See Your Pending Follow Requests on Instagram
Every follow request you've sent that hasn't been accepted — with the date you sent it. No Instagram login and no risk to your account.
Why you can't see sent follow requests in Instagram
Instagram shows you the follow requests other people send you, but not the ones you've sent. There's no screen in the app that lists them. If you asked to follow a private account months ago, the only trace is the Requested button on their profile — and only if you remember to look.
Those requests don't clear themselves, either. Each one stays pending until the other person accepts or deletes it, or you cancel it. Over time they pile up: accounts you requested once and forgot about, people who never responded, and profiles you're no longer interested in.
How to see your pending follow requests with Nonfollowers
- Request your Followers and following export from Instagram in JSON format for All time, and download the ZIP when it's ready.
- Upload the ZIP to Nonfollowers — there's no need to unzip it.
- Open Pending Follow Requests. You'll see every request that's still waiting, with the date you sent it. Tap a username to open their Instagram profile.
Unlike tracking unfollowers, this works from a single upload — there's no baseline to build first. Your very first upload shows every request that's pending right now. New to the export? Here's how to download your Instagram data step by step.
What the list tells you
- Requests you forgot about. Old requests to accounts you're no longer interested in, still sitting in someone else's inbox.
- Requests being ignored. The date shows how long each one has been waiting. A request that's been pending for months is unlikely to be accepted.
- Who can still see your request. Everyone on the list still has your request in their own follow requests until they act on it or you cancel it.
How to cancel a pending follow request
Nonfollowers shows you the list; cancelling happens in Instagram itself, one request at a time:
- Tap the username in Nonfollowers to open their Instagram profile.
- Tap Requested.
- Confirm if Instagram asks. The button switches back to Follow, and your request disappears from their list.
Instagram doesn't notify the other person when you cancel a request.
Why you shouldn't bulk-cancel follow requests
Apps and browser scripts that promise to "cancel all requests" in one go work by acting on your logged-in account at machine speed. Hundreds of identical actions in a few minutes is exactly the pattern Instagram's spam systems are built to catch, and the usual result is an action block — or worse, if the app had your password.
Instagram doesn't publish a limit for cancelling requests, so pace it the way you'd pace unfollowing: a few dozen a day, spread out. Our guide to safe daily unfollow limits covers the numbers.
One export, everything in it
Pending requests come from the same export Nonfollowers uses for everything else. From one file you can find who doesn't follow you back, and once you upload again you can see who unfollowed you on Instagram in between. Upload regularly and it works as an ongoing Instagram follower tracker. No password, and nothing for Instagram to flag.
Pending follow requests FAQ
Can you see sent follow requests on Instagram?
Not inside the app — Instagram has no screen that lists the requests you've sent. Upload your Instagram data export to Nonfollowers and you'll see every request that's still pending, with the date you sent it.
How do I cancel a follow request I sent on Instagram?
Open the person's profile, tap Requested, and confirm if Instagram asks. The button switches back to Follow and your request disappears from their list.
Does someone know if I cancel my follow request?
Instagram doesn't send a notification when you cancel a request. If they had already seen it before you withdrew it, though, they may still remember it.
How do I know if someone declined my follow request?
Instagram doesn't tell you. If a request is no longer pending and you don't follow them, it was declined or the account is gone — their profile shows Follow again instead of Requested.
Do Instagram follow requests expire?
Instagram doesn't document any expiry. A request stays pending until the other person accepts or deletes it, or you cancel it — which is why old requests quietly pile up.
Is it safe to check my pending follow requests with Nonfollowers?
Yes. You never enter your Instagram password, and nothing logs into your account — Nonfollowers reads the export you downloaded yourself. The iOS and Android apps don't even need an account.