Shortest first, these are the numbers Instagram publishes. Age-check selfie: a result in up to 20 minutes. Meta Verified case: closed after 7 days of silence from you. Oversight Board: a 15-day window, once Instagram has looked at the content twice. Account deletion: final 30 days after you ask. Review of removed content: as long as 90 days. EU internal complaints: possible for six months or more. Disabled accounts: no standard deadline at all; your own notice sets the date.
Every figure, shortest to longest
| How long | What it applies to | Where Instagram says so |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 20 minutes | The result of a video selfie age check | Help Center |
| 24 hours | Deleted stories you never archived | Help Center |
| 4 days | Downloading your exported information, once the link arrives | Help Center |
| 7 days | A Meta Verified support case closes automatically if you don't answer the agent, and can't be reopened | Help Center |
| 14 days | How far back Recent emails goes when you check whether a message really came from Instagram | Help Center |
| 14 business days | US copyright: restoring content after a DMCA counter-notification, unless the reporter files a lawsuit | Help Center |
| 15 days | Taking a case to the Oversight Board, counted from the decision; two Instagram reviews must come first | Help Center |
| 30 days | Deleted posts, reels, stories and messages stay in Recently Deleted | Help Center |
| 30 days | A deletion request turns final; a login in the meantime cancels it (regional periods differ) | Help Center |
| Within 30 days | Recovery selfie videos are erased | Help Center |
| 30 days after the age estimate | Age-check selfie images are erased | Help Center |
| Up to 30 days | Instagram reviews your birthday when an account was removed as under 13 | Help Center |
| Up to 30 days | The download link for your exported information arrives | Help Center |
| 90 days | Insights survive a switch from professional to personal (done to kick out unknown business managers after a hack) and return if you switch back | Help Center |
| Up to 90 days | Hearing back on a review request for removed content; the request may also be closed without a review | Help Center |
| Up to 90 days | Finishing an account deletion once it starts; backup copies can stay longer | Help Center |
| Up to 180 days | Selfies for advertising or Meta Verified | Help Center |
| 6 months or more | EU: filing an internal complaint (Digital Services Act), including against account suspensions and terminations | DSA, Article 20(1) |
| Up to 1 year | Those selfies in two special cases: political, electoral or social-issue ads, and suspected fraud | Help Center |
And one figure that isn't a duration: in most countries you must be 13 to have an account (Help Center).
Where there is no official number
- Appealing a disabled or suspended account. Instagram's Help Center publishes no single period (Help Center). Your login notice is the authority here: screenshot it and act before the date it names. The full plan: suspended or disabled account.
- Promises measured in hours. "Unbanned in 48 hours" or "back by tonight" don't come from Instagram. Whoever sells them is a warning sign: recovery scams.
Reading these numbers correctly
- "Up to" is a ceiling. Replies can come early, frustratingly late, or not at all if a request gets closed. Instagram adds that some appeals can be fast-tracked to human reviewers.
- A met deadline isn't a guaranteed hearing. The Oversight Board takes on just a selection of the eligible cases: Request a review and the Oversight Board.
- Deactivating isn't deleting. Deactivation simply hides the profile until your next login; no data goes: deleted or deactivated.
- Selfies and IDs stay inside Instagram's flow. You're told the storage period up front, and no person who messages you should ever get a copy: video selfie verification.
- Checked and dated. We compared each number with its linked source on 26 October 2026 and revise this page whenever Instagram's Help Center moves.
Common questions
How long until Instagram answers my review request?
For a removed post or comment, allow up to 90 days; Instagram may also close the request unreviewed. Disabled accounts have no published turnaround.
What's the deadline for appealing a disabled account?
Instagram doesn't publish one. Whatever date your login notice shows is the one to beat.
How many days do I have to go to the Oversight Board?
Fifteen from the decision, and the content must already have had two Instagram reviews. Even then the Board chooses its cases.
At what point is a deleted account unrecoverable?
One month (30 days) after you request deletion, provided you don't log in during that time. Wiping everything can then take as long as 90 days.
How long does Instagram hold on to my selfie?
It depends on the purpose: recovery videos and age-check images go within 30 days, while advertising and Meta Verified selfies may stay up to 180 days, or a year in the special cases above.
Which deadline is yours?
Show us the notice on your screen. At no cost, we'll point out the route and the date that apply to you. No passwords or codes needed.
Sources
- What to do if you don't think Instagram should have taken down your post (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Appeal Instagram's content decision to the Oversight Board (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act), Article 20 (EUR-Lex) eur-lex.europa.eu
- About disabled Instagram accounts (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- How Instagram and Threads process United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) counter-notifications (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Why Instagram is asking for your birthday (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- If you think your Instagram profile has been hacked (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- How does video selfie age verification work on Instagram? (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- What happens to your selfie after you've sent it to Meta (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Review recent emails sent from Instagram (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- I have a professional Instagram account and I'm able to log in, but a hacker is still taking actions on my account (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Contact Meta Verified support for your verified profile (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- What happens to content you delete on Instagram (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Permanently delete or deactivate your Instagram profile (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com
- Review and export a copy of your Instagram information (Instagram Help Center) help.instagram.com