How to download your Instagram followers and following list
Your Instagram data export is the official way to get a complete list of your followers and the accounts you follow. Requesting it takes two minutes, and the file usually arrives within an hour.
On your phone (iPhone and Android)
- Go to your profile → tap the ☰ menu in the top right → Accounts Center.
- Tap Your information and permissions → Download your information (in some versions it's called "Export your information").
- Tap Download or transfer information and pick your Instagram profile.
- Choose Some of your information and select only Followers and following (under "Connections"). That keeps the file small, so it arrives faster.
- Choose Download to device.
- Settings: date range — All time, format — JSON, media quality — anything (no media is included). Tap Create files.
On desktop
Open the Download your information page in Accounts Center and follow the same steps. The layout is almost identical to the app.
JSON or HTML — which one?
JSON. It includes dates: when each person followed you and when you followed them. HTML is easier to read by eye in a browser, but JSON is better for analysis. unfollowig handles both.
Why "All time" matters
If you pick something like "Last year", the export only includes people who followed you during that year. Your older followers will be "missing", and they'll wrongly show up as people who don't follow you back.
How long does it take?
Usually anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours, occasionally up to 48 hours. Instagram will send you an email and a notification. You download the file from the same "Download your information" page — the link stays active for a few days.
What's inside the export
A ZIP file with a connections/followers_and_following folder. The key files:
followers_1.json— your followers (large accounts get several of these files);following.json— the accounts you follow;recently_unfollowed_profiles.json— accounts you recently unfollowed;pending_follow_requests.json— your follow requests that haven't been accepted;blocked_profiles.json,restricted_profiles.json,close_friends.json.
You don't need to unzip anything — just upload the whole ZIP.
FAQ
Why hasn't my export arrived?
Give it up to 48 hours and check your spam folder. If the request seems stuck, cancel it on the "Download your information" page and create a new one.
Do I need to download all my information?
No. "Followers and following" is all you need to check unfollowers — the file is kilobytes instead of gigabytes.
Can I download someone else's data?
No. Instagram only gives the export to the account owner.