How to Export Instagram Followers to CSV and Google Sheets

To export your Instagram followers to a CSV file, request your Followers and following information from Instagram in JSON format, convert the files to CSV with a browser-based tool, then import the CSV into Google Sheets with File > Import > Upload. The steps below cover all three stages, plus a formula that shows who doesn't follow you back.

Use the Instagram export analyzer to convert your own followers and following JSON files into CSV. Instagram supplies the source files; the analyzer compares and converts them locally in your browser.

Step 1: Export your followers and following from Instagram

Instagram's export tool lives in Accounts Center (shown as Meta Account for accounts already moved to Meta's new settings). Instagram's export instructions describe this sequence:

1. Open Settings, then select Meta Account (or Accounts Center) and Your information and permissions.
2. Select Export your information, then Create export.
3. Choose the Instagram profile, select Next, then Export to device.
4. Customize the export: choose only the Followers and following information, set the date range, and pick JSON as the format.
5. Select Start export.

Choosing a single information type keeps the file small. Instagram notifies you when the export is ready, and the download stays available for four days under Available downloads. Instagram notes that preparing an export can take a while, so request it before you need it.

The export covers your own account only. Instagram doesn't let you export another person's follower list.

Step 2: Convert the JSON files to CSV

Instagram delivers a ZIP file. Extract it and look for the followers files (followers_1.json, plus any further numbered parts) and following.json. JSON is hard to read in a spreadsheet, so convert it first.

The Unfollowers Track export analyzer does this in your browser:

1. Add your followers files and following.json (up to 20 MB combined).
2. Optionally add an earlier followers export to compare the two snapshots.
3. Run the analysis. Select Followers, clear any username filter, and download that CSV. Then select Following, keep the filter clear, and download its CSV separately if you want the comparison below.

Your files aren't uploaded for analysis: the comparison and CSV generation run on your device. A security check contacts the server; loading the website can also make ordinary page requests.

Step 3: Import the CSV into Google Sheets

Google documents this sequence: open File > Import, choose Upload, select the file, choose an import location and separator, then select Import data. See Google's import instructions.

1. Open a blank spreadsheet and upload the CSV through the import dialog.
2. Choose a location that creates a new sheet, such as Insert new sheet(s), to protect existing work.
3. Select Comma as the separator.
4. If the dialog offers to convert text to numbers, dates or formulas, turn it off for the raw import, so usernames and timestamps stay exactly as exported.
5. Import the data and name the tab followers_raw.

Keep the original file unchanged and do any sorting or formulas on a copy of the tab.

Locale and time zone are spreadsheet settings, not import options. Google places them under File > Settings > General. Check them before reading dates. See Google's locale and time-zone documentation.

Find who doesn't follow you back in Sheets

Import the two complete CSVs into tabs named following and followers, keeping the header in row 1. The analyzer exports four columns: username (A), profile_url (B), export_timestamp (C), and relationship (D). Preserve all four; add the heading Comparison in E1 of following, then enter this formula in E2:

=IF(A2="","",IF(COUNTIF(followers!A:A,A2)=0,"Doesn't follow back",""))

Fill the formula down. Any account marked Doesn't follow back appears in your following list but not in your followers list. The formula uses English function names and comma separators; some locales use semicolons instead.

This formula compares only the usernames present in those two files. Incomplete files or a restrictive export date range can produce misleading results. An export is not proof of the exact state at the moment you requested it, and an account missing from a later file does not by itself establish an unfollow or its cause. Keep the raw timestamps as exported; a blank timestamp means unavailable, not zero.

Fix common import problems

Problem	Check and correction
A whole row appears in one cell	Re-import and choose Comma as the separator.
Usernames or timestamps change format	Re-import with text conversion turned off, then format the column as plain text before editing.
The formula marks everyone	Check that both tabs list usernames in the same form (no leading @ in one tab and not the other, no extra spaces).
Dates look wrong	Review the spreadsheet locale and time zone under File > Settings.

Keep a snapshot separate from a live connection

An imported CSV doesn't refresh when your followers change. To see what changed, request a new export later, compare it with the earlier one in the export analyzer, and import the result as a new tab dated with the export date.

Ready to work with your downloaded files? Open the Instagram followers export analyzer, compare the supplied lists, and save the CSVs before importing them into Sheets.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this workflow for someone else's Instagram account?

No. Instagram's account export is for your own information; this workflow requires files you obtained from your own account.

Should I request JSON or HTML?

Choose JSON for this analyzer. Extract the ZIP first and supply all numbered followers files along with following.json.

Will Google Sheets update automatically after importing the CSV?

No. A manually imported CSV stays unchanged until you import another file. Keep later exports in separate tabs so you retain the earlier data.

Partner resources

CSV-to-Sheets resource. This external resource is separate from Google's and Instagram's documentation; no add-on is required for the workflow above.