Instagram Broke the Export (Oct 2025) — Here’s What Changed and How We Fixed It
2025-10-04
If your unfollower checks suddenly exploded with nonsense results this week, you are not imagining it.
Instagram changed the export. The new files can include deactivated accounts and a different JSON structure, which broke most list-diff tools overnight.
Users across Reddit report “undefined” usernames, inflated counts, and random “ghost” accounts in their exports. It’s not you — it’s the data.
What Changed (in Plain English)
- Following now includes deactivated or closed accounts.
That was not the case in older exports, so most tools now flag a flood of “unfollowers” that aren’t real people. - The JSON shape shifted.
Some exports use a new field likerelationships_following, breaking old parsers. - Formatting differences between followers.json and following.json make direct list comparisons unreliable.
The result: if your tool just compares two lists, you’ll see chaos — fake unfollowers, undefined handles, or “friends” who never left.
Proof from the Community
- “Undefined” names and wrong counts after the JSON key change.
- Following lists suddenly containing deactivated accounts.
- Manual diff tools now unusable because HTML layouts differ.
Why “Simple Diff” Tools Broke
They assume:
- The same structure in every export.
- Only active accounts appear in both lists.
Both assumptions just failed. When deactivated accounts linger in following.json but never show in followers.json, a raw diff screams “they unfollowed you.” They didn’t — they’re just inactive.
How DontFollowBack Fixed It 🔧
We didn’t patch around it — we re-designed how comparisons work.
- Adaptive parsing
Our importer understands both the old and new export formats (includingrelationships_following) before any comparison. - User-driven cleanup
Instead of guessing, you decide what’s noise.
Swipe left to Ignore accounts you’re done reviewing,
swipe right to Watchlist users you care about,
or mark selected ones as Deactivated if you know they’re gone.
Once you filter them, they stay filtered. - Snapshot workflow
Save a Snapshot of your current clean state to your device.
Next time Instagram breaks something or changes the format again, just upload your new export and load your Snapshot — your clean baseline is restored instantly. - No login. No retention.
Everything runs in memory; Snapshots live on your device. You own the data.
That’s why we can say we’re in the top 1 % of tools that still produce accurate, maintainable results after this update.
How to Get Back to Normal
- Download your new export (Followers + Following).
- Upload it to DontFollowBack — no login required.
- Review and filter once using swipes or the actions menu.
- Save a Snapshot to your device when the list looks right.
- Reload that Snapshot next time you upload a new export — your filters, ignores, and marks will persist.
👉 Upload your export and clean the noise once — for good.
FAQ
Q: Does this mean all unfollower apps are broken?
A: Most simple list-diff tools are. DontFollowBack handles both formats and lets users manually filter what machines can’t guess.
Q: Are my Snapshots safe?
A: Yes. They’re stored locally on your device — not uploaded anywhere.
Q: What if Instagram changes again?
A: You’ll still have your Snapshot. Upload the new export, reload your Snapshot, and the app restores your clean baseline automatically.
Final Word
Instagram’s export update flooded everyone with false positives and deactivated ghosts.
We built a way through it — not by guessing, but by giving users control.
Clean once. Save it. Reload anytime.
Your data stays yours, and your results stay accurate.
👉 Try it now and see the difference.