How to Back Up All Your Instagram Reels Before Deleting Your Account
Once an Instagram account is permanently deleted, your reels, photos, captions and comments are gone — Instagram can’t restore them. Spend fifteen minutes on a backup first. There are two ways to do it, and most people should use both.
Method 1: Export everything with Instagram’s official tool
Instagram lets you request a full copy of your data. It’s the only way to get everything in one go — posts, reels, stories you’ve archived, captions, comments and messages.
- Open Accounts Center. In the app, go to your profile → ☰ menu → Accounts Center.
- Find the export option. Tap Your information and permissions → Export your information (older app versions call it Download your information).
- Create an export. Choose your Instagram profile, then Export to device.
- Pick what to include. Select All available information, set the date range to All time, choose HTML format (easiest to browse) and set Media quality to High.
- Start the export and wait for the email or notification. Small accounts are often ready within an hour; large ones can take a day or more.
- Download the files promptly. The download link expires after a few days. Save the ZIP files somewhere safe — a computer, external drive or cloud storage.
Menu names change occasionally between app versions; if you can’t find an option, search for “export” in the Accounts Center search bar.
What the export includes — and what it doesn’t
- Included: your posts, reels and archived stories as media files, captions, comments, likes, followers lists, and messages.
- Not included: other people’s posts you saved or liked (only a list of links), and drafts — drafts are stored on your phone, not in your account, so publish or screen-record any you want to keep.
Method 2: Save individual reels with ReelSaver
The official export is thorough but slow, and the media is bundled into folders named by date. If you want a few specific reels right now — your best-performing ones, or clips you want to re-post on another platform — download them one at a time:
- Open the reel on your profile and tap the share icon → Copy link.
- Paste the link into ReelSaver and tap Download.
- Rename the file with something meaningful (for example the date and topic) so you can find it later.
Your account must be public while you do this, because downloaders can only see what logged-out visitors can. If your account is private, switch it to public temporarily, save what you need, and switch it back.
Deactivate or delete? Know the difference
| Deactivate | Delete | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile and reels | Hidden until you log back in | Permanently removed |
| Can you undo it? | Yes — just log in again | Only within 30 days of the request |
| Username | Kept | Released and may be taken by someone else |
Both options are in Accounts Center → Personal details → Account ownership and control → Deactivation or deletion. If you’re only taking a break, deactivating is the safer choice — nothing is lost.
Before you press delete: a final checklist
- The export ZIP files are downloaded and you’ve opened one to check the media plays.
- Your most important reels are also saved individually, with sensible file names.
- Drafts you care about are published, exported or screen-recorded.
- You’ve noted down any brand contacts or collaborators from your DMs.
- Linked logins (sites where you “Continue with Instagram”) have a password or another sign-in method set.