What happens if you delete a story by mistake, or realize later that you want it back? Many users panic when they lose their Stories, especially if they contain precious memories or important updates.
The good news is that there are multiple ways to recover deleted Instagram Stories, depending on how and when they disappeared. In this guide, we’ll walk you through each method, explain how Instagram’s settings work, and highlight the limitations so you know exactly what to expect.
What is an Instagram Story？
An Instagram Story is a temporary post—photo, video, or text—that lasts for 24 hours. After this period, it disappears from your profile and your followers’ feeds. Instagram designed Stories for casual, real-time sharing, but many users still want to preserve them.
Fortunately, Instagram provides built-in options like Recently Deleted and Archive, and you may also find your Stories in linked accounts, local storage, or cloud backups. Let’s explore each method step by step.
Method 1. Restore Deleted Instagram Stories from Recently Deleted
In February 2021, Instagram introduced the Recently Deleted feature. When you delete a Story, Post, Reel, or IGTV video, it moves into this folder for 30 days before being permanently removed. This gives you a grace period to restore content that you may have deleted by accident.
Step 1. Go to your profile and tap the menu (☰) in the top-right corner.
Step 2. Select Your activity > Recently deleted.
Step 3. Switch to Stories Tab, and find your deleted Story.
Step 4. Tap More in the bottom right corner
Step 5. Tap Show on profile to recover it.
When to Use
- You intentionally deleted a Story within the last 30 days.
- You want to quickly undo a deletion.
Limitations
- Cannot recover Stories from years ago.
Method 2. Restore Deleted Instagram Stories from Archive
Instagram introduced the Stories Archive feature on December 5, 2017. If your Story expired naturally after 24 hours (not manually deleted), Instagram automatically saves it to your Archive. This setting is usually enabled by default. The Archive allows you to browse all past Stories, even from years ago.
Step 1. Go to your Instagram profile, tap the menu (☰) and select Archive.
Step 2. Choose Stories Archive at the top.
Step 3. Browse through your archived Stories and tap the one you want.
Step 4. Tap More in the bottom right corner and tap Show on Profile to restore.
Things to Know
Expired Story Archiving is enabled automatically for most users.
It’s the most complete way to access old Stories, even they expired from years ago.
Method 3. Recover Deleted Instagram Stories via Messages
You may share your Stories with friends or groups through Instagram Direct Messages (DMs). In these cases, the Story may still be visible to the recipient for as long as it was active. However, according to Instagram’s help center, once a Story expires or is deleted, it will no longer appear in chats. The only chance is if the recipient has saved, downloaded, or taken a screenshot of the Story before it disappeared.
Try to ask your friends you shared the Story with to see if they saved it.
If that doesn’t work, you can try a recovery solution. Gbyte Recovery can perform a deep scan of your iCloud backups to retrieve deleted Instagram messages—including Stories, videos, and photos that were once shared through them.
Step 1. Start a Scan – Download the PC version or sign up via your mobile browser to begin a quick, free scan.
Step 2. Select Data – Choose what you want to recover. Be sure to select Instagram and Photos.
Step 3. Let the Scan Run – The software will search your iCloud or device backups. Once finished, mobile users receive a completion email, while PC users see an on-screen notification.
Step 4. Preview & Restore – Review the scan results, then select the specific photos, messages, or other content you’d like to restore.
Method 4. Recover Deleted Instagram Stories from Facebook Account
When you share a Story, Instagram often asks if you’d like to post it to Facebook as well. Later, if you delete that Story from Instagram, you’ll be prompted to choose whether you also want to remove it from Facebook. If your accounts are linked and you chose not to delete it from Facebook, there’s a chance your Story may still be available in your Facebook account.
Step 1. Open the Facebook app.
Step 2. Go to your profile or the Stories section.
Step 3. Look for the Story you shared from Instagram.
Step 4. If available, download or screenshot it to keep a copy.
When It Works
- Your Instagram account was linked to Facebook.
- You enabled cross-posting of Stories.
Limitations
- If you deleted the Story on both Instagram and Facebook, it’s gone.
- Older Facebook Stories also expire after 24 hours unless saved.
Method 5. Find Deleted Instagram Stories from Local Storage
If you enable the right settings, Instagram can automatically save a copy of every Story you create to your phone. This means that even if the Story disappears from Instagram, a local version may still exist in your device storage.
On Android: These copies are stored in a dedicated folder (e.g., Pictures > Instagram), accessible through the Gallery or a File Manager app.
On iOS: They are saved inside the Photos app, automatically organized into an Instagram album.
Even if you uninstall Instagram, the app’s cache is removed, but the saved copies in your phone’s albums usually remain. This means many of your old Instagram photos and videos may still be stored on your phone without you realizing it.
Checklist
Open your Photos or Gallery app.
Look for folders named Instagram or Stories.
Check your “Recently Deleted” album in your phone’s storage.
Things to Know
This option is not enabled by default; you must have turned it on manually.
Only saves the original file, not stickers, polls, or interactive elements added in Instagram.
Method 6. Retrieve Deleted Instagram Stories from Cloud Backups
Most cloud services automatically sync photos and videos from your camera roll in the background. This means that even if a Story is deleted from Instagram and your local storage, it might still exist in your cloud backup.
Extra Tips: How to Avoid Losing Instagram Stories Again
While recovery methods exist, prevention is always better. Here are some best practices:
Use Archive instead of Delete
If you don’t want a Story visible, archive it instead of deleting it. This way, you can restore it anytime.
Enable Auto-Save to Archive and Camera Roll
Step 1. Go to Profile > Menu in the top right corner.
Step 2. Scroll down and find Archiving and downloading.
Step 3. Make sure Save story to archive and Save story to Camera Roll are open.
Regular Backups
Use Google Photos or iCloud to keep an extra copy of your Stories.
Share to Facebook
Cross-posting ensures a backup copy on another platform.
Conclusion
Recovering deleted Instagram Stories is possible in several ways, depending on how they disappeared. Each method has its limitations, but combined, they greatly increase your chances of restoring lost memories. To avoid future frustration, enable automatic saving and archiving, and consider regular backups. That way, your Instagram Stories will never be truly lost again.
