When a user changes their profile picture on Instagram, it automatically replaces the old one. This has led users of the app to wonder whether or not there is some way to view the replaced Instagram profile photo. This guide will focus on the ways that you can attempt to do this, as well as offer some valuable information regarding the way profile pictures work on Instagram. Use the information provided for you here to increase the likelihood that you will be able to properly view someone’s previous Instagram profile picture.
Can You See Someone’s Previous Instagram Profile Pictures?
You cannot natively view someone’s previous Instagram profile picture once it has been replaced with a new profile picture. Once the user has uploaded a new profile picture, the old one will be deleted from the profile picture slot and will not be available for viewing any longer. That being said, there are several workarounds that can help increase the likelihood that you will be able to find and view someone’s previous profile picture on Instagram. Unlike Facebook, which saves all profile pictures once uploaded into a photo album, Instagram does not archive profile photos that have not been directly added to the user’s Instagram profile. You should use the list of methods below to help you locate and view someone’s previous profile picture on the Instagram application. Currently, these are the only ways that you will be able to do this.
How To See Someone’s Previous Instagram Profile Pictures
The next part of this guide will focus on the ways that you can view someone’s previous profile pictures on the Instagram application. Due to the nature of Instagram and how they deal with profile pictures, you will not be able to natively view it once it has been replaced by another profile picture. Using the methods in this list, you can better your chances of finding the profile pictures in question and also be able to properly view them.
1. Ask Them
The easiest thing that you can do view someone’s previous profile pictures on Instagram is simply asks them to send you the photos. If you are on familiar terms with the user whose previous profile pictures you wish to view, asking them to send over the photos from their camera roll will often produce the desired results. As long as the user still has the previous profile pictures that they used on Instagram saved on their phone’s camera roll, they will not have any issue being able to send them directly to you. If you do not know the user whose profile pictures you wish to view very well, it might be more difficult to convince them to send you the photos directly. You should still consider asking as your first method for viewing someone’s previous profile pictures on Instagram. This can save you time trying to find other methods of viewing the photos. Even if you do not know the user very well, it does not hurt to ask. That being said, if the user no longer has access to the photos because they have been deleted from their camera roll, it is unlikely that you will be able to view the photos using this method. You will need to utilize another method on this list to help you view their previous Instagram profile pictures.
2. Check Their Previous Profile Pictures On Facebook
If the user whose previous Instagram profile pictures you wish to view also has a Facebook account, you could consider searching through their Facebook profile to see if you can find any of the same profile pictures from Instagram. Facebook and Instagram are both owned by the same company and thusly operate very similarly. Users of both Instagram and Facebook will have the option when uploading profile pictures to upload to both applications simultaneously. When a profile picture is uploaded in the manner to both Instagram and Facebook, the profile pictures will be stored in the Profile Photos folder of the user’s Facebook profile. Instagram does not archive profile pictures in this way. Because of this, you can often find the same previous profile photos someone has used on Instagram on their Facebook page. You should visit the user’s Facebook page and search through their posts, photos, and Profile Photos album to locate the previous profile pictures that you wish to view. While there is no guarantee that the user has uploaded the same profile pictures on Facebook as on Instagram, but it is extremely common to find many of the same photos spanning across the two social media applications.
3. Ask Mutual Friends
You could also consider reaching out to any mutual friends that are shared between you and the user whose previous profile pictures on Instagram that you wish to view. There is a high possibility that one of your mutual friends will be able to help you locate the previous profile pictures. This could be due to them having access to the photo from saving it previously before it was changed or having knowledge of where it can currently be found uploaded to another social media platform or Instagram profile. While this may not always directly solve your issue, it can help point you in the right direction for finding someone’s previous Instagram profile pictures.
4. Look Through Their Profile
It is extremely common for people to upload their profile pictures to their main Instagram photo feed. On a user’s main Instagram profile, you can find all of the photos that they have posted since they first joined the social media platform. There is a high likelihood that you will find all of the previous profile pictures they have used uploaded to their profile’s photo feed. This will largely depend on the posting activity of the user but you will likely find most if not all of the photos that you are looking for by using this method. To view a person’s Instagram photo feed, simply navigate to their profile and scroll through all of the pictures that you find there until you locate the one that you wish to view. You will need to be sure that you recognize the previous profile picture that you are looking for, else you will not be able to easily determine which photos were profile pictures and which were not.
5. Look Through Their Tagged Pictures
Tagged pictures are another place where you could possibly find a previous profile picture that someone has used on Instagram. When a user is tagged in a photo, it links to their profile to indicate that they are involved in the photo. Tagged photos are photos involving a user that they themselves did not post. In the tagged photos section of a user’s profile, you will be able to view photos from other users’ photo feeds that include the user whose previous profile pictures you are trying to view. It is likely that you will find some of their previous profile pictures in this tab of their Instagram profile. To view someone’s tagged photos, you simply navigate to their profile and swipe all the way right. This will take you to their tagged photos where you will be able to view all of the photos from any users that have tagged the person in a photo.
How To See Your Previous Instagram Profile Pictures
The next part of this guide will focus on the ways that you can view your own previous Instagram pictures. As with all profile pictures, when you replace yours with a new one, it will be removed from the Instagram servers and will no longer be viewable online in the app. The list below contains methods that will allow you to view your own previous Instagram profile pictures in case you ever need to use them again.
1. Look Through Your Camera Roll
You should first consider looking through your camera roll for any previous profile pictures that you have used on Instagram. Your camera roll will contain all of the pictures that you have taken with your phone that you have not manually deleted. As long as you have not deleted the photo and used your phone to upload the picture to Instagram, all of your previous profile pictures will be located here. Your photos in your camera roll do not automatically delete so it is the most likely place that you will find any previous profile pictures that you have taken and used on Instagram.
2. Ask Your Friends
You should consider asking your friends if they have saved any of your previous profile pictures that you no longer have access to. There is a chance that one of your friends has saved the photo and can send it to you directly in the event that you have deleted it from your phone’s camera roll. This can be one of the best ways to recover a lost profile photo that you no longer have access to.
3. Look Through Old Screenshots
Your previous profile pictures could also be visible in old screenshots that you have taken while using the Instagram application. You should consider looking through any screenshots that you have taken while using Instagram and seeing if your previous profile pictures are visible.
How To Restore Instagram Profile Picture
The next part of this guide will detail the way that you can restore a previous profile picture on the Instagram application. You should consider this method if you wish to undo a recent change to your profile picture on the Instagram application.
1. Look Through Your Camera Roll And Select Old Picture From There
The easiest way to restore a previous profile picture on Instagram is to simply find the picture in your camera roll and reupload it to the Instagram application as your profile picture. All of your previous profile pictures will still exist in your phone’s camera roll as long as you have not manually deleted them. You can use your phone’s camera roll to locate any previous profile pictures that you may have taken and used on Instagram and reuse them any time that you wish. Keep in mind that you will not be able to do this if for some reason you no longer have access to the photo.
Final Thoughts
This guide has covered all of the different methods that you can use to help you view someone’s previous profile picture on Instagram. While there are no native ways to do this offered by Instagram, there are some methods that you can consider that can increase the likelihood that you will locate the profile picture in question and be able to view it properly. Instagram profile pictures are not saved in a photo album like they are when they are uploaded on Facebook. Because of this, it can be hard to view previous Instagram profile pictures after they have been replaced. This guide has provided detailed methods that can help you work around these issues. This guide also contains information that you can use to help you view or restore your own Instagram profile pictures.
