Instagram Profile Scraper

Extract public Instagram profile metadata from anonymous browser-rendered profile pages: username, display name, biography, follower/following/post counts, verification and privacy flags, profile image, external links, bio links, story highlights, pronouns, category, and visible recent post links. The Actor never logs in, reuses private cookies, bypasses a challenge, or accesses private profiles.

Get started

1. Open the Actor Store page and select Try for free or open the Input tab.
2. Enter public profile identifiers in usernames and/or canonical profile URLs in profileUrls. Both lists are merged and deduplicated.
3. Set maxItems and choose browserMode. Keep maxItems small for the first run.
4. Start the Actor, open the dataset, and export the profiles as JSON, CSV, or Excel. Open Run summary (OUTPUT) to check emitted and failure counts.

Input

All fields are optional; with no targets the Actor uses the instagram username. Unsupported field names and out-of-range values are rejected before the browser starts.

Field	Type	Required?	Default	Meaning
usernames	string array	Optional	["instagram"]	Public usernames; a leading @ is accepted. Usernames and profile URLs are merged and deduplicated, up to 100 each.
profileUrls	string array	Optional	Not supplied	Canonical https://www.instagram.com/<username>/ URLs. Merged with usernames; media, login, challenge, and non-Instagram URLs are rejected.
maxItems	integer	Optional	10	Maximum profiles scraped, 1–100. It is also capped at the number of unique supplied profiles.
browserMode	string enum	Optional	desktop	Anonymous rendering profile: desktop or mobile, with matching user agent, viewport, locale, and timezone.
requestTimeoutSecs	integer	Optional	20	Per-profile navigation timeout, 5–60 seconds.
maxRequestRetries	integer	Optional	2	Additional browser navigation attempts, 0–3.
requestDelayMs	integer	Optional	0	Delay before each subsequent profile, 0–10,000 ms.
proxyConfiguration	object	Optional	{"useApifyProxy":false}	Optional Apify Proxy settings: useApifyProxy, apifyProxyGroups, and apifyProxyCountry. Direct access is the default.

Example input using the default username and settings:

{
  "usernames": [
    "instagram"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10,
  "browserMode": "desktop",
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 20,
  "maxRequestRetries": 2,
  "requestDelayMs": 0,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

If only one unique profile is supplied, the effective maxItems and the summary value are 1, even when the input requests a higher limit.

Output

The dataset contains one row per saved public profile. Optional values are omitted when Instagram does not expose them, and failures are reported in logs and OUTPUT instead of placeholder rows. Counts and links reflect what the public page returned during the run.

Field	Type	Availability	Meaning
url	string	Always	Canonical public profile URL.
searchUrl	string	Always	Profile URL requested for extraction.
id	string	Always	Stable identifier in the form instagram-profile:<username>.
recordType	string enum	Always	Normal record type; always instagram-profile.
targetType	string enum	Always	Target type; always profile.
profileUrl	string	Always	Canonical public profile URL.
sourceUrl	string	Always	Public profile page used for extraction.
canonicalUrl	string	Always	Canonical profile URL.
username	string	Always	Public Instagram username.
userId	string	When published	Public numeric profile identifier as a string.
fullName	string	When published	Public display name.
bio	string	When published	Public biography text.
followers	integer	When published	Public follower count. Private or restricted pages may hide it.
following	integer	When published	Public following count.
posts	integer	When published	Public post count.
isVerified	boolean	When published	Public verification flag.
isPrivate	boolean	When published	Public private-account flag.
profilePicUrl	string	When published	Public profile image URL; CDN links are time-limited.
externalUrl	string	When published	First public external URL from the biography links.
bioLinks	object array	When published	Public biography links with url and, when displayed, title.
highlights	object array	When published	Public story highlights with title and thumbnailUrl.
pronouns	string array	When published	Public pronouns.
category	string	When published	Public account category.
recentPosts	object array	When a public non-private grid is rendered	Up to 12 visible post links with url, thumbnailUrl, and alt. Not a complete post catalog.
scrapedAt	string	Always	Time the record was emitted, in ISO UTC.

Example of a real saved row from the 2026-10-25 run. The profile image and all seven highlights are included exactly as saved.

