Instagram ZIP analyzer
Not sure your Instagram export is the right one? Drop the ZIP to see what's inside the followers_and_following folder, how many accounts each list holds, and anything that looks incomplete.
The ZIP from Instagram's “Export your information”
Read in your browser. The file is not uploaded, nothing is stored, and no Instagram login is involved.
What's inside an Instagram export ZIP
A full export is a folder tree: connections/, media/, your_instagram_activity/, personal_information/ and more. Everything about followers lives in connections/followers_and_following/. When you request only “Followers and following”, the ZIP is small, often under a megabyte.
How this analyzer reads it
The ZIP's table of contents is read first. Only file names matching the follower lists are decompressed; a file that claims to be bigger than a follower list can be is refused before it is expanded. The lists are then parsed as data (never rendered or executed) and counted. Nothing leaves your browser.
Common problems
- No follower files: the export was requested without “Followers and following”.
- Followers much lower than expected: the date range was “Last year”. See why All time matters.
- The link expired: Instagram's download link only lasts a few days; request a new export.
Instagram export questions
Which files does an Instagram export need for follower analysis?
The connections/followers_and_following folder: followers_1.json (plus followers_2, _3… on large accounts) and following.json, or the same names as .html. Optional files in the same folder include pending_follow_requests, recent_follow_requests, recently_unfollowed_profiles, close_friends, blocked_profiles and restricted_profiles.
Should I unzip the export first?
No. Drop the ZIP exactly as Instagram sent it. This analyzer and the FindUnfollower app both read inside the ZIP and only decompress the follower files, so photos and messages are never opened.
Is HTML or JSON better?
Both contain the same usernames. JSON is smaller and has exact timestamps; HTML is readable in a browser and its header records when the export was generated. Pick either one.
What happens to the ZIP here, and in the app?
Here it is read in your browser and never uploaded. In the FindUnfollower app your browser extracts only the follower files and uploads that small ZIP; it is deleted as soon as it has been parsed, and only the usernames needed for your results are kept for your account.
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