You selected too much data
All available information can create a huge ZIP with unrelated files. For follower analysis, choose only Followers and following.
Instagram export quality
Instagram export wrong or incomplete? Fix missing followers and bad counts
If your Instagram export is missing files, showing strange counts, or producing a bad unfollower list, do not trust the result yet. Most issues come from export settings, partial downloads, wrong account selection, or tools that misread Instagram’s JSON structure.
By Sridhar Vukkadapu
Last updated June 22, 2026.
Last verified against the current Unfollio export workflow on June 22, 2026.
Reviewed for Instagram export format, JSON/HTML support, and privacy-safe parsing.
Fast answer
Request a fresh export with only “Followers and following,” date range set to “All time,” and JSON selected if available. Upload the original ZIP file, not a copied JSON snippet or partial folder. If the result still looks wrong, check whether the export contains follower and following files before making decisions.
Common causes
You used the wrong date range
Use All time so the export is not limited to a recent window.
The ZIP did not fully download
If the ZIP is unusually small, fails to open, or upload fails immediately, download it again from the Instagram email.
The follower file is missing
Look for a follower file such as followers_1.json. If it is missing, request a fresh export.
The following file is missing
Look for a following file such as following.json. Without it, a tool cannot calculate nonfollowers accurately.
A generic compare tool read the wrong field
Instagram JSON is nested. Tools need to read the username value, not the whole JSON line.
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.
What Unfollio can check
Unfollio can detect many common import issues and explain what is missing. It is still limited by the export you provide. If Instagram did not include a file, Unfollio cannot invent that data. Start with the clean export settings and the JSON format guide before trusting an unfollower report.
Before you trust any unfollower result
- - Did you request the right Instagram account?
- - Did you choose “Followers and following”?
- - Did you choose “All time”?
- - Did you choose JSON if available?
- - Did you upload the original ZIP?
- - Does the export include follower and following files?
- - Are you comparing the same account across repeat audits?
Related guides
Download your Instagram data
Use the current Accounts Center settings for followers and following.
What is followers_1.json?
Understand the follower file that should appear in the export.
Compare followers and following
See what Unfollio can compare once the export is complete.
Instagram export analyzer
Upload the original ZIP and let Unfollio check the relationship files.
Privacy proof
See how export data and saved audit history are handled.