Guide

How to download your Instagram followers & following data

Instagram lets you download a copy of who follows you and who you follow. It takes about two minutes to request — here are the exact taps, and which options to pick.

Updated October 2026 · Menu names can vary slightly by app version

Short version: Profile → ☰ → Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information → Download or transfer information → your profile → Some of your information → Followers and following → Download to device → Date range All time, Format JSON → Create files.

On iPhone or Android (Instagram app)

The steps are the same on iPhone and Android.

  1. Open Accounts Center

    Go to your profile and tap the menu icon (☰) in the top right. At the top of Settings and activity, tap Accounts Center.

  2. Your information and permissions

    Under Account settings, tap Your information and permissions, then Download your information.

  3. Download or transfer information

    Tap Download or transfer information. If you have several accounts linked, select the Instagram profile you want to check.

  4. Choose “Some of your information”

    A full copy includes every photo and video and takes far longer. Pick Some of your information instead.

  5. Tick “Followers and following”

    Scroll to Connections, check Followers and following, and tap Next. Nothing else is needed.

  6. Download to device → JSON → Create files

    Choose Download to device. Set Date range to All time and Format to JSON. Media quality doesn't matter for this. Tap Create files.

On a computer (instagram.com)

  1. Sign in at instagram.com and click More (☰) in the bottom-left corner, then Settings.
  2. Click Accounts Center (or go straight to accountscenter.instagram.com).
  3. Click Your information and permissions → Download your information → Download or transfer information.
  4. Select your Instagram profile → Some of your information → check Followers and following → Next.
  5. Choose Download to device, set Date range to All time, Format to JSON, and click Create files.

Signing in on Instagram's own site is fine — that's Instagram, not a third-party app. Freelytic itself never asks you to sign in.

Which options to pick

Information
Only Followers and following. Smaller request, faster file.
Date range
All time. Shorter ranges leave out older followers, which makes “don't follow you back” wrong.
Format
JSON — includes exact follow dates. HTML also works with Freelytic if you already have it.
Media quality
Doesn't matter — there's no media in this request.
Destination
Download to device (not a transfer to another service).

When the file arrives

Meta prepares the file on its side and sends you a notification and an email when it's ready. For just Followers and following this is often a matter of minutes, but it can take hours when Meta is busy. Larger requests can take longer.

  1. Go back to Download your information — you'll see your request with a Download button. (You may be asked to confirm your Instagram password; that happens on Instagram, not on Freelytic.)
  2. Save the ZIP. Download links only stay available for a few days, so grab it soon.
  3. Open freelytic.ai and drop the ZIP — no need to unzip it. On iPhone, tap Choose file and pick it from the Files app (it's usually in Downloads).
Inside the ZIP, the files Freelytic reads live in connections/followers_and_following/: followers_1.json (more numbered files for big accounts), following.json, and extras like recently_unfollowed_profiles.json and pending_follow_requests.json.

I have my file — analyze it

Troubleshooting

“We couldn't find followers/following files”

The download probably didn't include Followers and following. Request it again and make sure that box is checked. If you unzipped the file, drop the whole folder (or the followers_and_following folder) instead of a single unrelated file.

Some people are missing

Check that Date range was All time. Deactivated or recently renamed accounts can also be left out of exports.

The ZIP is huge

If you chose “All available information”, the ZIP includes all your photos and videos. Request a new download with only Followers and following — it's much smaller and faster.

I can't find the download in my email

Check spam and the notification inside the Instagram app. You can always download it from Download your information while the link is still active.

Freelytic is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instagram or Meta. Instagram is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.