The followers/following diff: read it straight from your Download Your Information file
Understand the followers.json and following.json structure in Meta's export, why a single snapshot isn't enough, and how to read the diff without handing over your login.
In Meta's "Download Your Information" export, followers and following are just lists at a point in time. To know who unfollowed (or who you unfollowed), you need to compare two exports from different dates. The diff splits into three cases: they removed you, you removed them, or the connection went quiet - a three-way split that removes ambiguity without guessing motives.
- 3minKnow where followers/following live in the export
- 3minUnderstand why diffing matters
- 4minRead the diff correctly
Where to look in your export
When you extract your ZIP from Meta, look inside folders like connections/ or followers_and_following/ depending on export type and date. Common files:
followers.jsonorfollowers_1.json- people who follow you at export timefollowing.json- accounts you follow at export time- Sometimes
following_hashtags.json,close_friends.jsonetc., but those aren't needed for the followers/following diff
JSON is the easiest to reason about. If you requested HTML, the tables are readable but JSON is unambiguous for diffing.
Why a single snapshot isn't enough
If you only have today's export, you can see mutuals and who doesn't follow back. But you can't tell when someone stopped following you, or if they unfollowed recently vs long ago. To answer "who unfollowed me", you need history: compare export A (older) with export B (newer).
The difference is:
- In A, not in B as follower? They may have unfollowed you (or blocked/removed).
- In B following, not in A? You may have followed someone new.
- In A following, not in B? You may have unfollowed them.
The three-way split
LMKFR's diff splits departures into three honest categories:
- They cut the tie - They followed you before, don't follow you now
- You cut the tie - You followed them before, don't follow them now
- Gone both ways / ambiguous cases - Connections that changed in ways that need care to interpret
As we explore in Why unfollows sting, naming the direction matters because ambiguity is what makes it linger. The diff tells you what changed, not why.
How to do it without handing over login
- Keep history - Save exports over time (e.g., monthly). Even two exports are useful.
- Load both in LMKFR - Open lmkfr.com, load the older and newer ZIPs/folders. Everything runs in your browser in local mode.
- Read the diff - Look at "unfollowers", "you unfollowed", and mutuals. No credentials sent anywhere.
Practical notes
- Username changes - Rare, but possible. Diffs are by identity as represented in the export; handle changes can look like departures.
- Private accounts - Still appear in lists if they were following you at export time (subject to what Meta includes).
- Blocked/removed - Can look similar to unfollowing in the diff. The export shows state at that moment.
- Multiple profiles - If you have multiple Instagram profiles, make sure you're comparing the same profile's exports.
Related reading
- Find who unfollowed you from your Instagram data export - Step by step
- Comparing two Instagram exports - More on diffing over time
- Instagram has no relationship ledger - Why the platform won't tell you this
- Open LMKFR - Load your exports and see the diff