You follow hundreds or thousands of accounts on Instagram, but when did you last review that list? Many of those accounts might be inactive, irrelevant, or no longer aligned with your interests. Exporting your following list is the first step toward a cleaner, more valuable feed.
Unlike follower exports (who follows you), following exports reveal who you follow—often overlooked but equally important for feed quality and account health.
Quick Navigation
- Why export your following list
- What you'll get from the export
- Export methods comparison
- Step-by-step export process
- Analyzing your following data
- Following list optimization
- Tools and resources
- FAQs
Why export your following list
Feed quality control
Your Instagram feed consists entirely of accounts you follow. A bloated following list means:
- Irrelevant content cluttering your feed
- Missing posts from accounts you actually care about
- Lower engagement with content you do see
- Difficulty discovering new quality creators
Exporting lets you audit systematically rather than endless scrolling.
Relationship management
For businesses and professionals:
- Track industry connections and their activity
- Identify accounts you follow but don't engage with
- Find mutual connections with potential partners
- Document networking efforts over time
A marketing agency might discover they follow 200 competitors but only engage with 12—revealing untapped research opportunities.
Account cleanup
Instagram's following list accumulates:
- Inactive accounts not posting for months
- Accounts that pivoted away from your interests
- Spam or bot accounts followed accidentally
- Old friends whose content no longer resonates
An export reveals these patterns invisible when browsing manually.
Compliance and documentation
Some organizations require:
- Records of professional social media connections
- Audits of which accounts employees follow on branded profiles
- Documentation for brand partnership disclosures
- Backup of networking data
Check our Instagram Following Export Tool Guide for enterprise solutions.
What you'll get from the export
Basic profile information
Every export includes:
- Username: The @handle you follow
- Display name: Their profile name (often real name or brand)
- Profile picture URL: Avatar image
- Verification status: Blue check indicator
- Account type: Personal, business, or creator
Extended metrics (with quality tools)
Professional export tools add:
- Follower count: Their audience size
- Following count: How many they follow
- Post count: Total content published
- Engagement rate: Average likes/comments relative to followers
- Last post date: Activity recency
- Bio content: Description and external links
Relationship data
Some tools analyze:
- Do they follow you back? Mutual versus one-way relationships
- Interaction frequency: How often you engage with their content
- Common followers: Shared connections between accounts
- Follow date: When you started following (if tool has tracked history)
This depth transforms a simple list into actionable intelligence.
Export methods comparison
Instagram's official data download
Process:
- Settings → Privacy and Security → Data Download
- Enter email address
- Choose JSON or HTML format
- Wait 24-48 hours for download link
What's included:
- Complete following list with usernames
- Follow dates (when you followed each account)
- Your follower list
- All your content, comments, and messages
Pros:
- Official and completely safe
- Includes historical follow dates
- Comprehensive account data beyond just following
Cons:
- 24-48 hour wait time
- Format requires technical skills to analyze (JSON)
- No current metrics on followed accounts
- One-time snapshot, not ongoing tracking
Best for: Annual backups, legal compliance, or when you need historical follow dates.
Browser-based export tools
How they work:
Chrome extensions or web apps access Instagram through your logged-in browser session, extracting following list data visible on your account.
Process:
- Install browser extension or visit web tool
- Log into Instagram normally
- Tool navigates your following list automatically
- Extracts data and formats into CSV/Excel
- Download completes in 5-15 minutes
Pros:
- Fast results (minutes versus days)
- Current metrics on all followed accounts
- User-friendly CSV/Excel format
- No technical knowledge required
Cons:
- Requires browser extension installation
- Limited to what Instagram displays publicly
- May not include exact follow dates
- Rate limiting can slow large lists (1000+ accounts)
Best for: Regular audits, account cleanup, ongoing management.
Our Instagram Followers Export Chrome Extension uses similar technology.
Professional export services
Features:
- Scheduled automatic exports (weekly, monthly)
- Historical tracking showing following list changes over time
- Advanced filtering and segmentation
- Bulk operations (unfollow inactive accounts)
- API integrations with CRM or marketing tools
Pricing: $30-100/month typically
Best for: Agencies managing multiple accounts, businesses requiring documentation, power users optimizing regularly.
Explore our IG Follower Export Tool for professional-grade exports.
