How To Recover Your Instagram Photos If Your Account Got Hacked

Cyber attacks and hackers are a part of everyday life for internet users. Social media is rife with scams and exploits, but what can you do if someone hacks your Instagram account?

Can I Save My Instagram Account if it Gets Hacked?

Depending on the severity of the hack, you may or may not be able to get back your Instagram account. There are multiple factors at play, and time is of the essence when it comes to recovering your account.

If you’re able to act quickly and the hack isn’t overly malicious, you may be in luck. If you can remove any unwanted personal details and change your password, it might be a simple fix. However, it doesn’t take long for an attacker to change your details. When this happens, restoring your account is a bigger challenge.

If you can’t log in to your account because a hacker has changed the phone number, email address, and profile details, you’ll need to contact the Meta support team. Please note that in some cases, your account may not be recoverable.

What Should I Do if My Account Gets Hacked?

If you’re unfortunate enough to get hacked and can’t log in to your account, you can get help by visiting the Instagram website. Check your email inbox to see if you have a message from the Instagram security team about changing the email address linked to the account. You can also ask for a special login link or security code.

Requesting a Login Link:

Click “Get help with logging in” on the Instagram login screen

Input your handle and the email address or phone number linked to your account

Click “Send log-in link”

Confirm you are a real person by completing the captcha

Follow the link you receive and complete the steps provided

Requesting a Security Code:

Fill in the captcha

Open the link sent to you by email or text

Complete the instructions

Request the code

After requesting support, you’ll need to verify your identity by informing the support team of your email address and devices. You’ll need to take a video selfie to retrieve your photos. Your friends won’t be able to see it, and if it doesn’t work the first time, you can try again with another video.

Other Precautions

There are several best practices you can observe to secure your account against potential future hacks:

Reset your password

Use two-factor authentication

Link your phone number

Remove any suspicious accounts found in the Account Centre

Remove any access from third-party apps

If you simply lose your password but want to get it back, GetInsta is the tool you need. When you fill in the link to your posts, you get to download them to your phone or Cloud. You can do that with pictures and videos alike. Make sure you keep your content and then start up a new profile if you wish to do so.

Recover Your Photos With Autosave

If a hacker gains access to your Insta account and deletes your photos, they may not be accessible, even if you get your account back. One way to prevent this is to enable Instagram’s Autosave feature. Autosave lets you save a backup of your images in case you get hacked or delete your account.

To use the Autosave feature:

Go to Settings

Click Account

Select Original Photos for iPhone or Original Posts for Android

Toggle the Save button to the on position

Login Activity

Another tip for keeping track of your account’s security is to check your login activity from time to time. If you know that you only log in to your account from your phone and you notice there has been a login attempt from a laptop, it could be that someone is trying to access your account.