Instagram followers JSON viewer
Drop one file from your export's followers_and_following folder (followers_1.json, following.json, pending_follow_requests.json or their HTML versions) and read it as a clean table with follow dates.
JSON or HTML from connections/followers_and_following
Read in your browser. The file is not uploaded, nothing is stored, and no Instagram login is involved.
Preview: the totals and the first 3 names of each list. Full lists, search and CSV come with Pro.
What's inside Instagram's follower JSON files
followers_1.json is an array. Each entry has a string_list_data list holding the profile link (href), the username (value) and a Unix timestamp of when the follow happened. following.json wraps the same entries in a relationships_following object and, in recent exports, puts the username in title. Files such as pending_follow_requests.json use a label_values list with “Name” and “Username” pairs instead.
JSON vs HTML exports
Both formats list the same accounts. JSON is compact and machine-friendly; HTML opens in a browser and carries the export date in its header. The viewer reads either.
To compare two lists instead of reading one, use the follow-back checker.
JSON viewer questions
How do I open followers_1.json?
Unzip your Instagram export, open connections/followers_and_following and drop followers_1.json here. Any text editor can open it too, but it is one long line of nested data; this viewer turns it into a list of usernames with the date each person followed you.
What's the difference between followers_1.json and followers_2.json?
Instagram splits a long followers list across several files. They are parts of the same list, not different time periods. Open each one, or drop the whole ZIP into the follow-back checker, which merges them.
Which fields does the viewer show and which does it ignore?
It shows the username (from string_list_data value / href, the title field, or the Username label) and the timestamp. Fields Instagram sometimes adds, such as media lists or empty titles, carry nothing about the relationship and are not shown.
Is it safe to open my file here?
The file is read as text in your browser, parsed as data and never uploaded or run. Files over 64 MB are refused, since no Instagram list is that large.
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