Instagram Posts & Reels Scraper

Extract structured data from public Instagram posts and Reels by submitting direct URLs or raw shortcodes. This Actor works as a focused Instagram post and Reel scraper in Apify Console and as an unofficial API for public Instagram post data in automated workflows. It is not an API provided by Instagram or Meta.

The Actor is designed for direct post and Reel lookup. It does not crawl profiles, hashtags, feeds, Stories, or private account content.

What does Instagram Posts & Reels Scraper do?

Instagram Posts & Reels Scraper turns a known list of public Instagram post or Reel URLs into a structured Dataset. Each result includes a status. Results with status: "ok" can include the caption, image and video URLs, engagement counts, hashtags, mentions, tagged users, publication time, owner data, and available carousel or audio metadata.

Use it to:

• Enrich a list of Instagram URLs or shortcodes with structured post details.
• Analyze captions, hashtags, mentions, engagement, and publishing times.
• Build datasets for public-content research, campaign reporting, or creator analysis.
• Retrieve media and thumbnail URLs for downstream workflows.
• Run repeatable jobs through the Apify API, schedules, webhooks, or integrations.

How to scrape Instagram posts and Reels

No coding is required for a first run:

1. Open the Actor in Apify Console and go to the Input tab.
2. Add one or more public Instagram post or Reel URLs, or raw shortcodes, to Instagram post/reel URLs or shortcodes.
3. Click Save & Start.
4. When the run finishes, open the Dataset or Output tab to view the results.
5. Download the results or use the API tab to consume them programmatically.

For a quick test, use an input such as:

{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYfzMlg62-/",
    "https://i.instagram.com/reel/Cj8HtgJgsei",
    "DeqTKtxtOpP"
  ]
}

Start with a small sample before submitting a large batch. This confirms that the target media is still public and that the returned fields fit your workflow.

What Instagram data can the Actor extract?

Each result contains the post details or an availability status. The supported output fields are listed below. All results include status, shortcode, url, and crawled_at. Media and author fields are included only in successful results (status: "ok").

Field	Type	Description
status	"ok" | "not_found" | "restricted"	Resolution status for this input target.
id	string | null	Instagram media identity as returned by the selected response.
pk	string | null	Numeric Instagram media primary key.
shortcode	string | null	Public shortcode used in the Instagram post or Reel URL.
url	string | null	Canonical post or reel URL.
from_url	string | null	Source URL associated with this result.
reel_url	string | null	Public Instagram post or Reel URL.
caption	string | null	Post caption text when provided by Instagram.
title	string | null	Media title when available.
caption_is_edited	boolean | null	Whether the caption has been edited.
hashtags	array<string>	Hashtags extracted from the caption.
mentions	array<string>	Mentions extracted from the caption, including @.
accessibility_caption	string | null	Instagram accessibility text when available.
user	object | null	Post author's account details.
owner	object | null	Post author's profile details, including available post and follower counts.
tagged_user	array<object>	Normalized Instagram users tagged in the media.
has_tagged_users	boolean | null	Whether Instagram reports tagged users.
coauthor_producers	array<object> | null	Coauthor accounts.
invited_coauthor_producers	array<object> | null	Invited coauthor accounts.
location	object | string | null	Tagged location details or location name.
