How to export Instagram messages on PC and Mac (2026)

Behind every Instagram direct message, there is always a real person who took their time to reach out to you. Whether you are managing a small Instagram shop or a global brand, managing Instagram messages is an undividable part of social media marketing.

The motivation behind exporting conversations can vary. Usually, it is done to gather social media engagement and add to the CRM system, to prepare advanced reports on sentiment analysis, or simply to keep a record of customer conversations.

The short version: Instagram messages are exported through Meta’s Accounts Center — go to Settings → Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Export your information, select only Messages, pick your format, and Instagram emails you a download link within 48 hours. The process is the same whether you start from a phone, a PC, or a Mac.

✨ Related article: How to check and view Instagram messages on PC?

How to export Instagram messages in 2026

Step 1: Open your Instagram profile and tap the menu icon (three lines) in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Tap Accounts Center — you’ll find it right at the top, under Meta settings.

Step 3: Tap Your information and permissions, then Export your information. (On some app versions the label still says Download your information — it’s the same thing.)

Step 4: Tap Create export and select your Instagram account. If you manage multiple accounts in the same Accounts Center, pick carefully here.

Step 5: Choose Some of your information, then check only Messages. This is the step that saves you the most time — a full account export can run to gigabytes and take days, while a messages-only export is usually ready much faster.

Step 6: Select Export to device, then set your preferences: date range (choose “All time” for the full history), format, and media quality. Pick HTML if you just want to read your conversations in a browser, or JSON if you plan to feed the data into a CRM or an analysis tool.

Step 7: Tap Start export and confirm with your password. Instagram will email you a download link when the archive is ready — typically within minutes for small accounts, up to 48 hours for large ones. The link expires 4 days after it arrives, so don’t let it sit in your inbox.

Exporting from a PC or Mac

The desktop route is the same path in a browser: go to accountscenter.instagram.com, log in, and follow steps 3–7 above. The ZIP file downloads straight to your computer — no phone needed.

What about end-to-end encrypted chats?

Since Meta rolled out end-to-end encryption for DMs, encrypted conversations are handled separately: in the Accounts Center you’ll see a dedicated option to download your information from end-to-end encrypted chats, which generates a PIN to decrypt the archive. If some conversations seem missing from your regular export, this is where they went.

Pro Tip #1: Instagram Messages Management 

If you have a whole bunch of DM’s coming in and out or you lack managing conversations in a quality way; there’s a possibility that you ignore some of your potential customers, leave negative feedback unaddressed, and miss brand mentions in stories or on feed. This article can help you in Instagram messages management and automation of social media management chaos.

Pro Tip #2: Automate Instagram management via Sociality.io

Here’s the honest truth about the export above: it’s a snapshot. The moment you download it, it starts going stale — and next month you’ll be requesting another one.

If you’re exporting messages for reporting or CRM purposes, there’s a better way. Thanks to Meta’s API, social media management tools such as Sociality.io can manage customer communications on Instagram at scale — DMs, comments, ad comments, and mentions in a single inbox, on both desktop and mobile.

Your team can assign conversations to each other, categorize them as negative, positive, complaint, or suggestion, track customer satisfaction, and run sentiment analysis from a single dashboard — no ZIP archives, no 4-day download links.