Quick answer: A Facebook-only data export cannot tell FANS who does not follow you back on Instagram. FANS needs the official Instagram JSON ZIP containing Followers and Following for the Instagram profile you want to check. Return to Meta's export settings, confirm the service and username, and request an Instagram export. Renaming a Facebook ZIP or converting its files to JSON cannot supply missing Instagram relationships.
This guide is for a wrong-service download: you received Facebook information when you needed Instagram information. If your file is already an Instagram archive but belongs to another username or date, use the wrong Instagram export guide instead.
Why the shared settings can be confusing
Meta puts information controls for multiple services in one place. Its Accounts Center announcement explains that people can download Facebook and Instagram information together or separately. Opening the export tool from Facebook therefore does not, by itself, tell you which service you selected.
The menu name may also differ. Meta announced in April 2026 that Accounts Center is gradually becoming Meta Account over the following year. Look for the information/export controls in the official settings you see. The label matters less than checking the selected Instagram profile before creating the request.
Linked accounts and cross-posted photos do not make Facebook friendships equivalent to Instagram follows. Even if you use the same display name and profile picture on both services, FANS still needs the Instagram relationship lists.
Check the request before inspecting the ZIP
Start with the completed export request in Meta's official settings. Read the selected service and profile, then match its download to the file you saved. A generic ZIP extension, a large file size, or an email from Meta cannot establish that the archive contains Instagram data.
| What you can confirm | What it means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| The request selected only your Facebook profile | It is the wrong service for an Instagram comparison. | Create an export for the intended Instagram profile. |
| The request selected Instagram, but another username | It is a different Instagram account. | Request the intended username's data; keep the files separate. |
| The request selected Instagram but only photos or messages | The service is right, but the scope does not provide the needed comparison. | Include Followers and Following in a new JSON export. |
| The request included several services or profiles | The request alone does not identify which saved file you are choosing. | Match the download to the intended Instagram profile; if uncertain, request that profile separately. |
If you already opened a local copy, Facebook-specific headings, friend lists, or Facebook profile links are clues to its contents. They are not a universal file-layout test: exports can contain several categories, and folder names can change. Check the request as well. You do not need to send the archive to a website to identify its source.
Request the Instagram file FANS needs
- Open Instagram's official settings. Find Accounts Center or Meta Account and its information/export controls. Wording and placement can vary.
- Select the intended Instagram profile. Check the service label and exact username, especially when the same person appears under both Facebook and Instagram. For a clean retry, select only the Instagram profile you want to compare.
- Include Followers and Following. Choose the relationship category that contains both lists. Select JSON and All time where those options are offered. Use the focused Followers and Following export guide for more detail.
- Choose the option that downloads to your device. Wait for the request to be ready, download its original ZIP, and save it in Files. Keep it separate from the Facebook archive.
- Import that original ZIP into FANS. Follow the FANS import walkthrough. Do not substitute a Facebook friend list, manually combine services, or repackage files to imitate an Instagram export.
You may need to sign in within Instagram or Meta's official flow to request your information. FANS does not ask for that password or connect to your Instagram session. You do not need to unlink Facebook, delete either account, or change cross-posting settings to correct the export selection.
A simple example: the same person, different relationships
Fictional example: Alex is your Facebook friend. On Instagram, you follow Alex, but Alex does not follow you. A Facebook archive could confirm the friendship while providing no evidence about the Instagram follow-back. In the correct Instagram snapshot, Alex appears in Following and is absent from Followers, so Alex belongs in the Instagram non-follower result.
That result describes the exported relationship. It does not prove Alex previously followed you, identify an unfollow time, or explain a motive. FANS processes the Instagram lists on your device and does not automate follows or unfollows. It works with exports from public and private Instagram accounts and is not affiliated with Instagram or Meta.
If the corrected file still will not import
Once you have confirmed the Instagram profile, JSON format, and both relationship lists, a continuing error needs a different diagnosis. Use ZIP opens but FANS import fails to separate archive readability from the records required for comparison.
A failed import does not establish that you have no non-followers. Correct the input before interpreting a result. FANS is free to download; a Pro subscription is required to reveal the complete non-follower list. Pro access cannot turn Facebook data into an Instagram export or make an old Instagram snapshot current.