On Instagram, each follow request sent to a private account remains pending until its owner accepts it. These requests do not appear in a dedicated tab of the app, making it difficult to check them. There are two methods to find them: navigating through the account settings and exporting data via the Account Center.
Pending follow requests on Instagram: what the app doesn’t show
Instagram distinguishes between two types of accounts. Public accounts automatically accept any new follower. Private accounts, on the other hand, place each request in a queue that only the account holder can approve or ignore.
The problem lies with the sender. No notification indicates that a request has been pending for weeks. And the app does not provide any tab listing the requests sent. The only visible clue is the “Requested” button that replaces “Follow” on the relevant profile, but one must remember each visited account.
To see the follow requests sent on Instagram, you need to go through a less intuitive path that most users are unaware of: the account data settings or file export.
Accessing requests via the Instagram Account Center settings
The most direct method goes through the Account Center, accessible from the mobile app and the web browser. This path has replaced the old route “Settings > Security > Access Data” used until 2023.
Steps on mobile (iOS and Android)
- Open your Instagram profile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal bars) in the top right, then select “Settings and Privacy”.
- Scroll down to the “Account Center”, then enter “Your information and permissions”.
- Select “Access your information”, then look for the section “Connections” or “Followers and following”: the list of pending follow requests appears in this section.
This process works the same way via a web browser by logging into instagram.com. The “Account Center” section is identical on both platforms.
Why the old path no longer works
Several guides still online describe the path “Settings > Security > Access Data”. Instagram has gradually migrated these functions to the Account Center, which centralizes data from all linked Meta accounts (Instagram, Facebook). If you are following an old tutorial and the “Security” option leads nowhere, it means your app has already switched to the new architecture.
Instagram data export: retrieving a complete history of requests
Consulting in the app gives an overview of ongoing requests, but data export provides a usable file with the complete history. This method is slower (the file may take several hours to generate) but offers traceability that the standard interface does not allow.
Request only the relevant section
Instagram now allows you to select the categories of data to export. There’s no need to download your entire account. When requesting an export, choose only the “Followers and following” section in the connection options. The file will be generated much faster than a complete export.
The path is as follows: Account Center > Your information and permissions > Download your information. Select the JSON or HTML format according to your preference. The HTML format opens in a browser, while JSON can be read with a text editor or spreadsheet.
Once the file is received (via notification in the app or by email), open it and look for the section “pending_follow_requests” or “pending follow requests”. Each entry contains the username of the account and the date the request was sent.
Cancel an Instagram follow request from the retrieved list
Finding your requests is only useful if you can act on them. Cancelling a request is done directly from the profile of the relevant account: go to their profile, tap the “Requested” button, then confirm the cancellation.
Data export does not allow for bulk cancellation. Each request must be handled individually in the app. For accounts that regularly send requests (prospecting, competitive monitoring), periodic cleaning helps avoid accumulating dozens of forgotten requests.
One point to keep in mind: cancelling a request and then resending it generates a new notification for the recipient. If a private account has intentionally ignored your first request, resending the same one may be perceived as intrusive.
Technical limits and confidentiality of sent requests
Instagram does not allow you to know if a request has been declined or simply ignored. The displayed status remains “pending” in both cases, without distinction. Only the disappearance of the “Requested” button (replaced by “Follow”) indicates a refusal, but you must manually return to the profile to see it.
Third-party applications that promise to list your pending requests generally require your login credentials. No external application officially accesses this data via the Instagram API. The risk of account compromise is real with this type of service.
The path via the Account Center and data export remain the only two reliable methods. The first is sufficient for a quick check, while the second is suitable when the volume of sent requests exceeds what can be verified manually, profile by profile.
