From there you can either restore or permanently delete it.

Instagram Recently Deleted Feature: Steps to restore or permanently delete content

Time	Tools	Supplies
10 Minutes	Smartphone Laptop Desktop	Updated Application Internet

Step 1: Open your Instagram account on your smartphone or laptop or desktop.

Step 2: Tap profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.

Step 3: Tap more options in the top right, then tap settings.

Step 4: Tap Account, then tap Recently deleted. It can be noted here that you may not see the options below if you haven't deleted any content recently.

Step 5: At the top, tap the type of content you would like to restore or permanently delete: profile posts, video reels, archived stories.

Step 6: Tap the photo, video, or story you would like to restore or permanently delete.

Step 7: Tap more options in the top right, then tap Restore to profile or Restore to restore content or Delete it.