Download Instagram Data: JSON or HTML?

When you request your copy of information from Instagram, one screen asks you to pick a format: JSON or HTML. It looks like an unimportant technical detail and it is exactly the opposite: it is the decision that determines whether you can do anything useful with the file or whether you will have to request it all over again.

The difference in one sentence

HTML is web pages built for you to look at. JSON is data built for a program to process. If your goal is rereading old messages out of curiosity, HTML is comfortable. If your goal is cross-referencing your followers and following lists to find out who does not follow you back, you need JSON. No exceptions.

Why HTML is useless for analysis

In the HTML export, your follower list arrives as a followers_1.html file that opens into a page showing names and dates. It looks fine, it is readable, and that is where the good part ends. The problem is that the presentation is tangled up with the data: every name is wrapped in layout tags, styles and visual structure.

For a tool, pulling the names out of that means interpreting a web page whose layout Instagram can change whenever it likes. That is why practically no serious tool accepts the HTML format: not for lack of interest, but because it would be fragile. Our analyser, for instance, detects when you hand it an HTML export and tells you, instead of trying to guess — precisely so you do not walk away with half a result without realising.

JSON, by contrast, is the same data without the wrapping. A follower record looks like this:

{
  "string_list_data": [
    {
      "href": "https://www.instagram.com/username",
      "value": "username",
      "timestamp": 1712345678
    }
  ]
}

Three fields and no ambiguity: the profile URL, the username and a timestamp. That is what makes it possible to compare two lists of thousands of accounts in a second.

How to choose JSON when requesting

The format is chosen in the last step of the request, next to the date range. The full path:

1. Instagram → your profile → menu (three lines) → Accounts Center.
2. Your information and permissions → Download your information.
3. Download or transfer information, then select your account.
4. Choose Some of your information and tick only Followers and following.
5. Choose Download to device.
6. Under format options, select JSON.
7. Under date range, select "All time".

Step 7 matters as much as step 6. If you limit the range to, say, the last year, the file will only include connections recorded in that period, and your comparison will produce an incomplete result that looks perfectly correct. It is a silent error: nothing fails, people are simply missing.

I already requested HTML — now what?

Request it again in JSON. There is no reliable way to convert the HTML export into its JSON equivalent, and it is not worth trying: a connections-only request is generated in minutes, so redoing it costs less than hunting for a converter.

You can have both requests coexisting without any problem; Instagram keeps each one as an independent entry in your download list.

Why you should tick only "Followers and following"

It is tempting to ask for everything while you are there. Do not, if you are in a hurry. Selecting all of your information means Instagram has to package your photos, videos, stories and messages: gigabytes that take far longer to prepare. Requesting connections only, the file weighs kilobytes and is usually ready quickly.

If you do want a full archive of your account anyway, the practical advice is to open two requests: a small one with the connections, which you will use today, and a complete one to collect whenever it is ready. We cover the real waiting times and what to check when the email does not arrive in the guide on how long it takes.

What exactly you receive

A ZIP file. Opening it reveals a folder structure where the relevant part sits in connections/followers_and_following/:

If you have many followers, the first file is split into several numbered ones (followers_1.json, followers_2.json...). We explain what each contains, plus a detail that quietly breaks badly built tools, in the guide to the export files.

And then

With the ZIP in JSON you have everything. You can cross-reference the lists by hand in a spreadsheet if there are only a few accounts, or drop the file into NomeSigueApp and get the list immediately. It never asks for your Instagram username or password, and the analysis happens inside your browser: the files are never uploaded to any server.

Frequently asked questions

Is JSON harder to use?

For you to read with your eyes, yes: it is plain text full of braces and brackets. For any tool, it is infinitely easier. Since the whole point here is letting a tool do the comparison for you, JSON is the comfortable option.

Can I open a JSON file without special software?

Yes. Any browser will open a .json file if you drag it into a tab, and any text editor displays it. But you do not need to open it at all: you only have to hand it to whatever does the comparison.

Does anything change if my account is professional?

No. The format and structure are identical on personal, creator and business accounts.

Does the export show who unfollowed me?

No, and it is worth knowing before you start. The file is a snapshot: it says who follows you now, not who followed you before. Detecting drop-offs requires comparing two exports from different dates.