{
  "id": "instagram-profile:instagram",
  "recordType": "instagram-profile",
  "targetType": "profile",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
  "username": "instagram",
  "userId": "25025320",
  "fullName": "Instagram",
  "bio": "Discover what's new on Instagram 🔎✨",
  "followers": 686435702,
  "following": 158,
  "posts": 8624,
  "isVerified": true,
  "isPrivate": false,
  "profilePicUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/550891366_18667771684001321_1383210656577177067_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=f7ccc5&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InByb2ZpbGVfcGljLnd3dy4xMDgwLkMzIn0%3D&_nc_ohc=0JxmKDYmCiYQ7kNvwHiSmAD&_nc_oc=AdoFl79Z5KAUMUfDKNc-dNqorMD86eKtq_yrJ-pxwBpQYQpt3SIXYzIJLb38SgbX6COgdQmKBj-F3EUmD15dKEkc&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQNR7SAGSfS6XMyuRvIs7VspS2jtk_VRlkDb-KX717wZgQ&oe=6AE45927",
  "externalUrl": "http://help.instagram.com",
  "bioLinks": [
    {
      "url": "http://help.instagram.com"
    },
    {
      "title": "Close Friends Only with @kaicenat and @kaiyacenat | Spotify",
      "url": "https://open.spotify.com/episode/6B8XsGCYuHMYzSLvLMitS7?si=kXd6_Y6AQhueoC_McepSKg"
    },
    {
      "title": "Close Friends Only with @kaicenat and @kaiyacenat | YouTube",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0X36mIbyCo"
    }
  ],
  "highlights": [
    {
      "title": "close friends",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/756700225_1653985762331725_8429300849500507026_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=acbce5&_nc_ohc=NLBVWHHV_vYQ7kNvwGUxp6k&_nc_oc=Adrzem93E_YWyGDz3IxVbUuw6LyktoP3W5QChfx99DabTCrVmCUgvdOvYT8zt19Uk2Hej2tAaLxLVWuU57qctPxQ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQM1esWCwEas45lAWteu4_gspQeu3SvYULKW9jXb8EYUew&oe=6AE4467E"
    },
    {
      "title": "🎤🎶🎸",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/755867844_1751720619182762_5430881549273743299_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=acbce5&_nc_ohc=SmUVvSate6sQ7kNvwGANO9K&_nc_oc=AdpVxu3BzBTs6a_GfGE9VDs_WYTRo-nwnDP-uozLc8vDL62E4xepgghJiO1pZV6lUeKJiO6IeTEucX6-gMmabA3_&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQP1eEVXIodLnYta435VXc3_kqcoIRBMWQ3efmsvZL_41w&oe=6AE44AAF"
    },
    {
      "title": "what’s new",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/755331856_1609699020573638_4426177467586352650_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=acbce5&_nc_ohc=xe_3WvMEa6UQ7kNvwGeyvp6&_nc_oc=AdrdztiK0HqKy6IaIwmT5ySpPdtOnv-pkzDrPAyT5yfRdpsk41JhBL0jQ6i3zAw9IWWC0HCPSPy3rma_gp4uN8i5&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQMb129lYCnfHYEz3iilRIoJnh9vHTPLrdvfKUE-JSDrrw&oe=6AE43EF3"
    },
    {
      "title": "creatives",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/756661521_3289512177887855_4009891805420027177_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=acbce5&_nc_ohc=n9BPI8bE91EQ7kNvwG1t19u&_nc_oc=AdrvwbzMESqrioAHQpLIRRhZrWU4gVdwZkNxQSx5aUvh03MtvesPxHBXF3Wg74SU0QR-bkVSP-q1y_2cPEjErTh7&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQPlixkduukPPrO8SwBbIAZZ0_r1mgEgsj-GGSf7SjDSBA&oe=6AE449D7"
    },
    {
      "title": "🎾🏀⚽️",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/575724433_18680673526001321_5945490939444494882_n.jpg?stp=c0.5x0.5f_dst-jpg_e35_p150x150_tt6_u&_nc_cat=1&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiU1RPUlkuYmVzdF9pbWFnZV91cmxnZW4uQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=M_Lb7AxWwkEQ7kNvwGKOp61&_nc_oc=AdpfDAIO3JyCy3aFrbPAviryyrOGaBUGNHHZX_F0MXPSWk3wB1kUlJzT1AFJ3gBj4L7re2s_jZOAHjBvQ-9jDaSc&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQMjwXTa9pfWWIh7VvRD2ixBZIkQLbD-B9xGJuyV6_cmJA&oe=6AE45949"
    },
    {
      "title": "🚗🚗🚗",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/775233495_1033957092733525_6010470506239881158_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=acbce5&_nc_ohc=mKmwR4NP00sQ7kNvwFI9PLq&_nc_oc=AdrkPmyyhhhcB5om1Mr_PJJEBCA9-86TtwPr1Cbqg2oNBOQoQQN2T6lL1-NIrrSdUS0aQLNRMO4fZjsxdgjt63m-&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQNTx07_31thCI85Igq-7Sh03kG_hCrw2T5v3-ZedTTfGg&oe=6AE446B9"
    },
    {
      "title": "🎥🌟🍿",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/755264526_1764587937905767_5811150211834945970_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=acbce5&_nc_ohc=hq4jeuH5HHEQ7kNvwHmn08S&_nc_oc=Ado14PNCaGUZ1jan7-mqrKDnbANPqkKxRNPNNmhJShmAkCbs8q5T3ndcEbdTNUqeoYpL5i_zKexK33NWv1HFr8UW&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=Dbp8-d5uiRKBpmPDGLOvLQ&_nc_ss=79689&oh=00_AQMEJYAzjimA4ArmqDVpn7WKwFUfPswifLeUmFjzqNqvVA&oe=6AE421F9"
    }
  ],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-25T20:48:18.329Z",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
  "searchUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/"
}

