2 Quick Ways to Check Who Unfollowed You on Instagram

Download your Instagram data and compare your following and follower lists manually. An app can help, too, but it shouldn't be your first choice

What to Know

  • Manual method: Download and analyze your Instagram data or track follower numbers manually.
  • Third-party apps can give you info about unfollowers, secret admirers, and ghost followers.
  • If you've suddenly noticed a drop in followers, it might be due to an Instagram-related issue instead of actual removals.

This article covers the manual process for tracking followers and offers multiple suggestions for third-party apps to use.

How to See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram Without an App

The most basic way to check to see who unfollowed you on Instagram is to do it manually by staying on top of your exact follower count and specific users. If you notice that your follower count has gone down, investigate the "Following" lists of those specific users to verify whether they're still following you.

This is definitely time-consuming, especially when you have a lot of followers who fluctuate regularly. But, considering the dangers of using an app (more on that below), this is your best option.

You can also get your list of followers and accounts you're following, and use a free tool to compare them. Here's what we recommend you do to learn who doesn't follow you back on Instagram (don't worry, it's completely safe and you don't need to share your password with anyone):

  1. Download your Instagram data. Be sure to pick the HTML option.

    Instagram's Download your information window
  2. Extract all the files from the ZIP file and open these two files in your web browser: following and followers_1.

  3. Open the ListDiff website. Any text comparison site will work.

  4. Copy everything you see in the following list and paste it into the List A box on ListDiff.

  5. Now do the same thing for the followers_1 list, but paste it into the List B section of the ListDiff website.

  6. Select Compare Lists.

    Two lists of text on the ListDiff website
  7. Change the sort option to Sort A -> Z, then select Compare Lists again.

  8. Scroll down the B Only list, past the dates, until you see usernames. These are the user you follow but who don't follow you back.

    Two lists compared on the ListDiff website

The Best Apps to See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram

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See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram

Instagram has cracked down on its API for privacy reasons, meaning that third-party unfollower app developers are far more limited in how they're able to access a user's followers. If you tried to use an app that claimed to show you who unfollowed you but noticed it doesn't work, these changes made to the Instagram API might explain why.

There are some third-party apps that might be able to help you out. Below are two that we've used. They connect directly to your Instagram account and tell you some information about your followers and unfollowers, but be aware that their usefulness is up for debate.

Most apps, including the ones described below, have you log in to your Instagram account in a very unsecure way and might even require that you turn off two-factor authentication. This is unsafe. You should try the manual method described above before considering using a third-party app.

FollowMeter

Screenshots for Follow Meter app on Android showing popularity meters

FollowMeter is an app that gives you insights about your Instagram popularity, unfollowers, secret admirers, and ghost followers. Once downloaded and installed on your device, you'll be asked to sign in to your Instagram account through the app.

Your dashboard will show your unfollowers and new followers, users who aren't following you back, and users who you're not following back. Some features are only accessible with in-app purchases, but according to some of the reviews, FollowMeter has done well to adapt to the changes with the Instagram API, allowing users to still see who unfollowed them.

Download For:

Follow Cop

Screenshots of Follow Cop for Android

If you're an Android user looking for a seriously elegant follower-tracking app, Follow Cop is absolutely worth checking out. This app lets you see unfollowers (users who don't follow you back), users who recently unfollowed you, ghost followers, top likers, and more.

Since the app only shows who unfollowed you most recently, you'll want to make sure to check your unfollowers regularly. Of these users, you'll also be able to see if you do or don't follow them.

Follow Cop also lets you manage your followers more easily than through the Instagram app. You can do mass unfollows of up to 15 users, use filters to find fake followers, and connect up to three Instagram accounts at a time to use with the app.

The free version supports 15 unfollows at a time, but you can repeat that process as many times as you want. To unfollow 200 users at once, you have to pay. You need to know how to install an APK file on your phone for this app to work.

Download For:

What to Do When You See Who Unfollowed You

Once you've used any of the above apps to see your unfollowers on Instagram, it's then up to you to decide whether you should try to get those followers back, attract new ones, or simply forgive and forget. If you choose to try to get them to come back, you'll have to put a bit of time and energy into liking and commenting on their posts and possibly even following them.

For businesses and brand builders, retaining followers and customers is usually pretty important and these apps can be invaluable in maintaining your social following.

FAQ
  • How do you follow hashtags on Instagram?

    Select the hashtag, then choose Follow. Once you start following it, you should see photos and videos from the hashtag in your feed. To unfollow, select the hashtag again and tap on Following.

  • How many people can you follow on Instagram?

    You can follow up to 7,500 people on Instagram. The company set this limit to reduce spam. If you try to follow more than 7,500 people, you see an error message.

  • How do you hide who you follow on Instagram?

    The best way to hide who you follow on Instagram from the general public is to make your account private. Go to Settings > Account privacy and toggle Private account on. This won't prevent your followers from seeing who else you follow, but it will keep others from doing so.

  • Why can't I follow someone on Instagram?

    You may have exceeded the 7,500 maximum followers limit. The person you're trying to follow might have a private account, which means you need to send them a follow request. If your Instagram account is new, the social media platform limits how many people you can follow per hour or day and you might've hit this temporary limit.

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