# Instagram Downloader — Photos, Videos, Reels & Carousels (`hipersoft/instagram-downloader`) Actor

Download Instagram photos, videos, reels, IGTV and carousels by URL. Paste post or reel links and get ready-to-use download links plus the direct media URLs, a poster thumbnail, media type and media count — one row per URL as JSON, CSV or Excel. Cheap, bulk and built for creators, marketers and n8n.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/hipersoft/instagram-downloader.md
- **Developed by:** [Hipersoft](https://apify.com/hipersoft) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 7 total users, 3 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.002 / media downloaded

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Instagram Downloader — Photos, Videos, Reels, IGTV & Carousels by URL

Download Instagram photos, videos, reels, IGTV and carousel posts in bulk. Paste one or more Instagram links and get a ready-to-use download link for every piece of media, plus the direct CDN media URL, a poster thumbnail, the media type and how many items the post contains — one tidy row per URL, ready to export as JSON, CSV or Excel.

This is the cheap, no-nonsense way to save Instagram media at scale for content creators, editors, marketers, researchers, social-media managers and anyone building an automated media pipeline.

![Instagram Downloader input input — configure the options in the Apify Console](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/SUfvnaFLd9z9eBCtV/records/instagram-downloader-input.png)

### Why use this Instagram downloader

- 🖼️ **Photos, videos, reels, IGTV & carousels** — one tool for every kind of public Instagram post.
- 🔗 **Ready download links + direct media URLs** — each result gives you a reliable download link *and* the direct media URL, so you can grab the file however you like.
- 🎠 **Full carousels** — multi-image and multi-video carousel posts come back with every slide, not just the first.
- 🖼️ **Poster thumbnail** — every post includes a thumbnail image URL for quick previews and galleries.
- 🏷️ **Clean structure** — media type (image / video / carousel), media count, shortcode and a canonical post URL on every row.
- 📦 **Bulk in one run** — drop in a whole list of URLs and get one clean record per post.
- 💸 **Cheapest per-item pricing** — pay only for the posts you actually process, with volume discounts as you scale.
- 🧩 **Built for automation** — feed URLs from a spreadsheet, Make or n8n and get structured records with direct download links back.
- 📤 **Export anywhere** — JSON, CSV or Excel, or pull straight from the dataset into your own tools.

### What you get

Each Instagram URL is one dataset record like this:

```json
{
  "source": "instagram",
  "inputUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
  "shortcode": "BsOGulcndj-",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
  "mediaType": "image",
  "downloadUrls": [
    "https://.../download-link-for-the-media"
  ],
  "directUrls": [
    "https://.../direct-media-file.jpg"
  ],
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://.../thumbnail.jpg",
  "mediaCount": 1,
  "status": "ready"
}
```

For a reel or video post, `mediaType` is `video` and the links point to an MP4. For a carousel, `mediaType` is `carousel` and `downloadUrls` / `directUrls` contain one entry per slide, with `mediaCount` telling you how many.

### Input

Give the downloader a list of Instagram URLs. That's it.

```json
{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPFAEX3jLzJ/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 0
}
```

#### Input options

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `postUrls` | array | One or more Instagram post, reel, IGTV or photo URLs. Plain strings or `{ "url": "..." }` objects both work. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Maximum number of URLs to process. `0` means no limit — process everything you provide. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | Optional. Not required — leave it off to run on a direct connection. |

#### Supported link formats

All of these work, with or without `www` and with or without a query string:

- `https://www.instagram.com/p/{shortcode}/` — photo and carousel posts
- `https://www.instagram.com/reel/{shortcode}/` and `/reels/{shortcode}/` — reels
- `https://www.instagram.com/tv/{shortcode}/` — IGTV
- `https://instagr.am/p/{shortcode}/` — short domain

### Output

![Instagram Downloader input output — the results as a clean dataset](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/SUfvnaFLd9z9eBCtV/records/instagram-downloader-output.png)
Every run writes a dataset with one row per URL. Use the **Overview** table in the app, or export to JSON, CSV or Excel from the **Storage** tab. Key fields:

