Export Instagram saved posts: step by step (2026)
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Export Instagram saved posts: step by step (2026)

Export Instagram saved posts and Reels to a file: the Accounts Center steps, what is inside saved_posts.json, and how to make those saves searchable.

SavedThat team8 min read

Instagram lets you save thousands of posts and gives you no way to list, sort or search them. The one official way to export Instagram saved posts is the data download in Accounts Center. It takes five minutes to request, it is free, and it is the only complete list of your saves that Instagram will hand you.

Below: exactly what the export contains, how to request it on the phone and on the web, what saved_posts.json looks like inside, the mistakes that produce an empty file, and what you can actually do with the list once you have it.

What an Instagram saved posts export gives you (and what it doesn't)

The export is a ZIP file. For saves, it contains two files that matter:

What it does not contain is just as important. Your saved items belong to other accounts, so Instagram gives you references, not copies: no image, no video, no caption, no audio (Marqly, Stashr). If a creator later deletes a post or makes the account private, the link in your export stops working. An export is a list, not a backup.

That list is still valuable. It is the only way to get every save out of the app at once, with dates, in a format a computer can read.

How to export Instagram saved posts, step by step

Meta moved the data download into Accounts Center, and the menu name varies by app version: newer versions say Export your information, older ones Download your information. The steps are the same.

On the Instagram app

  1. Open your profile, tap the menu (three lines) and open Accounts Center.
  2. Tap Your information and permissions, then Export your information (or Download your information).
  3. Tap Create export, choose your Instagram account, and choose Export to device.
  4. Tap Customize information and untick everything except Saved (it sits under your Instagram activity). Selecting less makes the export much faster.
  5. Set Date range to All time.
  6. Set Format to JSON. HTML is readable in a browser; JSON is what tools and scripts can read. If in doubt, pick JSON, because you can always open it in a text editor.
  7. Tap Start export.

On a computer

Open accountscenter.instagram.com, log in, and follow the same path from step 2: Your information and permissions, then Export your information.

How long it takes. Instagram says preparing your information can take up to 30 days; with only "Saved" selected it usually arrives within hours (Marqly). You get a notification and an email. Download it promptly: the download link expires after a few days, and then you have to request it again (Stashr).

Inside the ZIP: where saved_posts.json lives and what it looks like

Unzip the file and open the folder for your Instagram activity. The saved files are usually at:

your_instagram_activity/saved/saved_posts.json
your_instagram_activity/saved/saved_collections.json

Meta has renamed folders between export versions, so if the path differs, search the unzipped folder for saved_posts. Each entry in saved_posts.json looks roughly like this (the username and link are placeholders):

{
  "saved_saved_media": [
    {
      "title": "creator_username",
      "string_map_data": {
        "Saved on": {
          "href": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123xyz/",
          "timestamp": 1726000000
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Some exports use a slightly different shape (string_list_data instead of string_map_data), which is why tools that read the file should not rely on one exact structure.

What to do with your exported Instagram saved posts

1. Get a plain list of your saved Reels. If you have jq installed (macOS, Linux, or Windows via WSL), this prints every saved Reel link:

jq -r '.saved_saved_media[].string_map_data["Saved on"].href' saved_posts.json | grep "/reel/" > reels.txt

reels.txt now holds one link per line. Paste it into a spreadsheet to sort, dedupe or count by creator.

2. Browse it. If you exported as HTML instead, open saved_posts.html in a browser: every save becomes a clickable link. Fine for skimming, useless for finding anything in a list of two thousand.

3. Make the saves searchable by what was said. This is the gap the export cannot close on its own: it has no captions and no audio, so you cannot search it for "the Reel where she explained the 3-2-1 rule". SavedThat can import the ZIP directly: in the app, open Settings → Import → Instagram and drop the file. It reads saved_posts.json, shows how many saved videos it found, and transcribes the ones you confirm, so you can search your saves by the words spoken in them and jump to the exact second. On the free start the first 5 videos are imported; the rest follow on a paid plan (pricing).

4. Hand the list to an AI assistant. A list of links plus usernames is enough for an assistant to group saves by creator or date. If you are in the US or Canada, Meta's own agent can read your saves without any export; our guide to Meta Muse and saved Instagram Reels covers that route and its limits.

Instagram saved posts export problems and fixes

There is no saved_posts.json in the ZIP. Two causes cover almost every case: "Saved" was not ticked in Customize information, or the export was requested in HTML (then look for saved_posts.html). Request a new export with Saved selected and JSON chosen.

The file exists but is nearly empty. Check the date range: anything other than All time drops older saves. Request again with All time.

The download link does not work. It expired. Request the export again.

Some links open "Sorry, this page isn't available". The creator deleted the post, archived it, or made the account private. The export cannot recover it, which is exactly why the content itself is worth capturing while it still exists.

Collections are missing. Collections live in saved_collections.json, not in saved_posts.json.

It has been days. Large exports can take long; Instagram's official window is up to 30 days. Requesting only "Saved" is the easiest way to keep it small and quick.

The honest verdict on exporting Instagram saved posts

The official export is worth doing once, today: it is free, it is complete, and it is the only way to get every save out of Instagram with dates. Just know what it is: a list of links that will slowly rot as creators delete and privatise posts. If what you actually want is to find a Reel by what someone said in it, the list is the input, not the answer; turn it into transcripts while the videos are still online.

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Frequently asked questions (2026)

Can I export my saved posts from Instagram?

Yes. In Accounts Center, open Your information and permissions, then Export your information (or Download your information), create an export for your Instagram account, select only Saved, choose JSON and All time, and download the ZIP when it is ready.

Where is saved_posts.json in the Instagram export?

Usually at your_instagram_activity/saved/saved_posts.json inside the ZIP, next to saved_collections.json. Folder names change between export versions, so search the unzipped folder for saved_posts if the path differs.

Does the Instagram export include the saved videos themselves?

No. Saved items belong to other accounts, so the export contains only a link, the username and the date you saved each post. No images, videos, captions or audio are included.

How long does the Instagram data export take?

Instagram says up to 30 days, but an export with only Saved selected usually arrives within hours. The download link expires after a few days, so download it as soon as you get the notification.

Why is my Instagram export missing saved posts?

Most often Saved was not selected, the export was in HTML rather than JSON, or the date range was not All time. Posts that were deleted or made private also stop opening, even though their links remain in the file.

How can I search my exported Instagram saves by what was said?

The export has no captions or audio, so it cannot be searched by content on its own. Import the ZIP into a transcript search tool such as SavedThat, which transcribes each saved Reel and lets you search the spoken words with timestamps.