media_type	integer | null	Instagram media type: 1 for image, 2 for video, or 8 for carousel.
product_type	string | null	Instagram product type, such as feed or clips.
is_video	boolean | null	Whether the media is a video or Reel.
image	string | null	Best available preview image URL.
video_url	string | null	Best available video URL.
dimensions	object | null	Media width and height when available.
original_width	integer | null	Original media width in pixels.
original_height	integer | null	Original media height in pixels.
image_versions2	object | null	Available image sizes and image URLs.
video_versions	array<object> | null	Available video versions, resolutions, and URLs.
video_duration	integer | number | null	Video duration in seconds.
has_audio	boolean | null	Whether Instagram reports an audio track.
carousel_media	array<object> | null	Media objects belonging to the carousel.
carousel_media_count	integer | null	Number of media items in the carousel.
clips_metadata	object | null	Reel audio and other clip metadata.
clips_music_attribution_info	object | null	Music artist, track, and audio attribution details.
clips_attribution_info	object | null	Clip attribution details.
media_attributions_data	array<object> | null	Attribution details for the media.
comment_count	integer | number | null	Comment count reported by Instagram.
comments	array<object> | null	Available comment previews.
has_more_comments	boolean | null	Whether Instagram reports more comments are available.
like_count	integer | number | null	Like count reported by Instagram, or -1 when Instagram hides like and view counts.
view_count	number | null	View count reported by Instagram.
play_count	integer | number | null	Play count reported by Instagram.
ig_play_count	integer | number | null	Instagram-specific play count when available.
fb_play_count	integer | number | null	Facebook-attributed play count when available.
fb_like_count	integer | number | null	Facebook-attributed like count when available.
fb_comment_count	integer | number | null	Facebook-attributed comment count when available.
media_repost_count	number | null	Repost count reported by Instagram.
like_and_view_counts_disabled	boolean | null	Whether Instagram hides like and view counts for this media.
comment_likes_enabled	boolean | null	Whether comments can receive likes.
comment_threading_enabled	boolean | null	Whether threaded comment replies are enabled.
comments_disabled	boolean | null	Whether comments are disabled.
is_ad	boolean | null	Whether the post is marked as an advertisement.
is_affiliate	boolean | null	Whether the post contains affiliate content.
affiliate_info	object | null	Affiliate content details.
is_paid_partnership	boolean | null	Whether the post is marked as a paid partnership.
is_published	boolean | null	Whether the media is published.
sponsor_tags	array<object> | null	Sponsor tags associated with the post.
can_viewer_reshare	boolean | null	Whether the current viewer can reshare the post.
can_reshare	boolean | null	Whether Instagram allows resharing the post.
crosspost_metadata	object | null	Cross-platform posting and engagement metadata.
fb_user_tags	object | array<object> | null	Facebook user tags in the original Instagram shape, including an object such as {"in": []} or an array of tag objects.
timeline_pinned_user_ids	array<string | integer>	Timeline pinning identities returned by Instagram.
clips_tab_pinned_user_ids	array<string | integer> | null	Account IDs for which this clip is pinned.
taken_at_timestamp	integer | null	Publication time as Unix seconds.
taken_at	string | null	UTC ISO 8601 publication time.
crawled_at	string	UTC ISO 8601 time when the item was normalized.

