Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Do I need an Instagram™ account to use DownSta?
No. DownSta works with publicly accessible Instagram™ URLs. No login, Instagram™ credentials, or session information is required or requested.
Is DownSta affiliated with Instagram™ or Meta™?
No. DownSta is an independent utility tool and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Instagram™, Meta™, or any rights holder.
Download and Storage
How long are downloaded files available?
Download links are temporary and expire approximately 30 minutes after creation. Resolution manifests expire after 15 minutes. If a download link has expired, simply resolve the Instagram™ URL again to generate a fresh download.
What quality options are available?
DownSta offers the same quality variants that Instagram™ provides for each piece of media. You can choose among the available resolutions. When only one quality is available, it is labelled as Best available.
Can I download multiple items at once?
Yes. When a result contains multiple assets (such as a carousel post), a Download all button appears. The bulk download is subject to size and count limits to ensure reliable delivery.
Privacy and Data
Does DownSta store my submitted URLs?
Submitted URLs and media are processed temporarily. Resolution manifests, previews, and download objects expire automatically within minutes. The service does not maintain a download history, user library, or persistent log of submitted URLs.
What data does DownSta log?
Operational logs include request IDs, endpoint names, outcome codes, latency, and asset counts. Submitted URLs, media URLs, cookies, session values, and downloaded content are not written to logs.
Troubleshooting
Why did I get an error?
Errors may occur if the post is private, deleted, or restricted. Rate limits, media size limits, or temporary Instagram™ issues can also cause errors. The error message explains the cause and whether retrying may help.
Why is the preview not loading?
Preview failures are non-fatal. If a preview does not load, you can still try to download the media directly using the download button. The actual download may still succeed even when preview generation fails.
Why can I not download a story?
Stories are only available when Instagram™ exposes them without authentication. If a story is no longer publicly accessible or has expired, DownSta will report it as temporarily unavailable.