Social Media · Instagram and Meta Accounts Center

Find and Cancel Sent Follow Requests on Instagram

Source-checked 2 September 2026About 10 minutes plus export time

Answer

Instagram does not provide one button that cancels every pending follow request. Request an export of your Followers and following information in Accounts Center, open the pending follow requests list in the downloaded files, then visit each profile and select Requested to cancel that request. Remove requests individually so you can verify each account.

Before you continue

Export the listChoose Followers and following in Accounts Center.
Protect the fileThe download contains private account information.
Cancel individuallySelect Requested on each profile you no longer want to follow.

Open Meta's information export page Open Instagram Help Center

Open Accounts Center

In Instagram, open your profile, the three-line menu, and Accounts Center. Choose Your information and permissions. You can also open Meta's export page in a browser.

Open Meta's information export page

Start an information export

Choose Download or transfer your information, or the current Export your information label. Select the intended Instagram account.

Choose only the needed data

Select Some of your information, then Followers and following. Choose a date range and an easy-to-read format such as HTML if those choices are offered.

Download the finished export

Wait for Meta to prepare the file, then download it from the official notification or Accounts Center. Keep the archive private.

Open the pending requests list

Unzip the download and look inside the followers and following section for pending follow requests. Labels and folder names can vary between exports.

Cancel each unwanted request

Open each username in Instagram, select Requested, and confirm the cancellation if asked. Repeat only for accounts you recognize from the exported list.

If it does not work

If the export option has a different name, look under Accounts Center > Your information and permissions for Download, transfer, or export wording.
If the archive does not include pending requests, request Followers and following again with the broadest useful date range.
Do not upload the export to a third-party cancellation tool or give another site your Instagram password; cancel requests in Instagram itself.

Sources and verification

Checked against official documentation on 2 September 2026. Scope: Instagram and Meta Accounts Center.

The written steps follow the current official pages linked below. The saved video is an older walkthrough and may show different labels.