Field availability varies by post.

Input

See the Actor's Input tab for the current input form and validation rules. The required postUrls field accepts between 1 and 100,000 unique strings. Every value must use one of these exact forms:

https://www.instagram.com/p/{shortcode}/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/{shortcode}/
https://i.instagram.com/p/{shortcode}/
https://i.instagram.com/reel/{shortcode}/
{shortcode}

The trailing slash on a full URL is optional. Query strings, fragments, profile URLs, Stories URLs, other hosts, and characters outside Instagram's shortcode alphabet are rejected.

Remove duplicate entries before starting a run. If different URLs or shortcodes refer to the same post, the Actor processes that post once.

Output

Results are stored in the run's default Dataset. You can view them as a table or download the Dataset in formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel. You can also retrieve the results through the Apify API or connect the Dataset to another service with Apify integrations and webhooks.

The following illustrative JSON array shows complete formatted results for one Reel and one image carousel post. It includes all fields produced for these example responses, including author, coauthor, audio, comment, and video metadata. Optional fields depend on what Instagram returns; their presence and nested content can differ between posts:

[
  {
    "status": "ok",
    "id": "2961256612645547454_2208713638",
    "pk": "2961256612645547454",
    "shortcode": "CkYfzMlg62-",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkYfzMlg62-/",
    "from_url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkYfzMlg62-/",
    "reel_url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkYfzMlg62-/",
    "caption": "Example Reel caption #launch @openai",
    "title": "Example product launch",
    "caption_is_edited": false,
    "hashtags": [
      "#launch"
    ],
    "mentions": [
      "@openai"
    ],
    "accessibility_caption": null,
    "user": {
      "pk": "2208713638",
      "username": "examplereelcreator",
      "full_name": "Example Reel Creator",
      "is_private": false,
      "is_verified": false,
      "profile_pic_url": "https://example.com/reel-creator.jpg"
    },
    "owner": {
      "id": "2208713638",
      "username": "examplereelcreator",
      "full_name": "Example Reel Creator",
      "is_verified": false,
      "profile_pic_url": "https://example.com/reel-creator.jpg",
      "edge_owner_to_timeline_media": {
        "count": 12
      },
      "edge_followed_by": {
        "count": 345
      },
      "post_count": 12,
      "followers": 345
    },
    "tagged_user": [],
    "has_tagged_users": false,
    "coauthor_producers": [
      {
        "id": "987654321",
        "username": "examplecreator",
        "full_name": "Example Creator",
        "is_verified": false,
        "profile_pic_url": "https://example.com/profile.jpg"
      }
    ],
    "invited_coauthor_producers": [],
    "location": null,
    "media_type": 2,
    "product_type": "clips",
    "is_video": true,
    "image": "https://example.com/reel-preview.jpg",
    "video_url": "https://example.com/reel.mp4",
    "dimensions": {
      "width": 1080,
      "height": 1920
    },
    "original_width": 1080,
    "original_height": 1920,
    "image_versions2": {
      "candidates": [
        {
          "url": "https://example.com/reel-preview.jpg",
          "width": 1080,
          "height": 1920
        }
      ]
    },
    "video_versions": [
      {
        "type": 101,
        "width": 1080,
        "height": 1920,
        "url": "https://example.com/reel.mp4"
      }
    ],
    "video_duration": 18.4,
    "has_audio": true,
    "clips_metadata": {
      "audio_type": "original_sounds",
      "achievements_info": {
        "show_achievements": false
      },
      "music_info": null,
      "original_sound_info": {
        "original_audio_title": "Original audio",
        "should_mute_audio": false,
        "audio_asset_id": "123456789012345",
        "consumption_info": {
          "is_trending_in_clips": false,
          "should_mute_audio_reason": "",
          "should_mute_audio_reason_type": null
        },
        "ig_artist": {
          "username": "examplereelcreator",
          "id": "2208713638"
        },
        "is_explicit": false,
        "audio_filter_infos": null
      },
      "originality_info": null,
      "is_shared_to_fb": false
    },
    "clips_music_attribution_info": {
      "artist_name": "Example Reel Creator",
      "song_name": "Original audio",
      "uses_original_audio": true,
      "should_mute_audio": false,
      "should_mute_audio_reason": "",
      "audio_id": "123456789012345"
    },
    "clips_attribution_info": null,
    "media_attributions_data": [],
    "comment_count": 12,
    "comments": [
      {
        "pk": "12345678901234567",
        "text": "Great launch! #inspired @examplecreator",
        "created_at": 1792485060,
        "user": {
          "pk": "987654321",
          "username": "examplecreator"
        },
        "hashtags": [
          "#inspired"
        ],
        "mentions": [
          "@examplecreator"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "has_more_comments": true,
