Social media platforms like Instagram (or "Insta") are daily staples for many users. Instagram features "Stories," which are automatically deleted after 24 hours. This popular function is often used for casual posts, but have you ever accidentally deleted a Story and struggled to restore it?
This article explains how to recover deleted Stories. Restoration methods vary depending on the deletion scenario, so we’ll outline each step-by-step. We hope this guide helps you in times of need.
Instagram Stories automatically vanish after 24 hours, but they can also be manually deleted.
Posted Stories can be saved as archives, and deleted Stories remain in the "Recently Deleted" section for 30 days. After this period, they’re permanently erased, but if still available, you can recover them from these locations. Alternatively, data recovery apps can help. The next section details each method.
This section explains three methods to recover mistakenly deleted Instagram Stories.
By default, posted Stories are automatically saved to the "Stories Archive," allowing easy restoration. Follow these steps:
Open Instagram > Tap the three lines at the top right > Tap "Archive" > Select "Stories Archive" from the top list > Choose the post to restore > Tap "Share" > Tap "Stories"
That’s it! Verify that your deleted Story has been restored.
"Recently Deleted" is essentially Instagram’s trash folder, storing deleted items for 30 days. During this period, Stories can be restored. Here’s how:
Tap the "≡" icon at the top right > Tap "Activity" > Tap "Recently Deleted" > Select the Stories icon from the top tabs > Choose the post to restore
Tap "More" > "Restore" > Confirm by tapping "Restore" again in the dialog box
For iPhone users, the data recovery app UltData for iOS is an option. It can recover over 35 types of deleted data, including Instagram photos, videos, and music.
It supports restoration from iTunes or iCloud backups and can even recover data not backed up, provided the device hasn’t been overwritten.
Below are the steps—we hope you find them helpful.
Install and launch UltData. Select the device you wish to connect.
Connect the device and scan for "Instagram."
From the scan results, select the Instagram data to restore and execute the recovery.
The "Recently Deleted" folder serves as Instagram’s trash. To locate it: Tap the three-line icon at the top right of your profile > Go to "Settings and Activity" > Select "Activity" to view it.
Instagram Stories vanish from public view after 24 hours. However, archived Stories remain in the archive section even after disappearing.
To access the archive: Tap the three-line icon on your profile > Go to "Settings and Activity" > Tap "Archive." For important data, archive manually or enable auto-archive when posting.
This article explained how to restore deleted Instagram Stories. Thanks to Instagram’s built-in archive feature, recovery is relatively straightforward.
If the Story isn’t in the archive or "Recently Deleted" folder, UltData for iOS is worth trying. Its free trial version is user-friendly, requiring just three quick steps, and supports iOS/iPhones of all versions. It may recover all kinds of lost data—why not give it a shot?
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