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GuideUpdated May 20265 min read
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to find who doesn't follow you back — safely — with CircleMate

CircleMate uses the official Instagram data export Instagram gives you directly. You never share your password, and we never log in to Instagram on your behalf. Follow the screenshots below — it takes about 2 minutes on your end, then Instagram emails you a ZIP a few minutes later.

Prefer to read? The full step-by-step guide is below.

Quick summary
  1. 1Open Accounts Center via Instagram Settings → Your information and permissions.
  2. 2Tap Export your information → Create export → Export to device.
  3. 3Pick Customise information and select only Followers and following.
  4. 4Choose HTML as the format and All time as the date range.
  5. 5Wait for Instagram's email, download the .zip, and upload it to CircleMate.
1

Open the More menu, then Settings

On the Instagram desktop site, click More in the left sidebar — it's at the bottom, right above "Also from Meta". Then click Settings from the popup that appears.

1a · Click “More”Instagram left sidebar with the More button highlighted
1b · Click "Settings"More menu expanded showing the Settings option
On mobile?

Open Instagram → tap your profile → tap the menu icon (☰) in the top-right → tap Settings and activity. The rest of the steps look identical.

2

Open Accounts Center → Your information and permissions

In Settings, scroll to the Accounts Center card at the top and tap See more in Accounts Center. Then choose Your information and permissions from the left menu.

What you'll do

  • See more in Accounts Center in the Settings sidebar.
  • From the left menu, select Your information and permissions.
  • You'll land on a page with Export your information at the top.
Accounts Center is the shared Meta dashboard. Same screen on Facebook and Threads.
Step 2 · Settings → Accounts CenterInstagram Settings screen with the Accounts Center card visible
Accounts Center · "Your information and permissions"Accounts Center sidebar with Your information and permissions selected
3

Tap Export your information → Create export

On the Your information and permissions screen, tap Export your information. A new dialog opens — tap the big blue Create export button.

Step 3 · Export your information dialogThe Your information and permissions screen with Export your information option

What you'll see

  • A panel titled Your information and permissions.
  • The first row says Export your information — click it.
  • Confirm any account picker if you have multiple Instagram accounts.
Step 3b · Tap "Create export"Export your information dialog with a Create export button
4

Choose "Export to device"

Instagram asks where to send the export. Choose Export to device — this is the only option CircleMate can use. Don't pick "Export to external service".

Why "to device"?

  • You'll get a downloadable .zip file via email.
  • That ZIP is the only file CircleMate accepts.
  • External services send your data elsewhere — not useful here.
Once you tap this, you'll move on to choosing exactly which data to include — the next step.
Step 4 · Where to exportChoose where to export — Export to device option highlighted
5

Customise — keep only Followers and Following

Choose Some of your information (a.k.a. "Customise"). Instagram will pre-select everything. Tap Clear all at the top of each section, then scroll down and check only Followers and following under Connections.

5a · Tap "Clear all"Choose specific info to export — every category checked, with Clear all link visible
5b · Check only Followers and followingConnections section with Followers and following checkbox enabled
Why this matters

Smaller export = faster email from Instagram (often minutes vs. hours), and CircleMate only ever reads the followers/following files anyway.

Tap Save at the bottom to confirm your selection.

6

Set Format = HTML and Date range = All time

After saving, you'll see two more options. These two settings are critical — getting them wrong is the #1 reason exports don't work in CircleMate.

✓Format → HTML

HTML exports include more complete data than JSON — CircleMate reads both, but HTML gives you the most accurate results.

✓Date range → All time

Anything shorter and the results will be incomplete — old followers will look "missing".

Step 6 · Format & date rangeFormat set to HTML and date range set to All time
Don't unzip the .zip file

Upload the original .zip exactly as Instagram sent it. Extracting it first can break the file structure CircleMate reads.

7

Wait for the email — then upload to CircleMate

Instagram emails you when the export is ready. For Followers + Following only, this is usually a few minutes to an hour. Click the link in the email, download the .zip, and drag it into CircleMate's upload page.

What to expect

  • Email subject: "Your Instagram data is ready to be downloaded".
  • The link opens a download page — save the .zip to your computer.
  • Open CircleMate → click Upload → drag in the ZIP.
  • You'll see your results in seconds. We never store your password.
Can't find the email? Check spam, promotions, or the address tied to your Instagram account.
Drop your ZIP at circlemate.me/upload

Why your results might look wrong

If the numbers don't match Instagram's profile counts, one of these is almost always the cause:

  • You exported data from a different Instagram account than expected.
  • You picked a short date range instead of All time.
  • You unzipped the file before uploading.
  • You uploaded the wrong ZIP (from another export or another account).

How to fix it

  1. Repeat Step 1 carefully and pick the correct account.
  2. Re-request the export with HTML + All time.
  3. Download the new ZIP from the Instagram email.
  4. Upload that original ZIP to CircleMate (don't unzip).

Why CircleMate is safer than other tools

"Login with Instagram" tools are convenient but risky — they often violate Instagram's terms and can get your account flagged. CircleMate is built differently.

✓No Instagram login required

We never ask for your Instagram password. Your credentials never touch our servers.

✓Uses Instagram-provided data

Your export comes directly from Instagram, not scraped from the web — fully ToS-compliant.

✓Simple and transparent

CircleMate only reads the followers and following data files from your export — nothing else.

✓Won't get your account flagged

No automation, no scraping, no third-party login. Nothing for Instagram to flag.

Ready to check your circle?

Create a free CircleMate account and upload your Instagram export.

Get started — it's free