    "like_count": 340,
    "view_count": 1200,
    "play_count": 1200,
    "ig_play_count": 1200,
    "fb_play_count": null,
    "fb_like_count": null,
    "fb_comment_count": null,
    "media_repost_count": 8,
    "like_and_view_counts_disabled": false,
    "comment_likes_enabled": null,
    "comment_threading_enabled": null,
    "comments_disabled": null,
    "is_ad": null,
    "is_affiliate": null,
    "affiliate_info": null,
    "is_paid_partnership": null,
    "is_published": null,
    "sponsor_tags": [],
    "can_viewer_reshare": null,
    "can_reshare": true,
    "crosspost_metadata": {
      "is_feedback_aggregated": false,
      "is_feed_feedback_aggregated": false
    },
    "fb_user_tags": {
      "in": []
    },
    "timeline_pinned_user_ids": [],
    "clips_tab_pinned_user_ids": [],
    "taken_at_timestamp": 1792485000,
    "taken_at": "2026-10-20T08:30:00Z",
    "crawled_at": "2026-10-23T04:15:00Z"
  },
  {
    "status": "ok",
    "id": "4011102717357648463_123456789",
    "pk": "4011102717357648463",
    "shortcode": "DeqTKtxtOpP",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DeqTKtxtOpP/",
    "from_url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DeqTKtxtOpP/",
    "reel_url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DeqTKtxtOpP/",
    "caption": "Example photo #design",
    "title": null,
    "caption_is_edited": false,
    "hashtags": [
      "#design"
    ],
    "mentions": [],
    "accessibility_caption": "A product on a white background",
    "user": {
      "pk": "123456789",
      "username": "examplephotocreator",
      "full_name": "Example Photo Creator",
      "is_private": false,
      "is_verified": false,
      "profile_pic_url": "https://example.com/photo-creator.jpg"
    },
    "owner": {
      "id": "123456789",
      "username": "examplephotocreator",
      "full_name": "Example Photo Creator",
      "is_verified": false,
      "profile_pic_url": "https://example.com/photo-creator.jpg",
      "edge_owner_to_timeline_media": {
        "count": 24
      },
      "edge_followed_by": {
        "count": 678
      },
      "post_count": 24,
      "followers": 678
    },
    "tagged_user": [
      {
        "pk": "987654321",
        "full_name": "Example Creator",
        "id": "987654321",
        "is_verified": false,
        "profile_pic_url": "https://example.com/profile.jpg",
        "username": "examplecreator"
      }
    ],
    "has_tagged_users": true,
    "coauthor_producers": [],
    "invited_coauthor_producers": [],
    "location": null,
    "media_type": 1,
    "product_type": "feed",
    "is_video": false,
    "image": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
    "video_url": null,
    "dimensions": {
      "width": 1080,
      "height": 1080
    },
    "original_width": 1080,
    "original_height": 1080,
    "image_versions2": {
      "candidates": [
        {
          "url": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
          "width": 1080,
          "height": 1080
        }
      ]
    },
    "video_versions": null,
    "video_duration": null,
    "has_audio": null,
    "carousel_media": [
      {
        "id": "4011102717357648461_123456789",
        "pk": "4011102717357648461",
        "media_type": 1,
        "original_width": 1080,
        "original_height": 1080,
        "image_versions2": {
          "candidates": [
            {
              "url": "https://example.com/carousel-1.jpg",
              "width": 1080,
              "height": 1080
            }
          ]
        },
        "video_versions": null,
        "accessibility_caption": "Example product photo 1"
      },
      {
        "id": "4011102717357648462_123456789",
        "pk": "4011102717357648462",
        "media_type": 1,
        "original_width": 1080,
        "original_height": 1080,
        "image_versions2": {
          "candidates": [
            {
              "url": "https://example.com/carousel-2.jpg",
              "width": 1080,
              "height": 1080
            }
          ]
        },
        "video_versions": null,
        "accessibility_caption": "Example product photo 2"
      }
    ],
    "carousel_media_count": 2,
    "clips_attribution_info": null,
    "media_attributions_data": [],
    "comment_count": 4,
    "comments": [],
    "has_more_comments": true,
    "like_count": -1,
    "view_count": null,
    "play_count": null,
    "ig_play_count": null,
    "fb_play_count": null,
    "fb_like_count": null,
    "fb_comment_count": null,
    "media_repost_count": 2,
    "like_and_view_counts_disabled": true,
    "comment_likes_enabled": null,
    "comment_threading_enabled": null,
    "comments_disabled": null,
    "is_ad": null,
    "is_affiliate": null,
    "affiliate_info": null,
    "is_paid_partnership": null,
    "is_published": null,
    "sponsor_tags": [],
    "can_viewer_reshare": null,
    "can_reshare": true,
    "crosspost_metadata": {
      "is_feedback_aggregated": false,
      "is_feed_feedback_aggregated": false
    },
    "fb_user_tags": null,
    "timeline_pinned_user_ids": [],
    "clips_tab_pinned_user_ids": [],
    "taken_at_timestamp": 1792398600,
    "taken_at": "2026-10-19T08:30:00Z",
    "crawled_at": "2026-10-23T04:15:01Z"
  }
]

