Who unfollowed me on Instagram?
Updated
Instagram doesn’t tell you when someone unfollows you, and it doesn’t keep a list you can look at. Apps that promise to show unfollowers usually want your password, which puts your account at risk. There’s a safer way that uses only Instagram’s own data download: compare two downloads taken on different dates.
Why one download isn’t enough
Your data download is a snapshot. followers_1.json lists the people following you on the
day the file was made. Someone who unfollowed you last month simply isn’t in it, and nothing in the file says they ever
were. So from one download you can see who doesn’t follow you back right now, but not who left.
With two downloads, the answer is simple: anyone who is in the older followers list but not in the newer one has unfollowed you in between (or removed you, or deactivated their account).
How to do it
- Get your first download. Follow the export guide: JSON format, All time, with “Followers and following” ticked. Save the zip somewhere you’ll find it again; this is your baseline.
- Wait. A few weeks is typical, but any gap works. If you already have an older Instagram download lying around in your Downloads folder, you can use that as the baseline right away.
- Request a fresh download the same way.
- Open the new one in the FollowBackCheck tool, go to the Compare tab and drop the older zip there. If you mix them up, we notice from the dates and swap them.
What the comparison shows
- Unfollowed you: followed you in the older download, not in the newer one.
- New followers: follow you now but didn’t before.
- You unfollowed: accounts you followed then but not any more.
- You started following: accounts you followed since the older download.
The counts are shown for free. Seeing the names and downloading them as CSV is part of the one-time €5.99 unlock, which also adds PDF and text copies of your DMs. There’s no subscription.
Things to keep in mind
- Deactivated and deleted accounts disappear from your followers list too, so they show up as “unfollowed you”. If an account in the list doesn’t open, that’s usually why.
- Username changes look like one person leaving and a new one arriving, because the file only has the username. If someone appears in both “unfollowed you” and “new followers” under similar names, they probably renamed.
- Use “All time” for both downloads. A shorter date range leaves older followers out of the file and makes them look like unfollowers.
- Numbers can differ slightly from the app. The app counts in real time and may include accounts that Instagram hides from the download, such as some restricted or spam accounts.
Is it private?
Yes. Both files are read in your browser. Your file is processed on your device and never uploaded to our servers, and we never see your followers’ usernames. You never type your Instagram password anywhere except Instagram itself.
Ready? Open the tool, or read the FAQ first.