How to download all your Instagram photos, Reels and videos
Instagram can export everything you've posted in one go. Here's how to request it, what arrives, and how long it takes.
2 min read · Updated
Leaving Instagram, backing up years of posts, or just want your own Reels off the app? Instagram has an official export that packages your photos, videos, Reels and Stories into one download. It takes a few minutes to request and some patience to receive.
Request your export in the app
Menu names shift slightly between app versions, but the route is the same:
- Go to your profile and tap the menu (three lines) at the top right.
- Tap Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions.
- Tap Export your information (on some versions: Download your information), then Create export.
- Choose your Instagram account and Export to device.
- Pick the information to include, the date range, the format and the media quality, then start the export.
Or on a computer
Sign in at accountscenter.instagram.com, open Your information and permissions, and choose the download or export option. The choices that follow are the same as in the app.
Which options to pick
The choices decide how big the download is and how useful it is:
- Information — choose only Content (your posts, Reels and Stories) if you just want photos and videos. “All available information” adds messages, comments, likes and more, and makes the export much bigger.
- Date range — “All time” for a full backup.
- Format — HTML is easy to browse in a web browser; JSON is for importing into other tools.
- Media quality — High keeps the best copies Instagram stores.
Waiting for it and downloading
Instagram prepares the file in the background and emails you when it's ready — this can take up to a couple of days for a large account. The link expires after a few days, so download it when the email arrives. You'll usually be asked for your password again.
The export arrives as one or more zip files. Extract them on a computer, then open the HTML file to browse, or go straight to the media folders for the photos and videos.
What quality are the videos?
The export contains the copies Instagram kept, not the original files from your camera. Instagram re-encodes everything on upload — why Instagram videos look worse after downloading explains what that does — so if you still have the originals on your phone or computer, those are the better archive.
Just one Reel?
Exporting everything is overkill for a single public Reel. Paste its link into the Instagram downloader and save it in seconds.