Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Instagram allows you to delete all your posted photos and videos in bulk through the app
- Deleting photos permanently removes them from your Instagram profile after 30 days
- You can download your data before deleting to keep a backup of your Instagram content
Sometimes you may want to start fresh on Instagram by deleting all your previously posted photos and videos. Whether you’re revamping your personal brand, changing themes, or just want a clean slate, Instagram provides tools to mass delete your content.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to delete all your Instagram posts from within the app on both iOS and Android devices. We’ll also cover how to download your data beforehand if you want to keep a backup.
Downloading Your Instagram Data
Before you delete all your Instagram photos and videos, you may want to create a backup by downloading your data. This allows you to save your content, including photos, videos, stories, profile info, comments, and more.
To download your Instagram data:
- Go to Your Settings
- Tap the profile icon in the bottom right
- Tap the three lines in the top right
- Select “Settings” > “Privacy and Security”
- Request Your Data Download
- Scroll down to the “Data” section
- Tap “Request Download”
- Enter the email address where you want to receive the download link
- Instagram will notify you when your data file is ready to download (may take up to 48 hours)
- Download Your Data File
- You’ll receive an email from Instagram with a link to download your data
- The download contains photos, videos, stories, messages, and more in an HTML file
With your data safely downloaded, you can proceed to delete your Instagram posts while knowing you have a backup.
Deleting All Instagram Posts
Instagram recently added the ability to delete multiple posts at once through the mobile app. Here are the steps:
- Go to Your Instagram Profile
- Tap the profile icon in the bottom right
- Open Your Activity Log
- Tap the three lines in the top right
- Select “Your Activity”
- Select Your Posts
- Tap “Photos and Videos” then “Posts”
- Tap “Select” in the top right
- Tap on each post thumbnail to select them all
- Or tap “Select All” to choose all posts
- Delete Your Selected Posts
- Once posts are selected, tap “Delete” in the bottom right
- Confirm by tapping “Delete” again
After following these steps, all of your selected Instagram posts will be removed from your profile and moved to the “Recently Deleted” folder.
Note: Deleted posts stay in the “Recently Deleted” album for 30 days before being permanently removed. During this time, you can restore any posts you deleted by mistake.
Restoring Deleted Instagram Posts
If you change your mind after deleting Instagram posts, you can easily restore them within 30 days by following these steps:
- Go to Your Profile
- Tap the profile icon
- Open Your Activity Log
- Tap the three lines
- Select “Your Activity”
- Go to Recently Deleted
- Scroll down and tap “Recently Deleted”
- Select Posts to Restore
- Tap “Select” in the top right
- Tap each post to select it
- Or tap “Select All”
- Restore Your Posts
- Tap “Restore” in the bottom right
- Confirm by tapping “Restore” again
Your selected posts will now be restored to your Instagram profile and removed from the “Recently Deleted” album.
Additional Tips
- Delete Posts in Batches: Instagram limits you to deleting 50 posts per hour. If you have more than 50 posts, you’ll need to delete them in multiple batches.
- Check Your Archive: Before deleting, check your Instagram archive for any posts you may want to keep. Archived posts don’t show on your profile but are still accessible.
- Remove Tagged Photos: In addition to your posts, remember to remove any photos/videos you’ve been tagged in that you don’t want visible.
- Update Linked Accounts: If you’ve connected your Instagram to other apps or websites, update or remove those connections after deleting your content.
- Consider Your Reasons: Think carefully about why you want to delete all your Instagram content, as this is a permanent action that cannot be easily undone after 30 days.
Deleting your Instagram photos and videos allows you to start fresh while still preserving your profile, username, and connections. Just make sure to download your data first if you want to keep it for backup.