Manual documentation
When to use:
If you follow under 50 accounts and want complete control, manual spreadsheet documentation works fine.
Process:
- Open following list in Instagram
- Manually type usernames into spreadsheet
- Add notes about each account (why you follow, category)
- Update quarterly
Realistic only for: Very small following lists or specific account segments.
Step-by-step export process
Phase 1: Choose your method
Decision factors:
| Your situation | Recommended method |
|---|---|
| Follow under 100 accounts | Manual or Instagram official |
| Follow 100-1,000 accounts | Browser tool |
| Follow 1,000+ accounts | Professional service |
| Need historical data | Instagram official download |
| Want ongoing tracking | Professional service |
| One-time cleanup | Browser tool |
Phase 2: Prepare your account
Before exporting:
- Ensure account access: Verify you can log into Instagram without issues
- Note current count: Check how many accounts you follow (for verification)
- Decide on format: CSV for spreadsheets, JSON for developers
- Plan analysis time: Block 30 minutes to review results
Security check:
- Use tools requiring OAuth (official Instagram login), not password entry
- Verify tool has positive reviews and active updates
- Check privacy policy about data storage
- Use VPN if on public WiFi
Phase 3: Execute the export
For browser tools (most common):
- Install extension from official Chrome/Firefox store
- Navigate to Instagram and log in normally
- Go to your profile → Following list
- Activate the export tool
- Choose export fields (username, follower count, etc.)
- Select "Export to CSV"
- Wait for completion (progress bar shows status)
- Download file to secure location
Troubleshooting common issues:
- Export stops midway: Instagram rate limiting; wait 15 minutes, restart
- Some accounts missing data: Private accounts show limited info
- Tool won't activate: Disable other extensions temporarily, refresh page
- File won't open: Ensure you have Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV viewer
For Instagram official:
- Settings → Security → Download Data
- Enter email (check spam folder after 24 hours)
- Receive email with download link
- Download ZIP file
- Extract and open "following.json" file
- Import JSON to spreadsheet or analysis tool
Learn more about data extraction in Instagram Data Extraction.
Phase 4: Verify completeness
Check your export:
- Count matches: Does row count match your following number?
- No obvious gaps: Spot-check 10 random accounts are included
- Data accuracy: Verify a few follower counts match Instagram
- All columns present: Ensure no missing data fields
Save securely:
- Store in password-protected folder
- Name with date: "Instagram_Following_2025-11-09.csv"
- Backup to cloud storage
- Set calendar reminder for next export
Analyzing your following data
Basic segmentation
Open your export in Excel or Google Sheets:
Sort by follower count:
- Identify high-profile accounts (industry leaders, major brands)
- Spot micro-influencers (10K-100K followers) in your niche
- Find peer accounts (similar size to yours)
Filter by engagement rate:
- High engagement (>5%): Active, quality accounts worth following
- Medium (2-5%): Standard accounts
- Low (<2%): May be inactive or low-quality content
Check verification status:
- Verified accounts: Legitimate public figures, brands, media
- Unverified: Doesn't mean fake, but warrants closer look if unfamiliar
Identify cleanup candidates
Create "Unfollow" list for accounts that:
Haven't posted in 90+ days
They're inactive—no value to your feed
Have very high following counts (50K+ following)
Often follow/unfollow accounts or spam bots
Don't follow you back AND you don't remember why you followed
If it's a celebrity, that's fine. If it's a random account, probably not needed.
Post content no longer relevant
You followed a fitness account but shifted focus to cooking—it's okay to unfollow.
Engagement rate under 1% with huge follower counts
Possible fake followers or declining quality
Exception: Keep accounts that:
- Provide genuine value regardless of interaction
- Are industry leaders you learn from
- Represent competitors worth monitoring
- Are friends/colleagues even if inactive
Find engagement opportunities
Sort by "Do they follow you?" field:
Mutual follows you rarely engage with:
These are relationship-building opportunities. Their content appears in your feed but you're not liking or commenting—start engaging or unfollow.
Accounts that follow you but you don't follow back:
Check their profile. If they're relevant, consider following to strengthen relationship.
One-way follows (you follow, they don't):
If they're in your industry and you want relationship, engage consistently with their content. If it's one-sided for months, consider unfollowing.
