How to Download Your Instagram Data

Instagram quietly keeps a complete record of your account — and it lets you download that record for free. Inside the download are your full followers list, the list of everyone you follow, and even the follow requests you sent that were never answered. This page walks you through the whole process: where the setting hides, which options to pick, what the difference between the JSON and HTML formats is, and what to do with the file once it arrives.

If your goal is to see who doesn't follow you back, you only need one small part of the download. That keeps the file small and the wait short — and at the end we'll show you how to put the ZIP into UnfollowCheck and get your answer in seconds.

Before you start

A few things worth knowing up front. The download is an official Instagram feature, available to every account, public or private. Requesting it changes nothing on your profile, notifies nobody, and costs nothing. You can also choose between downloading all of your information — posts, messages, comments, search history and much more — or just some of it. For follower lists, always choose "some": it is faster to prepare and far easier to work with.

How to download your data in the Instagram app

1. Open Instagram, go to your profile, and tap the ☰ menu in the top corner.
2. Tap Settings and privacy, then Accounts Centre.
3. Under Account settings, tap Your information and permissions.
4. Tap Download your information, then Download or transfer information.
5. Select your Instagram account when asked which profile the download is for.
6. Choose Some of your information.
7. Scroll to the Connections section and tick Followers and following. (This single option contains your followers, your following list, and your pending sent requests.)
8. Choose Download to device, set the date range to All time, and set the format to JSON (more on formats below).
9. Tap Create file. Instagram now starts preparing your download.

How to download your data on a computer

Prefer a bigger screen? The web version reaches the same place. Go to instagram.com, click Settings (or More → Settings), then Accounts Centre → Your information and permissions → Download your information. From there the steps are identical: pick your account, choose Some of your information, tick Followers and following under Connections, choose All time and JSON, and create the file. Meta's Accounts Centre is shared with Facebook, so make sure you select your Instagram profile — not a Facebook one — when asked.

JSON or HTML — which format should you choose?

Instagram offers the same information in two formats, and the choice confuses a lot of people:

• JSON is a structured format made for computers. It looks plain if you open it, but it includes extra detail — such as the date each person followed you — and it is the format tools like UnfollowCheck are built to read. This is the one to pick.
• HTML is formatted for human eyes: open it in a browser and you can read the lists like a web page. It is nice for a quick look, but it carries less detail and is slower to process.

UnfollowCheck accepts both formats, but JSON is recommended: it's the complete, dated version of your lists.

What you actually get in the ZIP

When the file is ready you receive a ZIP archive — leave it zipped, don't extract it. Inside, the part covered by this guide lives in a folder called connections / followers_and_following. There you'll find your followers (for large accounts this can be split into several files: followers_1, followers_2, and so on), a following file with everyone you follow, and a pending follow requests file listing requests you sent that were never accepted. If you requested all of your information instead, the ZIP will be much bigger and contain many more folders — media, messages, comments and account history — but the followers folder is in the same place.

How long does it take?

It varies. A small "some of your information" request is often ready within a few minutes; a full download for a busy account can take several hours, occasionally longer. Instagram emails you and sends an in-app notification when the file is ready, and you download it from the same Download your information screen. The download link only stays valid for a few days, so grab the file reasonably soon — if the link expires, simply request a fresh one.

Now put your ZIP to work

With the ZIP saved on your phone or computer, the interesting part takes seconds:

1. Open the UnfollowCheck checker.
2. Drop the ZIP into the box, exactly as you downloaded it — no extracting, no renaming.
3. Your lists are compared in your browser (the file is never uploaded anywhere), and you'll see who doesn't follow you back, your pending requests, and both full lists.

For the full walkthrough of reading those results, see our main guide: How to see who unfollowed you on Instagram.

Frequently asked questions