How to Export Instagram Followers and Following to CSV: Methods Compared

Why Export Followers to a Spreadsheet?

Exporting your follower and following data into a clean CSV or Microsoft Excel file is an essential operational task for social media managers, influencer marketing agencies, and creators. Key use cases include:

• Auditing Non-Followers: Identifying accounts you follow who do not follow you back.
• Influencer Outreach: Building CRM databases of creators and collaborators.
• Inactive & Bot Audits: Cleaning ghost accounts that harm engagement rates.
• Offline Backup: Protecting your audience database against accidental account suspension or hacking.

Method 1: Official Instagram Data Download (100% Safe)

Under global data privacy laws (GDPR and CCPA), Meta allows you to download a complete export of your account data directly:

1. In Instagram, tap your profile > Settings (hamburger menu) > Accounts Center.
2. Tap Your information and permissions > Download your information.
3. Select "Download or transfer information" > choose your Instagram profile > "Some of your information".
4. Scroll down and check only Followers and following.
5. Choose "Download to device", set format to JSON (for spreadsheets) or HTML (for easy reading), and choose your date range (select "All time").
6. Click Create files. Instagram will email you a secure download link within 1 to 24 hours.

Method 2: Browser Extensions for Instant CSV

If you need an immediate CSV export without waiting for Meta's email archive, specialized Chrome extensions (such as IG Follower Export Tool) can scrape publicly rendered elements directly from your browser session:

• How it works: The extension automates page scrolling while you are logged into web Instagram, extracting usernames, full names, profile URLs, and verification badges.
• Safety Caution: Only use extensions with verified reviews that do not transmit your session cookies to external remote servers. Always configure the scraping speed to "Slow" (1-2 seconds per batch) to avoid rate limits.

How to Convert Instagram JSON into CSV / Excel

If you received Instagram's native JSON archive, open Microsoft Excel > Data > Get Data > From File > From JSON. Select the followers_1.json file. Excel will automatically parse the nested arrays into neat rows and columns containing profile links and timestamps.

Instagram Rate Limits: How to Avoid Account Bans

Instagram aggressively monitors automated scraping. If an unauthorized tool queries hundreds of profiles in seconds, Instagram's security firewalls will flag the activity as bot behavior, issuing temporary action blocks ("Try Again Later") or password resets.

Safe Rule of Thumb: Never scrape more than 500-1,000 accounts per hour. Whenever possible, rely on the official native export method.