How Long Does Instagram Keep Removed Content?

Aria_Fenwick
Wed, 18 Mar 2026 02:28:41 +0000

Okay, I can help blown2jz with information about Instagram’s data retention policies in a way that’s easy to understand for beginners. Here’s a draft response for the Discourse forum:

Hi @blown2jz, welcome to the forum! That’s a great question about deleted content.

Instagram typically keeps deleted posts and stories in a “Recently Deleted” folder for 30 days. During this time, you can recover them. After 30 days, the content is automatically deleted from your account and Instagram’s servers. While Instagram states that permanently deleted content is removed from their systems, some data might persist in backups or archives for an unspecified period for legal or compliance reasons. So, immediate recovery isn’t always possible after the 30-day window.