A lot has changed in 2018 regarding the sensitive data companies collect, store, use, process or share. New Internet policies have been announced by the European Union, and all companies collecting private, sensitive data have had to adjust their platforms accordingly.
As Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today, the new regulations have made quite a few changes to the platform we all love. Instagram now complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU’s new law), which gives social media users more control over their shared data.
One of the possibilities that GDPR has created is that you can now download and save your Instagram data. This can come in handy if you want to switch to a different platform or if you want to keep a copy of everything on that platform.
This article will show you how you can download your Instagram profile data and store it on your device.
Downloading and Archiving Your Instagram Account Information
Downloading the data of your Instagram account used to be possible only with the desktop version of the platform of Instagram. Today, you can save and archive your profile both from your mobile phone and from your computer.
Let’s check both of these options.
Downloading Your Instagram Account Data to a Computer
If you want to store your account data on your PC, you can do so in a few steps.
First, you need to open the desktop version of their platform, Instagram. All you have to do is visit www.instagram.com. If you have never logged into your Instagram account from your computer, you will need to enter your Instagram username and password.
Once this is complete and you have access to your account, go to your profile by clicking the last icon in the top right corner.
Now, you will need to enter the settings page of your account. To do this, simply click on the Settings icon located next to the Edit Profile button. After clicking the settings icon, you will be asked for options to set up your profile through the desktop version of Instagram.
Select Privacy and Security. Finally, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Request Download from the Data Download section. This is located under the Two-Factor Authentication field.
You will then be taken to a second page where you have to enter your account’s email address and then select Next.
It may take up to 48 hours for Instagram to collect the data you requested and send it to the email address you entered. They will send you a link where you can download everything related to your Instagram account.
How to Download Your Instagram Account Data to Mobile Phone
Regardless of your mobile phone’s operating system (Android/iPhone), you will need to do the following to download the data of your Instagram account to your mobile phone.
Open your Instagram app on your mobile. Then go to your profile by tapping on the Profile icon located at the bottom left of your screen.
Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of your Instagram profile page. This will open a drop-down menu with different features you can use.
Tap on the Settings option located at the bottom of this drop-down menu. The settings page will open. Select the Security option and tap Download Data located in the Data & History section.
Finally, you need to enter the email from which you want to get your Instagram data and tap on Request Download. As in the previous case, this procedure can take up to 48 hours to complete.
Now all you have to do is wait for an email with a link where you can download your Instagram account data.
Track Your Data
As for saving the data of your Instagram account on your device, these are your two options. As we mentioned, you can use these methods to create copies of your data on social media or simply to facilitate the transition to a different platform.
What do you think about GDPR? Do you feel the need to download all your Instagram data? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comments below!
