Where Does Instaloader Store Session Files?
Where Instaloader keeps session files and login cookies.
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Instaloader keeps login sessions as session-USERNAME files in its config directory: LocalAppData Instaloader on Windows, ~/.config/instaloader elsewhere. The directory gets locked down permissions on creation since cookies equal access.
Downloads themselves land in per-target folders wherever you run it, but the session file is the piece that enables private profiles and cron jobs. Override with --sessionfile when the default spot is unreachable, such as locked down servers.
Where Instaloader stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Instaloader\
Holds session-USERNAME cookie files with 0600 permissions. Delete one to force fresh login. Pass --sessionfile to relocate. Legacy temp dir sessions from old versions may linger separately.
~/.config/instaloader/
Same session file layout under XDG config home. Cron archiving setups load these for noninteractive private downloads. Guard the files since they grant account access.
Frequently asked questions
Instagram login fails in Instaloader. How do I reset the session?
Delete the session file for that username and log in again. Sessions live as session-USERNAME in the config dir with tight permissions, and stale cookies cause most auth failures.
How do I reuse a session on another machine?
Copy the session file to the matching config path on the server or pass --sessionfile pointing at it. The file holds reusable cookies, so treat it like a password and set restrictive permissions.
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