Create categories
Tag accounts by type:
- Competitors: Monitor their strategy
- Inspiration: Accounts you admire and learn from
- Clients/Customers: Business relationships
- Friends/Personal: Non-business connections
- Industry News: Media and information sources
- Collaboration Prospects: Potential partners
This helps evaluate following list balance. Too many competitors and not enough inspiration? Adjust accordingly.
For deeper analysis, see Instagram Analytics Complete Guide.
Following list optimization
The ideal following strategy
Quality over quantity principles:
For personal accounts:
Follow 200-500 accounts maximum. This keeps your feed manageable and engagement meaningful.
For business accounts:
500-2,000 accounts depending on industry. Enough for research without overwhelming feed.
Following-to-follower ratio:
There's no perfect number, but:
- Following 10,000 while having 500 followers looks spammy
- Following 50 while having 10,000 followers seems antisocial
- Roughly balanced ratios (within 2-3x) appear most natural
Strategic unfollowing
Batch processing approach:
Week 1: Remove obvious spam
- Accounts with nonsensical usernames (ajhd83jsf)
- Profiles with no posts or no profile picture
- Clearly fake or bot accounts
- Limit: Unfollow 50 accounts maximum per day
Week 2: Remove inactive accounts
- Haven't posted in 6+ months
- Use Instagram's mute feature first if you want to keep following
- Check they aren't on hiatus (bio mentions break)
Week 3: Remove misaligned accounts
- Content no longer matches your interests
- Accounts that shifted niches dramatically
- Unfollowed you without interaction
Week 4: Evaluate borderline accounts
- Followed 1+ year ago, can't remember why
- Minimal engagement in either direction
- Content quality declined
Important: Instagram limits unfollows to roughly 200 per day. Spread cleanup across weeks to avoid action blocks.
Strategic following
Before following any account, ask:
- Does this improve my feed? Will their content provide value, inspiration, or entertainment?
- Why am I following? Genuine interest, business research, relationship building, or just because they followed you?
- Will I engage? If you'll never like or comment, following isn't beneficial.
- Is this sustainable? Following 100 accounts weekly leads to bloated lists within months.
Quality follow sources:
- Recommendations from trusted accounts you already follow
- Commenters on posts you love (they have similar interests)
- Accounts featured in industry lists or articles
- Suggested accounts Instagram shows based on your activity
Avoid:
- Mass following hoping for follow-backs
- Following accounts solely because they followed you
- Following every account in a hashtag without vetting
- Following during desperate "need more followers" moods
Learn about building authentic connections in Instagram Marketing Tools.
Tools and resources
Export tools
Our platform:
- IG Follower Export Tool: Export both followers and following
- Instagram Following Export Tool: Detailed guide
- Instagram Profile Viewer: Quick profile checks
Other options:
- Exportagram (Chrome extension): Free basic exports
- Followers+ Track (Mobile app): On-the-go following management
- Crowdfire ($9.99/month): Following/follower management with recommendations
Analysis tools
Spreadsheet templates:
Create columns for:
- Username
- Follower count
- Engagement rate
- Last post date
- Category/Tag
- Action (Keep, Unfollow, Engage More)
- Notes
Advanced analysis:
- Import to Airtable for database-style management
- Use Python/R for statistical analysis of large lists
- Connect to Zapier for automated workflows
Management best practices
Set quarterly reviews:
Calendar reminder every 3 months:
- Export following list
- Compare to previous export
- Note accounts followed/unfollowed
- Clean up 10-20% of low-value accounts
- Follow 5-10 new quality accounts
Track metrics over time:
- Total following count
- Percentage that follow back
- Average follower count of accounts you follow
- Engagement rate with your feed content
Adjust strategy based on data:
If your engagement with feed content drops, following list may be too large or off-target.
Privacy and security
What's safe to export
Your own following list: Completely safe and ethical. It's your data.
Public account data: Viewing public profiles and their metrics is allowed.
What to avoid
Don't:
- Export other users' following lists to spam them
- Sell following list data to third parties
- Use exports to circumvent Instagram's privacy settings
- Store data insecurely where others can access
Legal considerations:
Read Is Scraping Public Instagram Data Legal? for compliance guidance.
