Instagram followers

How to see who doesn’t follow you back on Instagram

The safest practical method is to compare the followers and following lists in your official Instagram data export. It takes longer than granting a tracker account access, but it does not require sharing your Instagram password.

Published and last reviewed: August 10, 2026

The password-free method

1. Request the official data

   In Instagram Accounts Center, create an export to your device and select only Followers and following.

2. Choose All time and JSON

   All time prevents a limited date range from producing an incomplete comparison. JSON is the structured format used by FollowCheck.

3. Download the ZIP

   Instagram prepares the export and notifies you when it is ready. Preparation time varies by account and request.

4. Compare followers with following

   An account that appears in following.json but not in any followers_N.json file is not following you back in that export.

For screenshots and exact export settings, follow the Instagram followers and following download guide.

Can you compare the lists manually?

Yes. You can extract the usernames from the JSON files, normalize capitalization, remove duplicates, and compare the two sets in a spreadsheet or script. Be careful with online converters and spreadsheet upload services: putting the export into another service changes the privacy model.

What FollowCheck does

FollowCheck reads the original ZIP—or the relevant JSON files—inside the browser. It normalizes usernames, combines every followers_N.json file, compares the sets, and displays accounts found only in the following list. The file and resulting usernames are not sent to FollowCheck.

Before trusting the result

• Confirm that the export date range was All time.
• Include every numbered followers file, not only followers_1.json.
• Remember that deleted, renamed, suspended, or recently changed accounts can complicate interpretation.
• Treat the list as information, not proof of another person’s intention.