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How to Download Your Instagram Data Export (Step by Step)

Updated 20 July 2026

Instagram lets every user download a copy of their own data — including full followers and following lists. It's free, official, and takes a couple of minutes to request. Here's exactly how to do it, with the settings you need for a followers comparison.

Requesting the export

  1. Open Instagram and go to your profile, then tap the menu (three lines, top right).
  2. Tap Settings and privacy, then Accounts Center.
  3. Tap Your information and permissions, then Export your information.
  4. Tap Create export, choose your Instagram account, and select Export to device.
  5. Under the information to export, choose Some of your information and tick only Followers and following. This keeps the file small.
  6. Set these three options — they matter:
    • Date range: All time — anything shorter gives you an incomplete followers list and wrong results.
    • Format: JSON — the machine-readable format most tools need.
    • Media quality: Lower quality— you're not exporting photos, so this just keeps the file small.
  7. Tap Start export.

Downloading the file

Instagram prepares the export and notifies you when it's ready — usually within 10–20 minutes for followers-only exports, though it can occasionally take longer. Go back to Export your information, tap your ready export, and download the ZIP file. You may be asked to re-enter your Instagram password to confirm it's you — that's Instagram's own security check on their own site, which is normal.

What's inside the ZIP

The export contains a folder with your connections data, including followers_1.json (split into multiple numbered files for large accounts) and following.json. These two files are all a followers comparison needs.

You don't need to open or understand these files. Upload the whole ZIP to Unfollow-Checker and it finds the right files automatically, compares the lists in your browser, and shows you who doesn't follow you back. Your data never leaves your device.

Troubleshooting

My follower count looks too low

You almost certainly exported with a limited date range. Request a new export with Date range: All time.

The export contains HTML files, not JSON

The format was set to HTML. Request a new export and choose JSON.

The export never arrives

Large exports (especially with photos and videos included) can take up to a few days. If you selected only Followers and following and it's been more than an hour, try requesting again.

Got your export?

Upload it to Unfollow-Checker

No login. No password. Your data never leaves your browser.