How to Export Your Instagram Followers List

Instagram doesn’t have an “export followers” button, but you can still get your followers into a file. There are two practical routes: request your data from Instagram itself, or export a CSV from a tool that reads your lists in your browser. Which one fits depends on what you want to do with the file.

Why you might want an export

People export their followers for a handful of reasons, and it helps to know yours before you pick a method:

• A backup. If your account is ever hacked or disabled, a recent list of who followed you is useful to have.
• A spreadsheet to work in. Sorting, tagging or noting which accounts are friends, clients or collaborators.
• A before-and-after record. Keeping a dated copy so you can compare later and see who left.
• Moving or merging accounts. Seeing who you’d want to reach on a new profile.

An export is just a list of usernames at one moment in time. It doesn’t contain anyone’s email, phone number or private details, and it won’t update itself.

Method 1: Download your information from Instagram

Instagram lets you request a copy of your account data. Menus change, but in Settings, look for Accounts Center, then something like Your information and permissions and Download your information.

From there you can usually choose:

• Which information to include. You don’t need everything. Look for the followers and following section to keep the file small.
• A format. HTML is easy to read in a browser. JSON is better if you plan to open it in a script or convert it.
• A date range. For a full followers list, pick the widest range available.

Instagram then prepares the file and lets you know when it’s ready to download. That can take anywhere from minutes to a few days. The download is a ZIP archive with your followers and following in separate files.

The upside is that it comes straight from Instagram. The downside is speed and convenience: you wait each time, and HTML or JSON isn’t something you can drop straight into a spreadsheet without a bit of cleanup.

Method 2: Export a CSV from your browser

A browser extension can read your followers and following while you’re logged in to instagram.com and save them as a CSV file, which opens directly in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.

With Unfollower Tracker, you click Scan now and the extension saves a snapshot of both lists. From the dashboard you can then:

• Export CSV of a list, such as the accounts that don’t follow you back or your fans (on Pro).
• Copy usernames of the accounts you’ve selected, to paste anywhere.
• Narrow the list first with search and filters for verified, private or no-profile-picture accounts.

Everything stays on your computer. The scan runs in your own logged-in session, it never asks for your password, and the lists aren’t uploaded anywhere. The CSV only exists where you save it.

Which method should you use?

• One-off backup, no rush: Instagram’s download is fine and costs nothing.
• Working in a spreadsheet: a CSV saves you the conversion step.
• Regular comparisons: a tracker that keeps scan history is easier than requesting and diffing exports every few weeks. See how a follower tracker works for the details.

Tip: whichever method you use, put the date in the file name. An export without a date is hard to compare against later.

What to do with the file

Once you have a list, a few simple things are worth doing:

1. Sort it alphabetically so you can find names quickly.
2. Add a column for notes, like “friend”, “client” or “met at event”.
3. Keep older exports instead of overwriting them, so you have a timeline.

If you want to know who stopped following you, compare two dated exports. Names that are in the older file but not the newer one have left, been deactivated or been removed by Instagram. Our guide to seeing who unfollowed you explains why some of those aren’t real unfollows.

Keep it private

A followers list is other people’s usernames, so treat it with some care. Don’t post it publicly, and be cautious with websites that ask you to upload your export or your password to “analyse” it. If a service wants your Instagram login to produce a list, that’s a bigger risk than the list is worth. Read why you should never give your password to an app before trying one.

The short version

• Instagram has no export button, but its data download includes your followers and following.
• A browser tool can give you a ready-to-use CSV in one scan.
• Date your files and keep the old ones, so you can compare over time.