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `shortcode` | The post's Instagram shortcode. |
| `url` | The canonical `https://www.instagram.com/p/{shortcode}/` link. |
| `mediaType` | `image`, `video` or `carousel`. |
| `downloadUrls` | Links to the saved media files in the run's storage (one per item), stable for as long as the run's data is kept. |
| `savedCount` | How many media files were saved. |
| `directUrls` | The direct media file URLs (one per media item). |
| `thumbnailUrl` | Poster thumbnail for the post. |
| `mediaCount` | How many media items the post contains. |
| `status` | `ready` when media was found, `failed` when it could not be resolved. |

Every URL always produces exactly one record — even when a post can't be resolved — so your output stays aligned with your input list.

### Common use cases

- 📥 **Back up your own content** — archive your photos, reels and carousels in full resolution.
- 🎬 **Content repurposing** — pull reels and videos to re-edit or reshare across platforms.
- 📊 **Research & analysis** — collect media at scale for datasets, moderation or trend studies.
- 🗂️ **Media libraries** — build a searchable library of posts with thumbnails and direct links.
- 🤖 **Automated pipelines** — wire it into Make, n8n or your own scripts and download in bulk.

### Tips

- Provide clean public post URLs. Private, deleted or story-only URLs may return `status: "failed"`.
- Download links are time-limited — fetch the files soon after the run.
- For very large lists, set `maxItems` to cap a run, or split your URLs across runs.

### Related Actors

Explore more data tools from the same author:

- [Threads Downloader — Photos, Videos & Carousels](https://apify.com/hipersoft/threads-downloader)
- [Bilibili Scraper — Trending, Ranking & Video Stats](https://apify.com/hipersoft/bilibili-scraper)
- [Douban Scraper — Movies, TV & Ratings](https://apify.com/hipersoft/douban-scraper)
- [Facebook Video Downloader — MP4 & MP3 by URL](https://apify.com/hipersoft/facebook-downloader)

Plug the results straight into your stack with [Make](https://apify.com/integrations/make), [Zapier](https://apify.com/integrations/zapier) or any of Apify's [integrations](https://apify.com/integrations).

### FAQ

**Which posts can I download?** Public photos, videos, reels, IGTV and carousels. Private or removed posts can't be retrieved and come back as `status: "failed"`.

**Do carousels return every image?** Yes — `downloadUrls` and `directUrls` contain one entry per slide, and `mediaCount` tells you how many.

**Do I need a proxy?** No. The downloader runs fine on a direct connection. A proxy option is available if you specifically want one.

**What formats can I export?** JSON, CSV or Excel — or read the dataset directly through the API.

**How much does it cost?** You pay a small, flat price per URL processed, with automatic volume discounts as you scale — one of the cheapest ways to download Instagram media in bulk.

# Actor input Schema

## `postUrls` (type: `array`):

One or more Instagram post, reel, IGTV or photo URLs to download. Accepts every link form: instagram.com/p/{shortcode}/, /reel/{shortcode}/, /reels/{shortcode}/, /tv/{shortcode}/ and instagr.am/p/... — with or without www and with or without a query string. You can paste plain strings or {"url": "..."} objects.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of URLs to process (0 = no limit; process every URL you provide).

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional proxy. Not required — leave off to run on a direct connection. Enable only if you specifically want requests routed through a proxy.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPFAEX3jLzJ/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 0,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

The results as dataset items.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "postUrls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
        "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPFAEX3jLzJ/"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("hipersoft/instagram-downloader").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "postUrls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
        "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPFAEX3jLzJ/",
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("hipersoft/instagram-downloader").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOGulcndj-/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPFAEX3jLzJ/"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call hipersoft/instagram-downloader --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,hipersoft/instagram-downloader"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/TehaxClVIWIdRaSSs/builds/cECgM26jXFggwfftS/openapi.json