Want to Know Who Isn't Following You on Instagram? It May Be Easier Than You Think

Like it or not, follower counts on social media apps like Instagram count for a lot these days. Once upon a time, folks on Instagram could just use their number of followers for clout, bragging rights, or even just a fleeting sense of personal fulfillment. These days, people can make substantial livings based on how many people are following them on Instagram and how often they post content. Some may call it a dystopian society and some may be right, but it's the world in which we live.

That said, some folks are still a little more concerned with who's following them rather than the number of people following them. After all, one would want to see if their friends are keeping up with their posts or if one popular influencer or celebrity just so happens to be checking out your posts on a regular basis. Instagram used to make it easy for you, but they've since changed things around. If you still want to know how to see who doesn't follow you back on Instagram, there are safe ways to do it.

Some apps make this easy for you. X (formerly Twitter) has a handy and obvious feature in which you can go to someone's account and it will show a little message on their profile that says "Follows You" if they, you know, follow you! As of this writing, Instagram lacks this tiny but helpful function.

Some folks have tried downloading third-party apps that claim to let you see mutual followers instantly, but those run the gamut in quality and can easily harm your Instagram account.

Thankfully, a user on the r/Instagram subreddit has a solution that involves no third-party apps. Interestingly, they suggest using this method on a PC rather than Instagram's preferred mobile format.

On PC, log into your Instagram account. In Settings, go to "Privacy and Security." There, you'll see a section called "Data Download" and an option that says "Request Download." After entering some account info, you'll eventually receive an email, though it may take up to two days for you to get it.

In this email are zip files, which hold a "followers_and_following" folder that you can open in your browser. Then, you can hit listdiff.com to compare the lists and see who among your followers is actually following you back.

The process is a little unwieldy, but it's one of the safest ways to check which Instagram users you can call mutuals. Other than that, you can also try logging into two separate devices to compare your Followers on one device and Following in another.

Some influencers have used this method to avoid "follow 4 follow" tricks in which a newer user may feign a follow to get an existing user to become a mutual only to unfollow as soon as you follow them. Hope that mutual of yours is the real deal!