If you've requested your Instagram data export and started digging through the unzipped folder, you've probably landed on two files with slightly odd names: followers_1.json and following.json. They're not labeled in a way that immediately explains what they contain, so here's exactly what's inside each one, why they're named the way they are, and what you can actually do with them.

What's inside followers_1.json

This file contains the complete list of accounts that currently follow you. Each entry includes the username of a follower and a timestamp of when they started following you. It's a straightforward list — no extra commentary, no engagement metrics, just who's following your account right now, according to Instagram's own records.

What's inside following.json

This one is the mirror opposite: every account that you follow. Same structure — usernames and timestamps, this time reflecting when you followed each account.

Why is it "followers_1" and not just "followers"?

This confuses almost everyone the first time they see it. Instagram splits your followers list across multiple numbered files once you pass a certain follower count — so a larger account might have followers_1.json, followers_2.json, followers_3.json, and so on, each containing a portion of the full list. If your account is smaller, you'll typically only see followers_1.json, which is why it looks like there's a "missing" followers file — there isn't, that's just the full list in one part.

Following, by contrast, isn't split the same way in most cases, which is why you'll usually just see one following.json regardless of account size — most people follow far fewer accounts than they have followers, so it fits in a single file.

Where to find these files

After you request your data through Instagram → Settings → Your Activity → Download Your Information, you'll get a ZIP file by email. Once unzipped, navigate to:

connections → followers_and_following

That folder is where both files live, along with a few related ones (like pending_follow_requests.json or restricted_profiles.json, depending on what you selected during export). Need help getting the export? Here's the step-by-step guide to downloading your Instagram data.

What you can actually do with these files

On their own, these are just structured text files — not something you'd normally want to open and read line by line, especially if you have thousands of followers. What they're actually useful for is comparison: uploading both files to a tool that checks them against each other tells you three things instantly:

  • Who follows you but you don't follow back (from followers_1.json not matched in following.json)
  • Who you follow but doesn't follow you back (from following.json not matched in followers_1.json)
  • Your mutual follows (accounts appearing in both)

Unfollow Finder is built specifically to read these two files and generate that comparison instantly, directly in your browser — you don't need to open or edit the files yourself at any point. And it only ever needs these two files — here's why we don't ask for your whole export.

Can you open these files manually?

Yes, technically — they're plain JSON text files, so any text editor will open them. But for anything beyond casual curiosity, this isn't practical. A moderately active account can have thousands of entries in followers_1.json alone, and manually comparing two large lists by eye isn't realistic. This is exactly the kind of task a comparison tool handles in seconds that would take considerable manual effort otherwise.

Frequently asked questions

Instagram splits your followers list into numbered files once you pass a certain threshold. If you only see followers_1.json, your full followers list fits within that single file — nothing is missing.
It's less common, since most accounts follow far fewer people than they have followers, but if you follow a very large number of accounts, you may see following_1.json, following_2.json, and so on, following the same pattern.
You can, since they're plain text, but there's no reason to — a comparison tool just reads the current state of both files. Editing them manually would only make your own results less accurate.
Generally just usernames and the timestamp of when the follow relationship began. They don't include profile pictures, bios, or engagement data.
These two files are part of the narrower "Followers and following" category. The full export includes much more — messages, photos, comments, and more — most of which isn't needed if you're just checking unfollowers.