# How to Find Recently Deleted Posts and Stories on Instagram

To find recently deleted posts on Instagram, go to your profile, tap the menu, then Your activity, then Recently deleted; tap an item, then Options, then Restore.

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**16 October 2026** Published

**2 min** Read

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**To find recently deleted posts on Instagram, go to your profile, tap the menu, then Your activity, then Recently deleted; tap an item, then Options, then Restore.** Deleted posts and reels stay there for 30 days. Deleted stories stay for up to 24 hours unless they were in your story archive, in which case they also get 30 days. After that, they’re gone for good. This is one of the data tasks that start from [downloading your Instagram data](/blog/instagram-data/download-your-data/).

Recently deleted only holds your own content, and Instagram may ask you to confirm it’s you before restoring or permanently deleting. This guide covers the time limits, the steps and what to do when something isn’t there. Messages work differently and are covered in [how to find deleted messages on Instagram](/blog/instagram-data/deleted-messages/).

## Where Is Recently Deleted on Instagram?

**Recently deleted is in Your activity, from the menu on your profile.** Listed below are the 5 steps.

1.  **Tap** your profile picture, then the menu (three lines).
2.  **Tap** **Your activity**.
3.  **Tap** **Recently deleted**.
4.  **Choose** the type at the top: posts, reels or stories.
5.  **Open** the item, tap **Options**, then **Restore**.

## How Long Does Instagram Keep Deleted Posts?

**Deleted posts and reels stay in Recently deleted for 30 days; stories stay for up to 24 hours, or 30 days if they were saved in your story archive.** The table sums up the windows.

| What you deleted | How long you can restore it |
| --- | --- |
| Posts and carousels | 30 days |
| Reels | 30 days |
| Stories saved in your story archive | 30 days |
| Stories not in your archive | Up to 24 hours |

Each item shows how many days are left before it’s removed permanently.

## Why Isn’t a Deleted Post in Recently Deleted?

**A post won’t be there if it was deleted more than 30 days ago, if you permanently deleted it from Recently deleted, or if it’s actually archived rather than deleted.** Check your archive first: archived posts are hidden, not deleted. The steps are in [how to find archived posts, old stories and highlights on Instagram](/blog/instagram-data/archived-posts/).

| Where it might be | How to check |
| --- | --- |
| Archive | Profile, menu, Archive |
| Recently deleted | Profile, menu, Your activity, Recently deleted |
| Your data download | Only if you exported before deleting |

## Can You Recover Posts Deleted More Than 30 Days Ago?

**No, once the 30-day window passes, the post is removed and can’t be restored in the app.** A data export you made before deleting may still contain it; see [how to download your Instagram data](/blog/instagram-data/download-your-data/).

## Can You See Someone Else’s Deleted Posts?

**No, Recently deleted only shows your own content, and other people’s deleted posts are removed for everyone.** If you saved one of their posts, it disappears from your saved items too.

## Questions people ask

### Why does Instagram ask for a code to restore a post?

Instagram may ask you to confirm you're the account holder before restoring or permanently deleting, to protect accounts from being wiped by someone else.

### Do deleted highlights go to Recently deleted?

Stories removed from highlights can be restored if they're still within their window.

### Can you empty Recently deleted?

Yes, open an item and choose to delete it permanently.

### Can you see Recently deleted on a computer?

Use the app; Your activity on instagram.com may not show every option.

## More on your Instagram data

-   [How to Download Your Instagram Data (2026 Steps) Export your Instagram data from Accounts Center, choose HTML or JSON, see what's included, and download it within 4 days.](/blog/instagram-data/download-your-data/)
-   [How Long Does an Instagram Data Export Take? What makes Instagram data exports slow, how to speed them up, where to download them within 4 days, and what to do if one never arrives.](/blog/instagram-data/export-time/)
-   [How to Find Deleted Messages on Instagram What can and can't be recovered after deleting or unsending Instagram messages, and how to avoid losing messages again.](/blog/instagram-data/deleted-messages/)
-   [How to See Posts You Liked and Comments on Instagram Find posts you liked and comments you made in Your activity, unlike in bulk, and get older history from your data download.](/blog/instagram-data/liked-posts/)
-   [How to Find Saved Posts and Reels on Instagram Find your saved Instagram posts and reels, organise them into collections, and see why saved posts sometimes disappear.](/blog/instagram-data/saved-posts/)
-   [Find Archived Posts and Old Stories on Instagram Find your Instagram archive, old stories and highlights, unarchive posts, add stories to highlights, and fix an empty archive.](/blog/instagram-data/archived-posts/)
-   [How to See Your Instagram Watch History Find reels you watched in Instagram's Watch history, use likes, saves and your data download as backups, and keep reels you want.](/blog/instagram-data/watch-history/)
-   [What Data Does Instagram Collect About You? What Meta's Privacy Policy says Instagram collects, what it's used for, how to see your data, and the settings that limit collection.](/blog/instagram-data/what-data-instagram-collects/)
-   [How Much Mobile Data Does Instagram Use? Why Instagram uses so much mobile data, how to check your real usage, and the settings and habits that cut it.](/blog/instagram-data/mobile-data-usage/)
-   [How to Find Messages on Instagram (Hidden Requests) Find Instagram DMs, message requests and hidden requests, search your chats, and see why a message seems to have vanished.](/blog/instagram-data/find-messages/)
-   [How to See and Reset Your Instagram Algorithm Use Your Algorithm to see and edit the topics shaping your feed, or reset suggested content to start fresh across Feed, Reels and Explore.](/blog/instagram-data/your-algorithm/)

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