Instagram · Leaving & keeping your memories
Leaving Instagram? Save your photos and videos first
Prefer a click-by-click walkthrough with screenshots? See the full guide →
Your years on Instagram, kept off Instagram — organized by year and by the people in them.
First, know the difference: deactivate vs. delete
The two options sound similar but they're not the same, and it matters for your memories:
Deactivating simply hides your profile. Your photos, reels, and account stay on Instagram's servers, and you can return any time by logging back in. It's the gentle, reversible step — good if you're not sure you're done for good.
Deleting is permanent. After you request it, Instagram gives you a grace period (typically about 30 days) during which logging back in cancels the deletion. Once that window closes, your account — and the photos, reels, and videos in it — are gone and can't be recovered. So whichever path you choose, download your export before you start.
Download every Instagram photo and video before you go
- Open Accounts Center. In the Instagram app, go to your profile → menu → Accounts Center, or on a computer visit accountscenter.facebook.com. (Instagram and Facebook share the same Accounts Center hub.)
- Find "Your information and permissions." Then click Download your information.
- Choose your Instagram profile. If you have more than one account linked, pick the Instagram profile you want.
- Create the export. Set Date range to All time, Format to HTML (easiest to browse) or JSON, and Media quality to High. Select Photos and videos if you only want your media — a smaller, faster export.
- Submit and wait for the email. Instagram usually takes a day or two to prepare the file (longer than Facebook). The download link expires after a few days, so grab it promptly.
- Download the ZIP on a computer — and confirm it's complete. Large archives may arrive as several ZIP files; download all of them and open one to check your photos and reels are really there before you delete anything.
Want the detailed version with screenshots? See our full guides on how to download all your Instagram photos and how to request your archive step by step.
Turn the export into something you'll actually keep
Here's the catch the guides skip: the export is a mess. Your posts, reels, and stories land in nested folders, the original dates are often stripped, and videos sit apart from photos. You did the hard part — but you still can't just sit down and look at your memories.
That's what everkept fixes. Upload the ZIP and you get one private gallery — every post, reel, and video together, organized by year and grouped by the people in them, with the dates restored. It lives off Meta and is yours to keep. Free to preview; one-time price to keep it, no subscription. So you can walk away from Instagram and still have everything that mattered.
Common questions
What's the difference between deactivating and deleting Instagram?
Deactivating hides your profile but keeps your data on Instagram's servers, so you can come back later. Deleting is permanent: after a grace period (typically about 30 days, during which logging back in cancels the request), your account and its photos, reels, and videos are gone for good. Either way, download your full export first.
Will I lose my photos if I deactivate Instagram?
Deactivating doesn't delete your photos, but you can't easily browse or share them while deactivated, and a future decision to delete would remove them. Downloading your export means your memories are safe in your own hands regardless of what you do with the account.
Can I get my Instagram photos back after I delete my account?
Once deletion is permanent — after the grace period ends — your photos and reels can't be recovered from Instagram. That's why the export comes first. Save everything before you start the deletion process, not after.
How do I keep my Instagram memories after leaving?
Download your full export (a ZIP file), then upload it to everkept. You get one private gallery with every post, reel, and video together, organized by year and by person, with dates restored. It lives off Meta and is yours to keep — free to preview, one-time price, no subscription.
Leave Instagram without leaving your memories behind
Download your export, then see it turned into one private gallery — organized by year and by person, free to preview.
See your gallery free →No password needed · Your files are private and deleted after 30 days unless you keep your gallery · One-time price, no subscription