Run summary

Run summary is stored separately from the dataset in the run's key-value store under OUTPUT.

Field	Meaning
status	Actor process outcome: SUCCEEDED or FAILED.
runStatus	Canonical run status; matches status.
dataStatus	Completeness of saved rows: COMPLETE, PARTIAL, NO_RESULTS, or FAILED.
requestedProfileCount	Profiles scheduled after deduplication and the effective maxItems cap.
emittedCount	Profile rows written to the dataset.
profileCount	Profile rows written; matches emittedCount.
diagnosticCount	Public page issues logged; diagnostics are not dataset rows.
failureCount	Navigation or extraction failures for scheduled profiles.
optionalFailureCount	Optional summary-write failures.
maxItems	Effective profile cap, reduced to the number of unique supplied profiles when smaller.
browserMode	desktop or mobile rendering profile used for the run.
completedAt	Time the summary was written, in ISO UTC.

Status	Data status	Meaning
SUCCEEDED	COMPLETE	Rows were saved without diagnostics or failures.
SUCCEEDED	PARTIAL	Rows were saved, but at least one profile logged a diagnostic or failure. Saved rows remain available.
SUCCEEDED	NO_RESULTS	No row was saved, with no run error or counted failure.
FAILED	FAILED	No row was saved and the run hit an error or counted failure.

Example OUTPUT from the 2026-10-25 run. The saved input asked for maxItems: 1; one profile was supplied.

{
  "status": "SUCCEEDED",
  "runStatus": "SUCCEEDED",
  "dataStatus": "COMPLETE",
  "requestedProfileCount": 1,
  "emittedCount": 1,
  "profileCount": 1,
  "diagnosticCount": 0,
  "failureCount": 0,
  "optionalFailureCount": 0,
  "maxItems": 1,
  "browserMode": "desktop",
  "completedAt": "2026-10-25T20:48:18.684Z"
}

Coverage and limitations

Each profile is opened in a headless Chromium browser using the selected browserMode. Extraction tries Instagram's embedded Relay user payload first, then legacy JSON, then DOM text, then Open Graph/meta tags; later layers expose fewer fields. bioLinks, highlights, pronouns, and category are richest in the Relay payload and may be absent when only fallback layers succeed. Recent post links are read from the rendered public grid only for non-private profiles and are capped at 12.

The Actor does not log in, use private cookies, bypass challenges or rate limits, access private profiles, download media or story bytes, collect follower lists, fetch comments, or provide historical counts. Private or restricted profiles can expose only a subset of fields, and missing counts are not inferred. Follower, following, and post counts are display-derived and can be rounded or abbreviated. Profile and CDN image URLs are time-limited.

usernames and profileUrls are merged and deduplicated; maxItems cannot exceed the number of unique supplied profiles. browserMode changes rendering but does not guarantee a different field set. Proxy routing is optional and does not bypass access controls. Diagnostics and navigation failures are reported in logs and OUTPUT, and can leave the run PARTIAL or FAILED.

Usage and support

Cost is driven by browser compute time, the number of profiles, navigation retries, delay, and optional proxy use. Start with one or two profiles and a low maxItems, inspect the dataset and OUTPUT, then scale. See the Actor's Pricing tab for current account rates.

Use the Actor Issues page to report a problem. Include the run ID, the input used, and the run summary; do not include tokens, cookies, or private data. This Actor is not affiliated with Instagram or Meta. Use it only for public data and in accordance with Instagram's terms, robots guidance, and applicable law. Public pages can contain personal information; use the output only for lawful purposes.