What "private" means here
The exporter does not break Instagram's privacy model — it works on posts you can already see while logged in. That includes:
- Your own private account's posts (back up your own engagement before deleting an account, switching handles, or migrating to a new IG).
- Accounts that have accepted your follow request.
- Close Friends posts you're on the list for.
- Brand or community accounts you co-manage.
It does NOT bypass private-account approval, see deleted comments, or pull anything Instagram doesn't already render to your authenticated session.
Why a browser extension
Instagram's Graph API is gated to verified businesses and only exposes a tiny subset of metrics. Private-post comments and likes simply aren't available server-side. The exporter runs as a browser extension that uses your already-logged-in Instagram session to fetch what's already on your screen, then formats it as Excel/CSV/JSON. Your auth token never leaves your browser. No backend involvement, no data egress, nothing for ExportComments to see.
Common workflows
- Personal-archive backup — capture engagement on your private posts before deleting the account or switching handles. Public scrapers can't see private content.
- Close-friends giveaway picker — run a private giveaway only your close-friends list can see; export the comments and pick a winner with the same fairness standard as a public draw.
- Private community moderation — for invite-only product or fan accounts, pull comments to triage harassment, sentiment, or feature requests outside Instagram's slow native search.
- Brand audit on co-managed accounts — agency / co-marketing accounts often run private campaigns with select partners; export to share data without sharing logins.
- Migration to a new account — exporting your old engagement history makes it portable when you start fresh on a different handle.
Plan limits
Per-private post size scales with your plan. Free (no signup): up to 100 comments per private post. Personal: 5,000. Premium: 50,000. Business: 250,000 — see pricing for the full feature comparison and API tiers for the API-specific limits.