# Instagram Search Scraper - Users, Hashtags, Reels & More (`toolzerhub/instagram-search-scraper`) Actor

Five Instagram searches in one Actor: the typeahead search across users, hashtags, and places at once; a deeper paginated general search; and three keyword searches scoped to users, hashtags, or reels. No Instagram login required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/toolzerhub/instagram-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ToolzerHub](https://apify.com/toolzerhub) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing, Automation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.55 / 1,000 results

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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Instagram Search Scraper

Five Instagram searches in one Actor — the typeahead that returns users, hashtags and places together, a deeper paged search, and three keyword searches scoped to users, hashtags or reels. No login, no cookies.

### Pick a mode

| Mode | Give it | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Quick search | **query** + **searchType** | Typeahead results: users, hashtags and places at once, or one section |
| General search | **keyword** | A deeper, paged search |
| Search users | **keyword** | Accounts only |
| Search hashtags | **keyword** | Hashtags only |
| Search reels | **keyword** | Reels only |

**searchType** applies to Quick search alone — `all`, `users`, `hashtags` or `places`. The other four are already scoped by which mode you picked.

### Input

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| **query** | Search term for Quick search |
| **keyword** | Search term for the other four modes |
| **Max results** | Per search term. `0` removes the bound. |
| **Resume from** | Continuation value from an earlier run's log |

### Output

`source_identifier` · `username` · `code`

`source_identifier` is the term the row was found for, so several searches merge into one sheet without losing which query produced what.

### Questions

**Quick search or General search?**
Quick search is the dropdown you see while typing in Instagram — fast, shallow, mixed types. General search pages and goes deeper. Use Quick search to check whether something exists; use General search when you want volume.

**Why two fields for the search term?**
Quick search reads **query**; the other four read **keyword**. They are separate Instagram endpoints that name the parameter differently, and the input keeps that split rather than guessing which one you meant. Fill in the one for your mode.

**I got far fewer results than Instagram's app shows.**
Search results are capped by Instagram, not by us. The run ends when it returns an empty page or repeats a continuation value. Neither the app's number nor your row count is wrong — the app shows a count, the search serves a window.

**Can I search posts by keyword?**
Not directly — Instagram has no keyword search over post captions. Search reels is the closest, and hashtags are the usual route: find the tag here, then collect it with the [Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/instagram-hashtag-posts-scraper).

**Does it search private accounts?**
Private accounts appear in user results as accounts — you get the handle, name and `is_private`. Their content stays out of reach.

### The rest of the family

[Instagram Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/instagram-hashtag-posts-scraper) — collect a tag once you've found it.
[Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/instagram-profile-scraper) — full records for the accounts you turn up.
[Instagram Scraper - All In One](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/instagram-all-in-one-scraper) — every mode in this family.

### Support

Questions, bugs, or feature requests: **contact@toolzerhub.com**

Browse the rest: [apify.com/toolzerhub](https://apify.com/toolzerhub)

# Actor input Schema

## `scraperType` (type: `string`):

Choose the dataset for this run, then fill in the section for that mode below.

## `query` (type: `string`):

The word or phrase to search for.

## `searchType` (type: `string`):

Restrict the typeahead search to one section, or leave it on All.

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

The word or phrase to search for.

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

The maximum number of records to save per identifier or search term. A value of 0 removes the bound and the run continues until the source has no more to give.

## `cursor` (type: `string`):

A continuation value from an earlier run — the value the run log prints when it stops. The run continues from there instead of the top. Leave it empty to start at the top. Applies only to a single identifier or search term; a multi-account run uses it for the first one only.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "scraperType": "search",
  "query": "nasa",
  "searchType": "all",
  "keyword": "nasa",
  "maxItems": 25
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Every record collected during this run

# 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 = {
    "scraperType": "search",
    "query": "nasa",
    "keyword": "nasa",
    "maxItems": 25
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("toolzerhub/instagram-search-scraper").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 = {
    "scraperType": "search",
    "query": "nasa",
    "keyword": "nasa",
    "maxItems": 25,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("toolzerhub/instagram-search-scraper").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 '{
  "scraperType": "search",
  "query": "nasa",
  "keyword": "nasa",
  "maxItems": 25
}' |
apify call toolzerhub/instagram-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

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/MkNd5aOXyXFqOsCZh/builds/5db07KLn78fCa7yYt/openapi.json