If you (or a hacker) deleted your Instagram account in the last 30 days, your data is not lost yet. Meta retains all your photos, videos, posts, DMs, and follower lists for 30 days after deletion before permanent purge. This guide shows you exactly how to recover a deleted Instagram account — and the small differences between Meta’s “deactivated,” “scheduled for deletion,” and “permanently deleted” states that determine whether recovery is possible.
Was your account deleted or deactivated?
Open the Instagram app and try to log in with your username and password. The response tells you the state:
- “Account deactivated” → Reversible instantly. Just log in.
- “Account scheduled for deletion” → Reversible within 30 days. Log in to cancel.
- “Account not found” → Permanently deleted (after 30 days) or never existed.
Step 1: Try to log in (the 30-day window)
From a clean browser (incognito), go to
instagram.com and log in with your username (or email, or phone) and password. If your account is within the 30-day deletion window, Instagram will show a prompt:
“Your account is scheduled for deletion. Do you want to restore it?” Click
Restore. Your account, posts, followers, and DMs come back instantly.
Step 2: If you’ve forgotten your password
On the login screen, click “Forgot password?” and request a reset link via email or SMS. Once you regain password access, log in to trigger the restore prompt.
Step 3: If your email/phone are gone
If a hacker deleted the account and changed your recovery email and phone, go to
help.instagram.com/contact/606967319425038 and select “I can’t log in to my account.” Submit a selfie video plus ID. Meta will match the selfie against your historical photos and restore the account to your control.
What if it’s past 30 days?
If you missed the 30-day window, your account is permanently deleted and Meta does not retain backups. Three options remain:
- Username reservation: Email Meta’s brand protection team and request they reserve your username.
- Data archive: If you previously requested a data download, your archive may still be downloadable.
- Forensic recovery: Posts and photos screen-grabbed by third parties (Instagram repost services, archive.org) may still be available.
How to back up Instagram going forward
Once recovered, set up monthly data downloads. Enable 2-Step Verification with both an authenticator app and SMS backup.
Need help with a complex recovery?
Hacker-deleted accounts past the 30-day window, brand impersonation reclaim, and accounts where the hacker added themselves as the recovery email require Meta escalation.
Submit your case to AccRevert for review.
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