Compatibility with InstaloaderSharp

InstaloaderSharp GUI needs InstaloaderSharp.exe, which does the actual downloading. This page explains which version to use, how to update it, and what to do when the two do not fit together.

Contents

• Which InstaloaderSharp version to use
• Checking the versions
• Updating InstaloaderSharp
• Features that need a newer InstaloaderSharp
• When the versions do not fit together
• How compatibility is checked

Which InstaloaderSharp version to use

Every InstaloaderSharp GUI release is tested with one InstaloaderSharp version, which is named at the top of the README and in the release notes. Use that version. Download it from the InstaloaderSharp releases, and put InstaloaderSharp.exe in the same folder as InstaloaderSharpGUI.exe.

Later InstaloaderSharp versions usually work too, but have not been tested with your GUI version. Only use a later version if you run into problems that a newer InstaloaderSharp fixes, for example after a change on Instagram's side. Older versions are not recommended: features of the GUI may not work with them (see below).

Checking the versions

Settings → About shows both versions:

• InstaloaderSharp GUI version: the GUI.
• InstaloaderSharp version: the InstaloaderSharp.exe that is actually loaded, read from the file itself.

The GUI's version is also shown at the top of the sidebar, under the logo. The first line of the Activity page's output names the InstaloaderSharp version too: InstaloaderSharp GUI ready - using the InstaloaderSharp library.

Please include both versions in bug reports.

Updating InstaloaderSharp

1. Close InstaloaderSharp GUI.
2. Download the new InstaloaderSharp-<version>-win.zip from the InstaloaderSharp releases.
3. Replace InstaloaderSharp.exe next to InstaloaderSharpGUI.exe with the new one.
4. Start the GUI and check the version under Settings → About.

Your settings, sessions and downloads are not affected. To go back, put the previous InstaloaderSharp.exe back.

Features that need a newer InstaloaderSharp

Some features depend on fixes in InstaloaderSharp:

Feature	Needs InstaloaderSharp
Stopping with Download aborted when Instagram asks a signed-in account for a verification (captcha), instead of retrying and going on with the next targets; one request per signed-in reel instead of two; lower request limits when signed in. All three make it less likely that Instagram flags the account	1.1.3 or later
Highlights that Instagram refuses to list (400 "invalid request"), and downloading the remaining highlights when one fails (older versions stop at the first failing highlight)	1.1.1 or later
Stopping with Download aborted when Instagram keeps redirecting a suspended or restricted account (older versions follow the redirects forever)	1.1.0 or later
All Tagged posts of a profile (older versions download only the first few and then stop)	1.0.5 or later
Search on the Look up page (Instagram retired the website search that older versions use; they fail with 404 Not Found)	1.0.4 or later
Downloading Reels of some profiles; finding age-restricted and other restricted profiles when signed in	1.0.3 or later
Downloading posts of profiles when signed in, for accounts affected by an Instagram change in October 2026 (older versions download no posts and report a redirect to Instagram's home page)	1.0.2 or later
Paths longer than 260 characters, if enabled in Windows; names with formatted dates such as {date_utc:%c}	1.0.1 or later

See the InstaloaderSharp releases for everything that changed in each version.

When the versions do not fit together

What you see	Cause	Solution
InstaloaderSharp.exe was not found. when starting	InstaloaderSharp.exe is not in the same folder as InstaloaderSharpGUI.exe	Put it there; see Getting started
Something went wrong, or a download that ends with Failed right away, mentioning MissingMethodException, MissingFieldException, TypeLoadException or FileLoadException	The InstaloaderSharp version is too old or too new for this GUI version: something the GUI uses has changed	Use the InstaloaderSharp version the GUI was tested with
The command line could not be imported: This version of InstaloaderSharp does not expose its argument parser.	This InstaloaderSharp version changed its internal argument parser	Use the tested version; downloads still work, only importing command lines is affected
A feature from the table above does not work	The InstaloaderSharp version is older than required	Update InstaloaderSharp

If a problem persists with the tested versions, see Troubleshooting and FAQ to find out whether it comes from the GUI or from InstaloaderSharp.

How compatibility is checked

InstaloaderSharp.exe is loaded as a library, and Windows does not require a specific version of it. A newer InstaloaderSharp.exe works as long as the parts of it that the GUI uses have not changed.

For every new InstaloaderSharp version, the GUI is checked as described in Building and contributing: the changes are reviewed for anything the GUI uses, the existing GUI build is run with the new version, the GUI is rebuilt against it, and all unit tests are run. New command-line options are added to the GUI when they appear. See How it works for what the GUI uses of InstaloaderSharp.