How to See Who Someone Followed on Instagram

Track new follows, compare lists over time, and export everything for free

Curious about who someone recently followed on Instagram? Whether you want to keep tabs on your own activity or understand changes in a public following list, tracking new follows can be surprisingly useful. In this guide, we'll walk you through the options available and show you how our free Instagram Following Export tool makes it simple.

Why Track Who Someone Followed?

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to monitor following activity on Instagram:

  • Spot new accounts worth following based on people you trust
  • Monitor your own following list for accounts you don't remember adding
  • Audit brand or business accounts to understand partnership activity
  • Keep a record of your following list over time for personal reference

What Instagram Shows You (and What It Doesn't)

Instagram lets you view anyone's public following list, but it doesn't show you when someone followed a particular account. There's no built-in "recently followed" feed or notification for other users' follow activity. The list order can also change, making it hard to spot new additions manually.

Tip: The most reliable way to see who someone recently followed is to take snapshots of their following list at different times and compare them. That's exactly what our tool helps you do.

How to Track New Follows with Following Export

Our free Instagram Following Export tool lets you export a complete following list and compare it against a previous snapshot. Here's how it works:

1. Export the List

Export the full following list to a CSV file. This becomes your baseline snapshot.

2. Export Again Later

Come back after some time and export the list again to capture any changes.

3. Compare Snapshots

Use the Compare tab to upload both files and instantly see who was added or removed.

4. See the Differences

Get a clear list of newly followed accounts and unfollowed accounts at a glance.

Step-by-Step Guide

New to the tool? Follow these steps to get started:

  1. Head to the Following Export app and open the Export tab.
  2. Follow our Getting Started guide to grab your Instagram session tokens from your browser.
  3. Paste your tokens and click Export to download the following list as a CSV.
  4. Save the file somewhere safe — this is your first snapshot.
  5. After a few days (or whenever you want to check), repeat the export to get a new CSV.
  6. Switch to the Compare tab, upload both CSV files, and view the differences.
Pro tip: Set a weekly reminder to export the list. Regular snapshots give you a detailed history of following changes over time.

Ready to Track Instagram Follows?

Export and compare following lists for free — no sign-up, no limits.

Start Exporting Now Getting Started Guide