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Instagram export guide

How to download Instagram followers and following data in 2026

Instagram lets you download your followers and following data from Accounts Center. This guide shows the safest settings to use when you want to compare followers, find nonfollowers, or analyze your Instagram export with a no-login tool like Unfollio.

Last updated July 7, 2026.

Last verified against the current Unfollio export workflow on July 7, 2026.

Reviewed for Instagram export format, JSON/HTML support, and privacy-safe parsing.

Fast answer

To download the right Instagram export, go to Accounts Center, choose “Export your information,” select only “Followers and following,” set the date range to “All time,” choose JSON if Instagram offers it, and download the ZIP when Instagram emails you. Do not upload your Instagram password to any follower tracker.

Open Instagram settings

Open Instagram, tap your profile, open the menu, and choose Settings and privacy.

Go to Accounts Center

Open Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions.

Export your information

Choose Export your information, select your Instagram account, and pick Some of your information.

Got your Instagram ZIP already?

Upload it to Unfollio and see who does not follow back without entering your Instagram password. Your ZIP is read in your browser, and saved audit history is optional.

Upload your Instagram export Need the ZIP? Follow the export guide

Select Followers and following

Choose only Followers and following under Connections. Do not select all available information.

Choose the safest settings

Set date range to All time, choose JSON if Instagram offers it, and download to device.

Download the ZIP

Wait for the Instagram or Meta email, download the ZIP, and do not unzip it before uploading.

Accounts Center path

Look for Your information and permissions, then Export your information. Instagram changes labels occasionally, but the export flow always starts from Accounts Center.

JSON vs HTML choice

Pick JSON when Instagram offers it. JSON keeps follower usernames in predictable fields that export analyzers can parse more reliably.

ZIP file check

Download the complete ZIP from Instagram or Meta, keep it zipped, and upload that original file rather than a partial folder.

JSON vs HTML: which format should you choose?

Choose JSON if Instagram offers it. JSON is usually easier for export analyzers to parse consistently because the username values live in structured fields. HTML can be useful for human reading, but it is easier for automated tools to misread unless they explicitly support HTML imports. Unfollio works best with JSON. If HTML support is available in the current product, the upload screen will say so clearly.

Why “Followers and following” is better than “All available information”

For follower analysis, you do not need messages, posts, comments, media, or every other account file. Selecting only “Followers and following” keeps the ZIP smaller, faster, and easier to analyze. It also reduces the amount of unrelated personal data you handle.

What files should be inside the export?

followers_1.json	Current accounts following you, usually wrapped in string_list_data entries.
following.json	Accounts you currently follow; Unfollio compares this against followers.
pending_follow_requests.json	Accounts you requested to follow that have not accepted yet, when Instagram includes it.
recently_unfollowed_profiles.json	Accounts Instagram reports you recently unfollowed, when available in the export.

One export vs repeat exports

One export shows a snapshot. It can show who follows you, who you follow, and who does not follow you back today. To track true unfollowers, new followers, and audience movement over time, save an audit and upload a fresh export later.

Last verified against the current Unfollio export workflow on 2026-06-23.