Questions and answers
Everything you might wonder about Snapchat Memories
Snapchat limits free storage to 5 GB. Here is what we know, what we do not know, and what you can do about your photos in the meantime.
The deadline
Will my Memories be deleted?
Only if you have more than 5 GB of Memories AND you are not paying for extra storage. Below 5 GB nothing happens at all. Above it, whatever sits over the limit is deleted when the 12 month grace period runs out. The oldest photos are kept, so the newer ones go first.
Read the answer →Can you recover deleted Snapchat Memories?
No. Once Snapchat has deleted Memories they cannot be restored, not by you and not by Snapchat support. There is no bin and no grace period. That is why the only thing that works is getting them out before they are deleted.
Read the answer →What does it cost to keep your Memories with Snapchat?
Snapchat does not publish prices itself and points you to the app instead. In the Swedish App Store, Memories Storage was listed at 29 SEK and Snapchat+ at 45 to 55 SEK when we last checked. Which storage tier each amount covers is not stated there. Check in the app before you buy.
Read the answer →What happens to Snapchat Memories in 2026?
Snap has announced that Memories can start being deleted for accounts with more than 5 GB and no paid subscription, once the 12 month grace period runs out, around September 2026.
Read the answer →When will my Snapchat Memories be deleted?
Snapchat limits free storage to 5 GB. Anything above the limit gets a 12 month grace period. After that it can be removed.
Read the answer →How do I know if my memories are at risk?
If you have more than 5 GB saved in Memories and no paid storage subscription with Snapchat, the content above the limit is what can be removed when the grace period runs out.
Read the answer →Which memories are deleted first?
Snapchat has said that the oldest snaps are kept and that it is the content above the limit that gets removed. So not necessarily your oldest memories.
Read the answer →What happens if Snapchat changes the rules again?
You still have your archive. What you have taken out sits on your own computer and is not affected by whatever Snapchat does with its storage in the future.
Read the answer →I have Snapchat+. Does the limit affect me?
No, not as long as the subscription is running and you stay under your tier. Snapchat+ raises the ceiling to 250 GB. But the limit does not disappear, it moves, and if you stop paying you have 48 hours before anything above 5 GB is deleted.
Read the answer →How much is 5 GB in photos and videos?
Roughly a thousand photos, according to the estimate from Swedish broadcaster TV4. But video weighs many times more, so a couple of hundred clips can fill the same space. The only thing that gives a certain answer is the number in the app.
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Getting your export
My downloaded files are only a few hundred bytes. What happened?
The download link from Snapchat had expired by the time you tapped it. Your phone then saves an error message under the filename instead of the file. It looks normal, with the right icon and everything, but weighs a few hundred bytes instead of hundreds of megabytes.
Read the answer →Where in Snapchat's settings do I find My Data?
Tap your profile at the top left, then the gear icon at the top right. Scroll down the list: My Data sits almost at the bottom, just above the Support heading.
Read the answer →Can I do it all on my phone?
Yes, the whole way. You ask for the export in the app, download the files to your phone and hand them to us from there. If you have a very large archive, using a computer can feel calmer, but it is not a requirement.
Read the answer →What should I download from Snapchat?
Tick both "Export your Memories" and "Export JSON Files". The pictures are in the first one, but all the information about each picture is in the second one: date and location.
Read the answer →How do I download my Snapchat Memories?
You ask for your data in the Snapchat app settings, choose to include Memories and JSON files, and get an email with a download link once the export is ready.
Read the answer →How long before I get the export?
That is up to Snapchat. Often a few hours to a few days, but a large archive can take longer. You get an email when it is ready.
Read the answer →The download link from Snapchat has expired. What do I do?
Ask for a new export the same way you did last time. The links expire, and reordering is fine and free.
Read the answer →Do I need to unzip the file first?
No. Hand over the ZIP files exactly as you got them from Snapchat.
Read the answer →I got several ZIP files. Do they all need to be included?
Yes, all of them. The parts belong together, and if one is missing, every memory that happened to sit in that part is missing too, without anything looking broken.
Read the answer →Can I not just save everything to my camera roll instead?
Yes, and for a handful of memories it is the simplest thing there is. The problem is the number: with thousands saved, it is thousands of taps. The way around that is Snapchat's export, and that is where dates and locations disappear.
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About the service
Is my data safe when I upload?
Yes. The files travel over an encrypted connection, are stored encrypted, and are processed only by automated systems. No human opens your pictures. That function does not exist in the service. Everything is deleted automatically shortly after the archive is ready, and we never sell, analyse or share your data.
Read the answer →Why do my snaps have the wrong date?
Snapchat's export does not put the original date inside the files. Your computer therefore thinks everything was created on the day you downloaded the export.
Read the answer →Do you need my Snapchat password?
No, never. We do not log in to your account. We only work with the export file you have asked for and downloaded yourself.
Read the answer →Do you sell my photos and videos?
No. We do not sell them, do not share them with third parties and do not use them to train AI models.
Read the answer →What does it cost?
99 kr (Swedish kronor) once. No subscription, no fees per export.
Read the answer →How long does it take to process my archive?
Mostly it depends on how fast your connection uploads the files. The processing itself is considerably quicker than the upload.
Read the answer →Who is behind SparaMinaMemories?
An independent Swedish initiative with no connection to Snap Inc. The service was built after the founder tried to import his own export and threw his whole photo library out of order.
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My Eyes Only
Is My Eyes Only included in the export?
No. Content that stays in My Eyes Only is not normally included in Snapchat's data export, and what we do not receive we cannot restore.
Read the answer →How do I move content out of My Eyes Only?
In the Snapchat app: open My Eyes Only with your passcode, select what you want included and move it to your ordinary Memories, before you request the export.
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Your finished archive
What does my finished archive look like?
Photos and videos in date order, with filenames that mean something, and dates and locations inside the files so any photo app can read them.
Read the answer →Does the archive work in Apple Photos, Google Photos and iCloud?
Yes. Because dates and positions are written back as ordinary EXIF data, the memories land in the right place in the timeline and on the map when you import them.
Read the answer →Are videos handled too, or only photos?
Both photos and videos. Videos get their original date and position back just like stills, and the sound is left alone.
Read the answer →What happens if a memory has no date or location?
Then we write nothing in. The file is included in the archive, just without the details that were missing. We never invent information. An exact time and place can also only be set where the link to the right file is unambiguous, because Snapchat's history file does not say which memory each time and place belongs to.
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Account and payment
How large an archive can I upload?
There is no size limit from our side. What decides in practice is how fast your connection uploads the files.
Read the answer →Can I run several exports?
Yes, unlimited. Lifetime refers to the number of exports, so you can run the archive again whenever you like without paying again.
Read the answer →What happens to the files I upload?
Uploads and finished archives are deleted automatically within 48 hours, and you can delete them yourself as soon as you have collected your archive.
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