How to Recover Deleted Instagram Chats in 2026 (Even Unsent Messages)

Accidentally deleted an important Instagram chat? Or someone unsent a message and now you’re trying to get it back?
The good news is — you can still recover deleted and even unsent Instagram messages in 2026, and you don’t need any fake third-party apps to do it.

In this complete guide, I’ll show you step by step how to recover deleted Instagram chats using Instagram’s official “Download Your Information” feature.

Can You Really Recover Deleted or Unsent Instagram Messages?

Yes — Instagram stores your account data, including messages, on its servers.
Even if:

You deleted the chat
The message is very old
Someone unsent a message

You can still access it by requesting your Instagram data.

Method: Recover Deleted Instagram Chats Using Download Your Information

This is the only safe and legit way to recover Instagram messages.

Step 1: Go to Instagram Settings

Open the Instagram app
Go to your profile
Tap the three lines (☰) in the top-right corner
Open Account Center
Tap Your Information and Permissions
Select Export Your Information

Step 2: Request Your Instagram Data

Instagram allows you to request a copy of everything linked to your account, including chat history.

Enter your email ID
Tap Request Download
A browser will open — log in to your Instagram account
Tap Create Export
Select your Instagram profile
Choose Export to Device
Select a Date Range (example: Last Week, Last Month, or All Time)
Tap Save
Tap Start Export

Instagram will now start preparing your data.

Step 3: Check Your Email

Within a few minutes to a few hours, Instagram will send you an email.

Open the email from Instagram
Click the Download Information link
Log in again
Download the ZIP file

Step 4: Extract and View Deleted Chats

Once the ZIP file is downloaded:

Unzip the file
Open the folder called your_instagram_activity
Go to messages
Open inbox
Select the chat folder (person’s name)
Open messages.json or messages.html

👉 Here you’ll find all your past chats, including:

Deleted messages
Unsent messages
Old conversations you thought were gone

Important Things to Know

This method works only for your own account data
You can’t restore messages back into Instagram chats — you can view and save them
Avoid apps claiming “one-click Instagram recovery” — most are scams

Want It Done the Easy Way?

If you don’t want to do all these steps yourself,
👉 DM “my chats” on Instagram, and my team will guide you step by step until your deleted messages are recovered.

Final Words

By requesting your data from Instagram, you can recover deleted and even unsent messages safely and legally — without risking your account.

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