How to Find Out Who Unfollowed You on Instagram

Losing Instagram followers isn’t a pleasant experience, but it’s nice to know which friends have left the fold. If you want to be up to speed with the state of your Instagram followers count, then you’ve come to the right place. This tutorial shows how to see who unfollowed you on Instagram.

Tip: make your Instagram profile stand out with Highlights. Here’s how to create your own.

1. Take the Manual Approach

This method works best for those who don’t have thousands of followers on their list. If yours is limited to a few hundred, then taking the manual approach might be best.

This consists of simply going to your Instagram profile and checking your Instagram follower count. Take a screenshot on your phone (it can be a long screenshot even) so that you can remember the number. Make sure you check regularly to see if that number stays the same.

But this technique does not really answer a burning question: who unfollowed you? If you have a suspicion because – let’s say you haven’t seen content from that person in your feed for a while, and you know they tend to post regularly – you can check whether they unfollowed you.

Tip: do you know how to curate your Instagram feed? Here’s how to stop seeing things that you don’t want to see on Instagram.

Tap on “Followers” on your profile to view the list of people following you on Instagram, then use the search bar at the top to search for the account of a certain follower to see if you can still find them. If you can’t, they most likely unfollowed you.

If you don’t have a hunch who may have unfollowed you, you could get into the habit of screenshotting your followers list every so often, such as once a month. Of course, this only works if this list is a short one, but even with a smaller list, it can get highly impractical. You can compare the current list with the older screenshots and draw your conclusions from there.

2. Use a Third-Party App

If your Instagram Following list is a bit larger, or if you simply don’t have the time for the manual approach, the solution could be a third-party app. But before actually sharing our recommendations with you, we need to point out a few things.

First off, the Instagram API (application program interface) is pretty restrictive for third-party app developers, so these apps won’t be able to tell you what followers you lost retroactively. To be exact, you’ll only be able to see the changes to your Followers list after you’ve installed the app. The followers you’ve lost prior to that will be forever shrouded in mystery.

What’s more, given Instagram’s predisposition to change its API without warning, some of these apps could stop working at any moment. Another thing to consider is that these apps are not authorized by Instagram, which could leave your account vulnerable to security threats.

Despite all of this, if your curiosity far surpasses your instinct to be prudent, you’ll be glad to know that there are a few apps that still work quite well and can tell you when you’ve lost a follower (or more) on Instagram. More importantly, they can point the finger directly at the person who decided to leave.

Tip: promote great content when you see it by reposting on Instagram.

Followers – Tracker Insight

Followers is an iOS app that can track your followers and let you know if someone has unfollowed you.

1. Download the app and open it on your iOS device.
2. Log in to your Instagram app.
3. You’ll be taken to the app’s dashboard where you can view various stats, such as users not following you back and users you’ve unfollowed.
4. To view who unfollowed you, tap on “Followers Lost.”

5. You can check out the list of accounts from there.

6. If you can’t see anything under “Followers Lost” and know for sure that you’ve recently lost followers, press on the “Reload” icon in the upper-right corner.
7. If it still does not work, try exiting the app, properly closing it, then opening it again.

Follow Cop

You will only find the Follow Cop app in APK format. Don’t worry if you didn’t install one before, as we have a guide that covers installing an APK. We also show you how to install XAPX files.

Note: this app hasn’t been updated since 2019. You’ll get a warning the app is not supported anymore when you open it for the first time. Even so, the app’s unfollow function still works fine. Other features may not.

1. Open the app on your phone.
2. Log in using your Instagram credentials.

3. The app will generate an interface for your account. It’s quite bare-bones compared to the iOS alternative. Even so, it gets the job done. Tap on “Followers” to view your stats.

4. In the new window, select “Recent Unfollowers.”

5. You’ll see a list of accounts that recently unfollowed you. If you followed them, you’ll see a “-” button so that you can unfollow them as well, directly from this app.

Good to know: Activity Status not showing on Instagram? We can help.

3. Use an Extension

Another way to tell who unfollowed you is to download the Chrome extension called InsTF.

1. Go to the InstTF page on the Chrome Store and press “Add to Chrome” to add the extension to the browser.

2. Go to Instagram and log in to your account, if you haven’t already.
3. Press on the “Extension” icon next to the address bar in your browser and select InstTF.

4. A pop-up will appear and generate some stats.
5. Press on the “Lost followers” button to view who unfollowed you on Instagram.

6. A list will show up in the same pop-up, letting you know who unfollowed you on Instagram.

7. If you believe you’re not seeing recent stats, make sure to press the “Reload” button in the upper-right corner.

Alternative Reasons for Seeing a Failing Follower Count

There may be other reasons that you are seeing a lower Instagram followers count. It may not be that they unfollowed you.

1. They deleted their account – it’s possible that they had enough of Instagram and deleted their account. To make sure, use the app’s search function to look for that specific account that is missing from your followers list. If you can’t find them, they might have deleted their account.
2. They blocked you – another possibility is that they blocked you. In this case, they will disappear from your Followers list and won’t show up in search. To verify your hunch, you may want to ask a friend to check whether they can find the other person’s profile. You can also do that yourself by typing “https://www.instagram.com/username” in an incognito browser window on a PC or mobile.
3. It’s a glitch – it might be due to a temporary error. Try updating the app and waiting a few hours, then check again. If the follower shows up again, you don’t have anything to worry about.

Tip: you can now create Notes in Instagram via Direct. We show you how.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do to keep my followers?

If your Followers list has become significantly smaller, it could be time to wonder whether you’re posting regularly enough on your Instagram and up your game in that department. Do note that it’s important to return each follow you receive. People might get frustrated if they don’t get a follow back and unfollow altogether.

Instagram makes it easy to see if you haven’t followed an account that follows you. On your Instagram profile, go to “Followers” to view the list of accounts that follow you. You’ll notice the “Accounts You Don’t Follow Back” category at the top. There’s also a “Least Interacted With” section, so you may want to pay special attention to these to avoid losing them. Also, make sure you engage with your followers by responding to comments and reaching out via comments or direct messages.

If someone unfollows you on Instagram, do you get a notification?

You only get a notification when someone follows you on Instagram. If someone decides to unfollow or block you, they can do so silently.

Can I hide my followers from my profile?

It’s not possible to do so. However, if you want to prevent random people from viewing your Followers, you can set your account to “Private.” This way, someone who was not previously authorized by you won’t be able to see your Followers.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.