How to get sessionid
Use a browser where you are already signed in to Instagram. The Instagram app does not show this cookie.
- On desktop, open instagram.com while signed in.
- Open browser developer tools: Chrome/Edge Application, Firefox Storage, or Safari Storage.
- Go to Application or Storage, then Cookies.
- Select https://www.instagram.com.
- Copy the value for sessionid, or paste a full Cookie header/export that includes sessionid=.
From phone
Android: open Instagram in Chrome, connect the phone to a computer, open chrome://inspect on the computer, inspect the Instagram tab, then copy sessionid from Cookies.
iPhone: open Instagram in Safari, enable Settings -> Safari -> Advanced -> Web Inspector, connect to a Mac, use Safari's Develop menu to inspect the phone tab, then copy sessionid from Storage/Cookies.
The Instagram sessionid starts with a numeric account ID. If the value starts with letters, it is not the Instagram sessionid.
Session values are submitted over HTTPS, stored in the backend database, and used for the run. The scraper works the same from phone once a valid session ID is pasted.