The 2026 Walkthrough: How to Safely Export Your Instagram Data on Desktop and Mobile
Want to see who isn't following you back right now?
Use our safe Instagram unfollower checker — no login needed. Upload your official Instagram data export and get instant results.
Accessing your raw platform data is your gateway to complete audience transparency. Thanks to regulatory frameworks like GDPR, Instagram provides a secure mechanism to download your personal records—including the exact JSON follower and following lists required for third-party auditing.
Why Direct Exports Matter
- Total Privacy: Downloading your records directly from the source eliminates the need to share account passwords or rely on risky third-party API apps.
- Granular Records: Pulls exact connection lists without exposing sensitive personal chats or media libraries.
- Local Control: Empowers you to analyze your audience entirely on your local device.
Step-by-Step Desktop Guide
- Access Settings: Navigate to instagram.com, log in, click your profile icon, and open Settings and privacy.
- Open Accounts Centre: Click Accounts Centre in the sidebar, then select Your information and permissions.
- Trigger Request: Choose Download your information followed by Request a download, and select your target account.
- Isolate Files: Select Some of your information, untick unnecessary categories, and check only Followers and following.
- Configure Format: Set the file format to JSON (critical for local processing tools) and the date range to All time.
- Download and Extract: Click Create files. Once Instagram sends the notification email, download the ZIP archive, extract it, and locate your followers_1.json and following.json files inside the connections/followers_and_following/ directory.
Mobile Method & Troubleshooting
- App Navigation: Open the mobile app or mobile browser, go to your profile, tap the hamburger menu (☰), and navigate through Settings and privacy > Accounts Centre > Your information and permissions > Download your information.
- Format Check: If your export downloads as HTML instead of JSON, you must request a new export using the correct format settings.
- File Location: Ensure you pull the exact followers_1.json and following.json files from the unzipped connection folder before uploading them.
Conclusion
Exporting your Instagram data is simple and takes less than 5 minutes. It's the safest way to get your follower information for analysis with tools like ByeBud.
Want to see who isn't following you back right now?
Use our safe Instagram unfollower checker — no login needed. Upload your official Instagram data export and get instant results.
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