There’s a simple question that has continually been asked since the inception of Instagram. It’s not “What new thing are the Kardashians up to?” though that should be a close second. Rather, it is “How do I know who has unfollowed me on Instagram?”
As someone trying to grow their Instagram account, you’ll ask this question quite a few times. You may have joined a community of creators who have agreed to follow each other, and then a few of them decide to perform the age-old “follow and unfollow” maneuver.
Unfortunately, Instagram has no native method of checking who has unfollowed you. And thanks to Instagram’s strict community policies, using some apps that grant you this ability to pinpoint the offending accounts can lead to a ban.
Thankfully, there are a few ways to do this without resorting to apps. Let’s check them out, shall we?
How to See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram Without an App
The method for undertaking this is stressful, but it’s also your best bet for checking who has unfollowed you without risking a ban. You’re guaranteed to be well within Instagram’s community policies.
If you don’t plan on checking who has unfollowed you too frequently, you can use this method whenever you like. Here’s how it works:
- First, Download Your Instagram Data
- Open Instagram and click on the profile page.
- Click on the menu icon at the top right of the page, then click on “Your Activity.”
- Go to the bottom of this list and click “Download your information.” This will take you to Meta’s account center.
- On that screen, click on “Download or Transfer Information.”
- Select your Instagram account.
- Tap on “Some of Your Information.”
- Tap on “Followers and following.”
- Choose your download location
- Select a date range and file format (HTML is great).
- Then click on “Create Files” and you’re done.
- You should get an email with a download link soon. Click download and open the zip file up.
- Next, Use a List Comparison Website
- You should see a folder in the file that says “followers_and_following.”
- You’ll find two HTML files to open in your browser: followers.html and following.html.
- Open a new tab and head to listdiff.com or any alternatives.
- Copy the items in following.html and paste them into List A. Do the same for followers.html and List B.
- Now, tap “Compare lists.”
- From the results, A only = People you follow that don’t follow back.
Other Considerations
Alternatively, you can simply check the following list of users you suspect to have unfollowed you. You’re bound to miss some of them, but it is effective. If you’re on the following list on their profiles, they’re fine; if you aren’t there, they’ve unfollowed you.
Tread lightly with Unfollow browser extensions for Instagram Web. These may not technically be apps, but they may still default Instagram’s policies, so it’s best to avoid them.
With these tips, you should know how to pinpoint accounts that don’t follow you back on Instagram.
