How to download your Instagram data step by step

What you can download

The download is a ZIP archive that can include your posts, stories, reels, comments, messages, saved items, account settings, ad data and your connections. You choose the categories, so you never have to take everything. If all you want is your follower list, requesting only Followers and following keeps the file to a few hundred kilobytes and speeds up the request.

The data is about your account only. Instagram does not provide data about other people’s accounts, and it does not include things it doesn’t store for you, such as who viewed your profile.

JSON or HTML: which format?

Instagram offers both. HTML is made for reading: you open the files in a browser and scroll. JSON is made for tools: it’s structured text that scripts, spreadsheets and apps can process reliably. If you plan to compare lists or convert them to CSV, pick JSON. Our follower export tool reads both, but JSON has fewer quirks, especially around dates.

What’s inside the followers folder

Open the ZIP and look in connections/followers_and_following/. Depending on what you asked for, you’ll see:

• followers_1.json: accounts that follow you. Very large accounts get followers_2.json, followers_3.json and so on.
• following.json: accounts you follow.
• recently_unfollowed_profiles.json: accounts you recently unfollowed (not people who unfollowed you).
• pending_follow_requests.json and close_friends.json, when available.

Each entry has a username, a link to the profile and a timestamp. In older exports the username sits in a value field, while newer ones often put it in title, so a tool should handle both.

How long does it take?

A small request for followers and following is often ready within minutes, but Instagram doesn’t promise a time, and exports with photos and videos can take much longer. Check your email, including the spam folder, and the download page in Accounts Center, where pending and ready requests are listed. Once ready, the file is available for a limited time, then it’s gone and you’ll need to request a new one.

What to do with the files

The follower files are most useful when you compare them. A few options, all of which run in your browser with nothing uploaded:

• Find who doesn’t follow you back by comparing followers with following.
• See who unfollowed you by comparing an older export with a newer one.
• List your mutual followers.
• Convert the lists to CSV for Excel or Google Sheets.

Common problems

• No email arrives. Check spam, and look in Accounts Center under your download requests. Requests are sometimes slow rather than lost.
• The request stays pending. Larger exports take longer. Try a smaller one with only followers and following.
• The ZIP won’t open. Re-download it, and make sure it finished downloading. Some phones show a ZIP only as a preview, so save it to Files first.
• The list looks short. Check that all followers_N.json files were included, and that you picked the right date range.
• Dates seem off. Timestamps are stored in UTC and shown by tools in that time zone, so a date can land a day earlier or later than your local time.

Keeping your data safe

Your export contains personal information, so treat it like a document. Download it only from the link in an email that came from Instagram, and only after signing in on Instagram’s own site. Be wary of any service that asks you to type your password to “get your data”: the download never requires that. Delete the ZIP when you’re done, or keep it somewhere private if you want it as a dated backup for later comparison.

Beyond a one-off download

An export is a snapshot from the day you request it. To keep watching a public account without repeating the process, Peekd records new follows and unfollows with dates and alerts you in real time. It works with public accounts only and can’t see anything before you start tracking. How Peekd works spells out its limits.