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How to Convert Instagram Followers JSON to Excel

Import a Meta archive or existing Instagram Followers JSON into Excel with Power Query, then verify nested rows, fields, duplicates, and source files.

Aug 30, 2026Instagram
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If you already have an Instagram Followers JSON file from your own Meta account archive—or another JSON file you are authorized to process—you can convert it to an Excel workbook with Power Query:

  1. Select Data > Get Data > From File > From JSON.
  2. Open a working copy of the file.
  3. Turn the top-level List into a table or enter the relevant Record.
  4. Expand nested Lists and Records until the actual follower fields become columns.
  5. Preserve source columns and load the result into a worksheet.
  6. Verify counts and save a new .xlsx without overwriting the JSON.

This guide starts with an existing JSON file. It does not provide a way to scrape JSON from Instagram. Instagram Follower Exporter does not output JSON; it creates CSV or native XLSX directly.

Preserve the original before opening Excel

Keep the original ZIP and JSON unchanged. Copy the relevant file into a separate working directory, then inspect the first character in a text editor:

  • [ usually indicates a top-level List.
  • { usually indicates a top-level Record.

Search the file for the keys that actually exist. Community archive examples have included string_list_data, value, href, and timestamp, but Meta does not promise that every future archive will use the same names or nesting.

This synthetic example illustrates one possible nested shape:

[
  {
    "string_list_data": [
      {
        "href": "https://www.instagram.com/example/",
        "value": "example",
        "timestamp": 1788048000
      }
    ]
  }
]

Here, the outer List contains Records. Each Record contains another List, and that inner List contains the fields you want. You need to expand more than once.

Step-by-step: import the JSON with Power Query

1. Open the JSON connector

In a desktop Excel version that supports the connector, create a blank workbook and choose:

Data > Get Data > From File > From JSON

Microsoft documents this as the standard local JSON import path. The file opens in Power Query Editor, where automatic table detection may flatten some—but not necessarily all—of the structure.

2. Convert a List or enter a Record

If the preview shows List, choose To Table. If it shows Record, select the field containing the relationship items. Do not load the first preview immediately if it still contains List or Record values.

3. Expand nested columns

Use the expand button on a column of Records. If the resulting column still contains Lists, expand those Lists to new rows, then expand the inner Records.

For a structure like the example above, the useful fields may become:

JSON keySuggested worksheet nameCaution
valueusernameKeep as text
hrefprofileUrlDo not invent a URL when it is missing
timestampsourceTimestampDo not label it follow time without evidence

Select only fields present in the actual file. A missing ID, email address, or phone number must remain missing.

4. Add provenance columns

Add columns such as:

  • sourceFile — the original JSON filename;
  • audience — followers or following when the file scope is known;
  • archiveRequestedAt — the request date you recorded separately.

These columns make it possible to review file parts and avoid mixing Followers with Following.

5. Set data types deliberately

Set usernames, URLs, and long identifiers to Text. Spreadsheet type detection can rewrite long numeric IDs. Preserve a timestamp's raw value, and convert it only after you have verified its unit and meaning.

6. Load and save a new workbook

Choose Close & Load to create a worksheet, then save the workbook as .xlsx. Keep the JSON unchanged beside it or in your archive location.

What if there are several followers_*.json files?

Do not assume the first file contains the whole relationship set. Record every relevant file and its parsed row count.

If all parts share the same schema, Power Query's Folder connector can combine them. Test the expansion logic on one file first, then append all expected parts. Add sourceFile before combining so every row remains traceable.

Microsoft's documentation also notes that malformed JSON, a file that is not really JSON, or JSON Lines can cause a connector error. A parse failure is not an empty follower list. Stop and inspect the source format.

Verify the Excel result

Before using the workbook, record and check:

  1. The Instagram account and archive request date.
  2. Every JSON filename included in the conversion.
  3. The parsed row count for each file.
  4. The combined count before and after any deduplication.
  5. Blank usernames, URLs, or unexpected records.
  6. The deduplication key and a column that preserves the original value.
  7. The final XLSX path and creation date.

The worksheet count is not a live readback of the profile's current follower count. The archive may describe a different preparation time or scope, and the account can change after the request.

What JSON-to-Excel conversion cannot prove

  • It cannot recover followers or fields absent from the source JSON.
  • It cannot turn an unknown timestamp into a verified follow or unfollow time.
  • It does not establish complete historical unfollower activity from one current file.
  • It does not authorize processing another person's private account data.
  • It does not enrich records with email addresses, phone numbers, or demographic attributes.
  • It is not a feature of Web Tidy's exporter; that product outputs CSV/XLSX, not JSON.

If you do not have an archive yet, start with the Instagram Accounts Center Followers Export guide. If you prefer to skip JSON conversion and need a bounded table from a profile your current session can access, read Free Instagram Follower Export.

For the wider set of official, extension, hosted, and developer methods, see How to Export Instagram Followers.

Frequently asked questions

Can Excel open JSON directly?

Excel versions with the Power Query JSON connector can import it through Get Data. JSON is not itself an Excel workbook, so use the editor to expand the structure and load a table.

Why does Power Query show only List or Record?

Those are structural values. Convert a List to a table or enter a Record, then expand nested values until actual fields appear as columns.

Is followers_1.json a permanent Meta filename?

No. It is a filename observed in user archives, not a stable contract. Inspect the actual extracted directory and include every relevant part.

Is the JSON timestamp the time someone followed me?

Do not assume that. Preserve the raw value and use a neutral name such as sourceTimestamp until authoritative context verifies its meaning.

Can Instagram Follower Exporter create JSON?

No. Its current outputs are CSV and native XLSX. This conversion guide is only for an official Meta archive or another JSON file you already have and are authorized to process.