Results with not_found or restricted status contain only status, shortcode, url, and crawled_at, so you can match them to your input. Media and author fields are omitted:

[
  {
    "status": "restricted",
    "shortcode": "CKz5-Dvpw40",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/CKz5-Dvpw40/",
    "crawled_at": "2026-10-23T04:15:02Z"
  },
  {
    "status": "not_found",
    "shortcode": "THISDOESNT99",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/THISDOESNT99/",
    "crawled_at": "2026-10-23T04:15:03Z"
  }
]

Access results through the Apify API

The Actor's API tab provides ready-to-use examples for HTTP, Python, JavaScript, the Apify CLI, and other supported clients. Use this synchronous HTTP request to run the Actor and retrieve its Dataset items:

curl --request POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/lqkZr0IvgNpVQwFgY/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "postUrls": [
      "https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYfzMlg62-/",
      "Cj8HtgJgsei"
    ]
  }'

Keep your Apify API token private and use an environment variable rather than committing it to source control.

How much does it cost to scrape Instagram posts?

Check the Actor's Pricing tab for current rates and billing details. Start with a small sample to estimate the cost before submitting a large batch.

Depending on the billing model shown in the Pricing tab, every Dataset row—including not_found and restricted rows—may count as a result.

Limitations

• Only public post and Reel URLs or shortcodes are supported.
• Some posts may be unavailable because they are private, restricted, or require an Instagram login. If the Actor cannot determine a post's availability after retries, that input may have no Dataset result.
• Available fields depend on what Instagram returns and can change when its public responses change.
• Engagement counts and media links reflect the data available at scrape time. The Actor does not guarantee real-time values or permanently downloadable media.
• Carousel results may include fewer images or videos than the reported total if Instagram does not make all items available.

Related Instagram Actors

Need a profile-focused or discovery workflow instead of direct post and Reel lookup? Explore the full Instagram Scraper Public Actors collection, or use one of these related Actors:

Actor	Best for
Fast Instagram Profile Posts Scraper	Fast extraction of structured post metadata from public Instagram profiles.
Fast Instagram Profile Reels Scraper	Scraping public Reels from a profile's Reels tab.
Instagram Related Profiles Scraper	Collecting public profile data, profile statistics, and recursively discovered related profiles.
Instagram Profile Posts Scraper	Extracting posts from public profiles with post and engagement metadata when available.
Instagram Profile Scraper	Scraping public profile identity, statistics, account flags, and optional post previews.
Instagram Profile Finder	Discovering public Instagram profiles through Google Search and returning structured profile data.
Instagram User ID Profile Scraper	Looking up public Instagram profile data by numeric user ID.

FAQ

Is this an official Instagram or Meta API?

No. This Actor is an independent tool, not an API provided by Instagram or Meta. It retrieves structured data from publicly accessible Instagram posts and Reels and can be run through Apify Console or the Apify API.

Can this Actor scrape an Instagram profile, hashtag, or feed?

No. It resolves known public post and Reel URLs or raw shortcodes. It does not discover posts from profiles, hashtags, feeds, or search results.

What do the output statuses mean?

Status	Meaning
ok	The post or Reel was retrieved successfully.
not_found	Instagram indicates that the post or Reel could not be found.
restricted	The post details could not be accessed, and the Actor classified the result as restricted. This does not identify the specific restriction.

Why did a valid-looking URL still produce no Dataset item?

A result may be missing if a request keeps failing or the Actor cannot determine whether a post is missing or restricted. Check the run log for errors and retry the affected URLs later.

Can a stopped run continue without scraping completed results again?

Yes. When the run reaches its result or charge budget, it stops starting new work and lets active batches finish. Complete results that could not be written to the Dataset are saved in the run's key-value store. During a graceful stop or migration, the Actor also saves recovery state after active batches settle.

Increase the budget if needed and resurrect the same run, keeping its input and storage. The Actor checks the existing Dataset, writes saved results directly, and then processes any unfinished inputs. For example, if 100 results are complete but the budget allows only 10 to be stored, the remaining 90 are saved for direct writing when the run resumes. Saved results retain their original scrape-time data, including media links and timestamps.

Recovery writes still follow the run's billing rules. If the available budget is exhausted again, the remaining saved results are retained for the next resurrection. This recovery depends on the run having time to finish its shutdown and save state; an immediate forced termination can interrupt it.

Why is like_count equal to -1?

When Instagram explicitly reports that like and view counts are hidden, the Actor sets like_count to -1 and like_and_view_counts_disabled to true. When the count is simply unavailable, like_count is null instead.

Why are some fields null or some arrays empty?

For successful results (status: "ok"), field availability varies between image posts, videos, Reels, and carousels and depends on what Instagram makes available. Missing details use null, while lists such as hashtags, mentions, and tagged_user are empty when no values are available. Results with not_found or restricted status contain only status, shortcode, url, and crawled_at.

Are results returned in the same order as the input?

Not necessarily. Use shortcode or url to match each result to its input.

Can I use query parameters in an Instagram URL?

No. Remove query strings and fragments before adding a URL. Submit the canonical /p/{shortcode}/ or /reel/{shortcode}/ form, or submit the shortcode alone.

How can I report a problem or request a field?

Use the Actor's Issues tab and include a public example URL, the run ID, and the field or behavior you expected. Do not include your API token, proxy credentials, cookies, or other secrets.

Responsible use

This Actor retrieves publicly accessible Instagram post and Reel data without requiring Instagram login credentials or accessing private content. You are responsible for complying with applicable laws, Instagram and Meta terms, privacy and data-protection obligations, and third-party intellectual-property rights. Public availability and returned media URLs do not grant permission or a license to republish or commercially use the underlying content.

Results are stored in the run's default Apify Dataset according to the user's Apify storage and retention settings. This Actor is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instagram or Meta.