How to See Sent Follow Requests on Instagram
Last updated: October 12, 2026
Follow requests you send to private accounts stay pending until accepted, and Instagram doesn’t clearly list them in the app. The easiest way to see them and cancel them one by one is to download your own data.
Instagram unfollowersSee who doesn’t follow you back, your sent follow requests and who you unfollowed.Find your pending follow requests
- 1Open “Accounts Center” → “Your information and permissions” → “Export your information” from the ☰ menu.
- 2Choose “Create export”, your account and “Export to device”.
- 3Tick “Followers and following” and export in JSON format.
- 4Upload the downloaded ZIP to our unfollowers tool and open the “Follow requests” tab.
How to cancel a follow request
Tap a username in the list to open the profile. Tap “Requested” and choose “Cancel request”.
The cancelled request also disappears from the other person’s notifications.
Cancelling a lot of requests in a row can look like spam to Instagram. Spreading it over a few days is safer.
Frequently asked questions
Will they see that I cancelled my request?
No, they get no notification. The request just disappears from their notifications.
Do unaccepted requests expire?
No. They stay pending until you cancel them or the other person deletes them.