How to analyze your Instagram data download
Choose the right export files, check follower relationships and dates, and understand what to do when an Instagram archive is incomplete or unsupported.
Open your Instagram export in AnalyzerChoose the part of your archive that answers your question
Open your Instagram ZIP in Followers Analyzer to compare the Followers and Following lists, search accounts and inspect dates that the export actually contains. You can choose extracted JSON or HTML files instead. The analysis happens in your browser; you do not give InstaScope your Instagram password.
For follower relationships, request Followers and Following with All time coverage. JSON is recommended for machine-readable entries and timestamps. Your full archive may contain media and messages; InstaScope's relationship tools do not need those files.
Select the ZIP directly or select all extracted followers parts together with the following file. If followers are split into several files, leaving out a part changes the result. A missing list is different from an explicitly empty list.
Before interpreting a surprise, compare the detected core totals with the supplied files and inspect the import warnings. A syntactically valid export can still cover a different period or omit a category you expected. The tool cannot verify completeness against your live Instagram account.
Match the file to the question and tool
These are common supported file names, not a promise that every export includes every category. Folder depth and numbered parts can vary. Keep Followers and Following together as the base dataset; add optional files only for the questions they can answer.
| Files or records | Question | InstaScope tool |
|---|---|---|
| All followers parts + following.json or following.html | Who is mutual, a fan or not following back? | Followers Analyzer / Not Following Back |
| Usable dates attached to Followers or Following entries | What dates were recorded for these relationships? | Following Analyzer / Relationship Timeline |
| pending_follow_requests + both core lists | Which sent requests are recorded in this export? | Pending Requests |
| recently_unfollowed_profiles + both core lists | Which of my own unfollows were included? | Unfollow History |
| Two independent exports with comparable coverage | Which usernames were added or missing between snapshots? | Snapshot Comparison |
Read the summary before exploring individual accounts
Followers are accounts listed as following you. Following is the set you follow. Mutuals occur in both sets; fans are followers absent from Following; not-following-back accounts are in Following but absent from Followers.
These categories help you check the result: mutuals plus fans equals followers, and mutuals plus not-following-back equals following. Duplicate usernames are counted once in these account lists. Compare against the exported files, rather than assuming a live profile count represents the same moment.
Work through a small synthetic result
Use these fictional input lists: Followers contains sample.cedar, sample.fern and sample.oak. Following contains sample.fern, sample.oak, sample.pine and sample.sage. There are three followers, four following accounts and two mutuals. These are worked-example records, not a person's account data.
- Check the two core totals against the supplied lists: 2 mutuals + 1 fan = 3 followers; 2 mutuals + 2 not following back = 4 following.
- Choose Not Following Back and search sample.pine. Its presence means it is absent from the supplied Followers list, not that it previously followed and then unfollowed you.
- Use a separate older export if you want to compare changes. Copying the same file or relying on one dated list does not create a second snapshot.
| Result | Count | Synthetic usernames |
|---|---|---|
| Mutuals: in both lists | 2 | sample.fern, sample.oak |
| Fans: Followers minus Following | 1 | sample.cedar |
| Not Following Back: Following minus Followers | 2 | sample.pine, sample.sage |
Treat dates and optional lists as separate evidence
The relationship timeline groups timestamps attached to entries in the export. It does not reconstruct your total follower count in each past month. Entries without usable dates remain undated instead of receiving guessed dates.
Optional connection files can add pending requests, privacy lists and your own recently-unfollowed entries. Their absence does not mean the corresponding Instagram list is empty. An unsupported category is reported without inventing its contents.
Recover from an import problem
If a core list is missing, request another export containing both categories or select the omitted file. For a damaged ZIP, try downloading it again. Follow the specific message shown by the importer; changing an extension from HTML to JSON does not convert a file.
Keep your original download private. You can explore the fictional demo while obtaining a usable export, then replace it with your own files when ready.