How to Download Your Instagram Data

To download your Instagram data, open the Accounts Center, go to Download your information, choose which part you want, select the JSON format and the All time date range, then wait for Instagram's email with the link to your ZIP. It is the only official route, and it never requires a third-party app or handing your password to anyone. This guide is the full walkthrough, with links to the deeper guides for each step.

Before you start: three choices

Three choices matter in the request, and getting them wrong means starting over:

Choice	What to pick	Why
What information	Some of your information, then only Followers and following	It is all you need to see who does not follow you back, and it is prepared far faster than your full content
Format	JSON	HTML cannot be analysed reliably
Date range	All time	A shorter range leaves out older connections

Step by step on your phone

Open Instagram, go to your profile and tap the menu (the three lines).
Go to Accounts Center.
Tap Your information and permissions, then Download your information.
Tap Download or transfer information and select your account.
Choose Some of your information.
Tick only Followers and following.
Choose Download to device.
In the options, select the JSON format and the All time date range.
Confirm to create the files.

Instagram prepares the copy on its own and tells you when it is ready.

Step by step on a computer

In a browser, sign in to Instagram and open this screen directly: accountscenter.instagram.com/info_and_permissions/dyi. It is the Download your information section of the Accounts Center. From there the process is the same: Download or transfer information, your account, Some of your information, Followers and following, Download to device, JSON format and the full date range.

If the order of the screens does not match this list exactly, go by the option names. Instagram reshuffles its menus from time to time, but the options that matter (the selection of information, the format and the date range) stay the same.

Phone or computer: which is better?Request the file wherever is most convenient, but if you can, download it on a computer: the ZIP lands in your downloads folder as it is, without passing through a phone's file manager.

The mistakes that force you to request again

Choosing HTML. It looks fine in a browser, but the data is tangled up with the page layout and cannot be cross-referenced reliably. If you already did it, request again in JSON. We explain why in JSON or HTML: which to choose.
Limiting the date range. Nothing fails; accounts are simply missing, and the result looks correct. Always choose All time.
Requesting everything just in case. Photos, videos and messages make the copy much heavier and slower. If you want a full archive, make two requests: a small one now and a complete one to collect when it is ready.

How long it takes and where it arrives

Instagram notifies you by email when the file is ready. If you request only "Followers and following" it is usually ready within minutes and at most within about 48 hours; requesting all your information can take days. If the email does not show up, check spam and promotions, and look at the requests listed on the same Download your information screen. The timings and the usual causes are in how long Instagram takes to send your data.

The link leads to a ZIP file. Download it and keep it: it is a snapshot of your account at that moment, and it will be useful for comparing later.

What to do when the ZIP arrives

Inside, the relevant part sits in connections/followers_and_following/:

connections/
  followers_and_following/
    followers_1.json
    following.json
    pending_follow_requests.json

Followers may come split into followers_2.json, followers_3.json and so on. What each file contains, and why that detail matters, is covered in what is inside the Instagram ZIP.

You do not need to unzip it. Open NomeSigueApp and drop in the ZIP exactly as you downloaded it: the tool reads it inside your own browser, uploads nothing to any server and never asks for a username or password. You get the lists of who does not follow you back, who you do not follow, mutuals and pending requests, with the date of each relationship, and you can download the result as CSV. If you are on a phone and cannot find the file, see how to open the Instagram ZIP on your phone.

What the file cannot tell you

The export is a snapshot: it says who follows you now, not who followed you before. A single file does not reveal who unfollowed you. For that you have to compare two downloads from different dates, which is why keeping the ZIP is worthwhile.

Frequently asked questions

Is downloading my data safe for my account?

Yes. It is an official Instagram feature and only hands you your own information. The real risk is giving your password to an outside app or browser extension that promises the same list: that breaks Instagram's terms and exposes your account.

Does anyone find out that I downloaded my data?

No. It is an operation between you and Instagram, and none of your contacts receives any notice.

Can I request my data more than once?

Yes. In fact it is how you compare your account at two different moments and spot real unfollows.

What if the link in the email no longer works?

Generated files do not stay available indefinitely. Go back to Download your information and request a new copy; if you only ask for followers and following, it is quick.