Instagram lets you request a copy of information connected to your account. That official export is the starting point for UnfollowTrace: you download the archive from Instagram, keep control of the ZIP file, and choose it when you want to create a report.
The exact menu labels can change as Instagram updates Accounts Center, but the underlying workflow remains the same. You are asking Instagram for your own information, selecting the account and data categories, then waiting for Instagram to prepare a downloadable archive.
How to request the export
- Open Instagram and go to your profile.
- Open the menu, then enter Accounts Center.
- Choose Your information and permissions.
- Select Download your information or the equivalent export option shown in your version of Instagram.
- Choose the Instagram account whose follower relationships you want to analyze.
- Select the option to download or export information to your device.
If Instagram shows different wording, follow its current on-screen instructions. You can also consult the official Instagram Help Center guidance for downloading your information.
Choose useful export settings
An Instagram archive can contain many categories, including media, messages, profile details, comments, and relationship information. An unfollow tracker does not need all of that. Select the follower and following information when Instagram allows category-level selection.
Use a broad enough date range
Follower and following records represent the state included in that export. Choose a date range that includes the relationship information you need. If Instagram offers an “all time” option, it is generally the clearest choice for a complete relationship export.
Choose JSON when available
Instagram may offer HTML and JSON formats. JSON is structured data designed for software to read, while HTML is designed to be opened and browsed by a person. UnfollowTrace supports the official archive workflow, but JSON is usually the most direct format for relationship analysis.
Keep the ZIP file intact
When Instagram finishes preparing the download, save the ZIP file to your device. Do not rename internal files, remove folders, or upload a single file taken out of the archive unless the product specifically instructs you to do so. The archive structure helps the importer identify the correct follower and following records.
What happens while Instagram prepares it?
Instagram prepares exports asynchronously. Depending on the amount of information requested and current processing demand, the download may not be ready immediately. Instagram normally provides a notification or an available-download entry when the archive is complete.
Download the archive before its availability window expires. Store it somewhere you can identify later, especially if you plan to create recurring snapshots. A simple folder organized by export date makes comparisons easier.
What one export can and cannot show
Your first export contains a current snapshot of follower relationships. Comparing the following list with the followers list can identify accounts you follow that do not currently follow you back. That is a present-state result.
One export cannot prove that an account followed you earlier and later unfollowed. To identify a later unfollow, you need at least two exports from different times. UnfollowTrace compares the earlier follower records with the later records and reports accounts that were present before but absent later.
Upload the archive to UnfollowTrace
After the ZIP is ready, sign in to UnfollowTrace and select it from the upload flow. The browser filters the archive before the required relationship files are sent for processing. The original ZIP is not uploaded as a whole.
After a first successful import, the dashboard can show current audience relationships. Save the next export from a later date and upload it to unlock change-based reports. The usefulness of change tracking grows from consistent snapshots, not from repeatedly uploading the same archive.
Ready with your Instagram ZIP?
Start a report from the official export you downloaded. No Instagram login or password is required.
Start your report