Protecting your export
Security measures:
- Encrypt files: Use password-protected ZIP or encrypted drives
- Limit access: Only you or trusted team members
- Regular deletion: Remove old exports after analysis complete
- Secure tools: Only use reputable export services with privacy policies
If using a service:
- Verify they don't store your data after export
- Check they use OAuth, not password entry
- Read terms about data retention and sharing
- Prefer open-source or well-reviewed tools
Common use cases
Creator cleaning house
A lifestyle blogger with 8,000 followers follows 3,200 accounts. Export reveals:
- 800 accounts haven't posted in 6 months (unfollow)
- 400 are follow/unfollow bots (unfollow)
- 600 are outside her niche entirely (unfollow)
Result: Following list drops to 1,400 quality accounts. Feed becomes more relevant, she engages more, her own engagement improves.
Agency client management
Marketing agency follows:
- 50 clients (keep, engage regularly)
- 200 competitors (keep for research)
- 300 industry influencers (keep, engage selectively)
- 450 random accounts from past campaigns (unfollow most)
Result: More focused following aligned with business goals.
Professional networking audit
Business consultant exports following list quarterly:
- Tags each account: Client, Prospect, Peer, Media, Other
- Unfollows accounts not fitting any category
- Ensures 20% of following is prospects or collaboration opportunities
- Engages weekly with top 50 strategic connections
Result: Instagram becomes networking tool, not distraction.
Personal account simplification
Average user realizes following 2,000 accounts means missing posts from close friends:
- Uses export to identify 50 "must see" accounts
- Adds those to Close Friends list or uses Favorites feature
- Unfollows or mutes accounts followed from obligation
- Reduces following to 500 quality accounts
Result: Feed feels personal again, less scrolling, more connection.
FAQs
Q: How often should I export my following list?
A: Quarterly for active management, annually minimum for casual users. Export more frequently (monthly) if you follow/unfollow often or manage business accounts.
Q: Can I export someone else's following list?
A: Technically possible for public accounts using third-party tools, but ethically questionable and against Instagram's terms for most use cases. Focus on your own list or use Instagram's native follow suggestions.
Q: Will Instagram notify accounts when I unfollow them?
A: No, Instagram doesn't send unfollow notifications. However, third-party apps can track unfollows, so some users may notice eventually.
Q: What's a healthy following-to-follower ratio?
A: No magic number, but 0.5x to 2x appears natural. Following 10x your follower count looks spammy; following 0.1x your follower count seems aloof. Focus on quality over ratios.
Q: Can I automate unfollowing based on export data?
A: Technically yes, but Instagram prohibits automated bulk unfollowing. Manual unfollowing is safer, spread across multiple days to avoid action blocks (limit ~200/day).
Q: Does unfollowing accounts hurt my own follower count?
A: Sometimes. Accounts that followed you hoping for follow-back may unfollow when you unfollow them. However, losing low-quality followers often improves engagement rate.
Next steps
This week:
- Export your following list using preferred method
- Open in spreadsheet and review top 50 accounts
- Identify 10-20 obvious cleanup candidates
- Unfollow those accounts gradually over 2-3 days
This month:
- Create categories/tags for your following list
- Unfollow 10% of lowest-value accounts
- Follow 5-10 new quality accounts
- Engage more with mutual follows you've ignored
This quarter:
- Complete following list audit
- Document your ideal following strategy
- Set calendar reminder for next quarterly review
- Compare feed quality before/after optimization
Ongoing:
- Be intentional about every new follow
- Unfollow immediately if account disappoints after 2-3 posts
- Review feed regularly—is it still providing value?
- Adjust following strategy as your interests evolve
For comprehensive Instagram management, combine following exports with:
- Instagram Analytics Tools for performance tracking
- Comments Export for engagement analysis
- Likes Export for content insights
Bottom line
Your Instagram following list shapes your entire experience on the platform. A bloated, unmanaged list means irrelevant content, missed posts from accounts you care about, and wasted scrolling time.
Exporting your following list transforms invisible data into actionable intelligence. You'll discover accounts you forgot you followed, identify valuable connections you've neglected, and clean up dead weight dragging down your feed quality.
The initial export and analysis takes an hour. The result—a curated, valuable feed aligned with your current interests and goals—pays dividends every time you open Instagram.
Start with a simple export today. You'll be surprised what you discover about your own Instagram habits.
Ready to optimize your Instagram following strategy? Use our Instagram Following Export Tool to download your complete following list in minutes.