---
id: instaloader
version: "4.15.3"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# instaloader — Download pictures (or videos) along with their captions and other metadata from Instagram.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 422.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Instaloader is a command-line tool that downloads Instagram content—profiles, hashtags, stories, feeds, and saved media—along with associated metadata like comments, captions, and geotags. It supports both public and private profiles (via login) and can resume interrupted downloads. The tool automatically detects profile name changes and renames local directories accordingly, and offers fine-grained filtering options for what to download and where to store it.

The package depends only on requests and runs as a pure-Python wheel, making installation straightforward. It is actively maintained and supports modern Python versions. Use it to archive Instagram content, back up profiles, or collect media and metadata for analysis—though be aware that Instagram does not officially endorse automated downloading, and the tool's continued functionality depends on Instagram's API stability and rate-limiting policies.

Use it for:

- Archive a public Instagram profile's photos, videos, and captions for personal backup or documentation.
- Download all posts from a hashtag to collect media for research, trend analysis, or content curation.
- Retrieve Instagram Stories before they expire, with optional geotag and metadata extraction.
- Bulk-download your own saved posts and liked content for local organization and offline access.
- Extract post metadata (comments, captions, timestamps) for analysis or reporting without manual scraping.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Downloads public and private Instagram profiles, hashtags, stories, feeds, and saved media along with comments, captions, and geotags via command-line interface.

Yes, if you need to download and archive Instagram content and accept Instagram's unofficial-tool status. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and has no known security vulnerabilities. Be aware that Instagram does not endorse automated downloading and may rate-limit or block requests; session management is local and non-interactive once a login is cached.

## Install

pip install instaloader
uv add instaloader
poetry add instaloader

## Installing instaloader

Before you install: Low installation friction with a single pure-Python dependency (requests). Active maintenance with a release 19 days ago. Supports current Python versions (3.9 through 3.14).

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—you may use, modify, and distribute instaloader freely provided you retain the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install instaloader
instaloader profile username
# or with login for private profiles:
instaloader --login=your_username profile username

Requires Python 3.9 or later. Instagram may rate-limit or block requests; session cookies are stored locally for reuse.

Verify before relying:

- Whether Instagram's terms of service permit automated downloading of public profiles and whether the package actively detects and adapts to Instagram API or rate-limit changes.
- Whether the package handles Instagram's two-factor authentication or other modern login flows beyond basic username/password.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 422.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

instagram downloader, download instagram photos videos, instagram scraper, instagram profile backup, instagram media archival, instagram stories downloader, instagram metadata extractor, instagram-archival, media-downloader, cli-tool

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