--- title: "How to download your Instagram data (JSON) | PsycheAI" description: "Request your Instagram data in 30 seconds: the screens to tap, the three settings to change (All time, JSON, lower quality) and what to do next." canonical: https://psycheai.io/download-instagram-data author: "Jared, founder of PsycheAI" published: 2026-10-08 updated: 2026-10-21 --- # How to download your Instagram data Instagram will export everything you have done on it: posts, comments, likes, follows, saved posts and messages. Requesting it takes about 30 seconds. Instagram then emails you when the file is ready, usually within 1–2 hours. ## Step by step, on the Instagram app ### 1. Open your Instagram app Go to your Profile > tap the Menu (≡) top right to Settings > Accounts Centre > Your information and permissions > Export your information. Settings → tap **Accounts Centre** ![Instagram’s Settings and activity screen. The Accounts Centre row near the top is ringed.](https://psycheai.io/guide/01-settings.jpg) Tap **Your information and permissions** ![The Accounts Centre menu. The Your information and permissions row is ringed.](https://psycheai.io/guide/02-info-permissions.jpg) Tap **Export your information** ![The information and permissions screen. The Export your information row at the top is ringed.](https://psycheai.io/guide/03-export-your-information.jpg) ### 2. Create export, then pick your Instagram profile Tap **Create export** ![The Export your information screen. The blue Create export button is ringed.](https://psycheai.io/guide/04-create-export.jpg) Tap **Instagram** ![The top of a list of profiles, showing the Facebook and Instagram rows in full. The Instagram row is ringed. Names and photos are redacted.](https://psycheai.io/guide/05-pick-profile.jpg) Choose **Export to device** ![A choice between Export to device and Export to external service. Export to device is ringed.](https://psycheai.io/guide/06-export-to-device.jpg) ### 3. Change three settings, then start the download - Date range → All time – the whole history, not a recent slice - Format → JSON – **not HTML**. Data in HTML cannot be read at all, and you only find out hours later - Media quality → Lower quality – your photos are never read, so full resolution is gigabytes for nothing Then tap Start export. Password is required. ![The Confirm your export screen. The Date range, Format and Media quality rows are ringed. The account name and email are redacted.](https://psycheai.io/guide/07-confirm-export.jpg) ### 4. Wait for the email, then upload the file Instagram emails you when your data is ready. Download the `.zip` from the email to the device you will use, then load it into PsycheAI. Do not unzip it first. ## The three settings that matter - **Format: JSON, not HTML.** HTML is for reading in a browser; JSON is what tools such as PsycheAI can read. It is the one setting worth checking twice, because you only find out hours later. - **Date range: All time.** A recent slice leaves out the years that show who you are rather than what you did this month. - **Media quality: Lower quality.** Full-resolution photos and videos make the file gigabytes larger and slower to arrive. PsycheAI does not need them. ## If something goes wrong - **No email yet?** It usually takes 1–2 hours; check spam, and the request’s progress in Download your information. - **Downloaded HTML by mistake?** Request again with Format set to JSON. - **Link expired?** Instagram’s links last a few days; requesting again is quick. - **Several zip files?** Load them all at once. More fixes in [Instagram data download help](https://psycheai.io/instagram-data-download-help), and what the file contains in [what Instagram knows about you](https://psycheai.io/what-instagram-knows-about-you). ## Questions ### How long does the Instagram data download take? Usually 1–2 hours, depending on how much you have posted and saved. Instagram emails you when it is ready, and the download stays available for a few days after that. ### Can I do it on a computer? Yes. Sign in to Instagram in your browser, open the Menu (≡) to Settings, choose Accounts Centre, and follow the same steps from Your information and permissions. ### I chose HTML by mistake. What now? Request your data again with Format set to JSON. Data in HTML cannot be turned into JSON. ### What does PsycheAI do with the file? It reads your data in your browser and builds a reduced summary of it, which you can review before anything is sent. Only that summary goes to the AI model that writes your Psyche Card. There is no account, and your data, the summary and the report are never stored by PsycheAI. --- [Get your free Psyche Card](https://psycheai.io/) · [See a sample report](https://psycheai.io/sample-report) · [FAQ](https://psycheai.io/faq)