Instagram Follower List Viewer Tools: Do They Actually Work?

Many creators get caught up in who follows them on Instagram—and that’s totally normal. But sometimes, curiosity gets the better of us, and we want to see who follows other users, too. Maybe you want to know who your boyfriend is following or what kinds of consumers your competitor is attracting. Either way, an Instagram follower list viewer might be tempting to use.

Ready to put on your detective hat and discover who follows who on Instagram? Keep reading to learn more about these follower viewer tools that can help you get answers—or can they?

How To View Someone’s List of Followers on Instagram

It’s actually super easy to look through someone’s follower list on Instagram if they have a public profile. With a few taps and clicks on the app, Instagram shows you everyone who follows them. 

Here’s how to do it, step by step:

1. Open the Instagram app.

2. Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen.

3. Use the search bar at the top to look for the user whose followers you want to see.

4. Go to their profile.

5. At the top of their page, click their number of followers. This will lead you to the list of people who follow them, with your mutual followers listed at the top.

From there, you can scroll through every name in their follower list.

Common Reasons Why You Can’t View a Following List on Instagram

Can’t seem to open someone’s list of followers or following on their profile? There are two main reasons why you can’t view a following list on Instagram.

The first is because they have a private Instagram account, and you don’t follow them. When you open a private profile you don’t follow, their follower count won’t be clickable. The only things you’ll have access to on their page are their profile picture, display name, and bio. Instagram will also show you any mutual followers you have, but not their full list of followers.

The second reason you can’t open someone’s follower or following list is that you’re experiencing a glitch in the app. Maybe you have a weak internet connection that can’t load the list properly, or perhaps Instagram’s servers are temporarily down. Try troubleshooting your internet and checking Instagram’s social media platforms to see updates on the app issue.

If either of these hinders your chance to sift through someone’s followers, it can be super frustrating. And maybe that’s why you’re desperately considering using an Instagram following list viewer online.

What Is an Instagram Followers List Viewer?

An Instagram followers list viewer is a third-party tool that claims to show you any user’s list of followers. Its main selling point is that it can allegedly bypass Instagram’s security and user privacy to get this data. That means it claims it can show you the follower lists, even of users with private accounts.

Another reason people look for this powerful tool is that it allows them to export the full list. This is super helpful for influencers with huge fanbases that you can’t just scroll through on the app. Instead, you can extract the list of followers into a spreadsheet or file. From there, it’s easy to “Ctrl + F” and find any specific usernames you’re looking for in the list.

There are many external tools that claim to let you view someone’s followers at the touch of a button. A popular one today is the IG Follower Export Tool extension on Chrome. This tool can consolidate thousands of an Instagram user’s followers into a neat Excel or CSV file. 

Here’s how you do it:

1. Download the extension so that it shows up on your Chrome browser toolbar.

2. Tap the extension icon on the toolbar, then click Export IG Data. This will open a new page.

3. On that page, type in the username of the Instagram user whose followers you want to see.

4. Click Start parsing so that the external tool can start fetching the data from that user’s page.

5. When the process is done, download their list of followers in the format you want.

6. Open the file and have a field day looking through their followers!

Why Would One Use an Instagram Follower List Viewer?

People might want to use a follower list viewer for many reasons. It’s a powerful tool for curious Instagram lurkers who want to see who follows certain users. That includes a partner you want to keep tabs on to ensure they’re faithful or a competing brand you’re analyzing. It’s a great way to glean insights about who they’re interacting with online.

But this tool isn’t just for fun and games. You can also use it if you’re a marketing professional, specifically if you’re vetting influencers for an influencer-led marketing campaign.

See, it’s a brand’s responsibility to do background checks on any potential brand ambassadors they want to activate. That includes verifying whether an influencer’s followers are legitimate. Running their page through a follower list viewer is a strategic way to check their fans’ legitimacy.

This is important in today’s digital climate where even celebs like the Kardashian sisters have been caught with fake followers. It’s a great tool to use to test a potential influencer partner’s authenticity.

How To View a Private Instagram Following List: Is It Possible?

Now that you know these tools exist, you might be wondering how to view private Instagram following lists with them. Well, we hate to break it to you, but these tools don’t work for private accounts.

It’s a big bummer, especially since that’s one of the biggest reasons someone might find these tools useful. But Instagram is very big on its privacy settings. Once a user sets their page to private mode, Instagram doesn’t make any of their info publicly available. That means even third-party tools will have no way of fetching their data, including follower list viewers.

Some follower viewer tools might promise you that they can indeed extract data from private pages. But don’t let them fool you. These tools are probably the least reliable and will lie their way to scamming you. At the end of the day, they won’t be able to accurately provide the private data you’re requesting.

FYI, You Can’t View Most Private Account Content With Third-Party Tools

And it doesn’t just stop at follower lists. Instagram is also very protective of private accounts in many different aspects, too. Many other external tools won’t be able to crack the code to fetch profile information from private pages either.

For example, let’s talk about another popular third-party tool Instagram users like to use—the humble Instagram post viewer. These tools promise to fetch copies of someone’s photos and videos for you to download straight to your device. While they might work perfectly for public pages, they won’t cut it for private profiles.

Posts from private pages are exactly that—private. Only their followers are allowed to see them, and Instagram makes sure of it. The algorithm doesn’t even show private posts on the Explore page or hashtag pages to protect user privacy. What more for third-party apps and tools that have no affiliation with Instagram?

So next time a third-party app claims to provide information on private accounts, don’t believe them for a second. It’s basically impossible, and you’re being played like a fiddle. Stay vigilant!

How Safe Is It To Use Third-Party Tools for Instagram?

We’ll be upfront with you—oftentimes, using external tools isn’t such a good idea. It’s only a good move with reputable tools that don’t ask for your password or access to your account. If they ask for your credentials or for you to link your account to their app, run for the hills. This is a huge red flag that screams hackers.

Plus, Instagram has been known to crack down on accounts that generate fake activity. This includes buying followers, automating engagement, and even bypassing their privacy laws. So, be careful with the follower list viewers you use. You don’t want to be caught up in a bad tool and get shadowbanned or suspended on Instagram. Yikes! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you extract the list of followers on Instagram?

You can try to extract the full list using a third-party tool. However, this might only work for public profiles because third-party apps typically can’t fetch data from private accounts.

Don’t Dwell Too Much on Other People’s Followers and Focus On Growing Yours!

Lurking on someone’s follower list on Instagram can help you glean insights about the crowd they attract. And while it’s super fun to grab popcorn and look at who’s following who, it’s not extra beneficial to you.

Instead of dwelling too long on other people’s followers, maybe it’s time to focus on your own. Drop the hunt for an Instagram follower list viewer and get more fans with a high-quality growth service instead.

Path Social is one that can help with your growth journey tremendously. We specialize in promotional strategies that expand your audience and get more eyes on your content. This gives you a huge boost not just in fans, but engagement rates, too.

That’s what happened to Modern Fit, which doubled its followers and engagement after working with us. Experience the same glory for your brand and grow your online community of authentic fans with Path Social today!