How to see who someone recently followed on Instagram (2026)
Updated 30 September 20264 min read
For years you could open a profile, tap Following and read the newest accounts at the top. That is no longer the case. This guide explains what changed, what you can still find out and how to do it in under a minute.
What you can and cannot see in the Instagram app
When you open another person's Following list in the app, Instagram arranges it for you personally. Accounts you also follow and accounts you interact with tend to appear first. The account that was followed yesterday can sit anywhere in the list.
Only for your own profile does Instagram offer a sort option. On your own Following list you can switch between the default order and the date you followed each account. For any other profile this option does not exist.
Step by step with FollowScope
You need the exact username of a public account. You do not need an Instagram login and nothing has to be installed.
- Open the start page and type the username without the @ sign. The username is the handle in the profile address, not the display name.
- Leave the mode on Latest Following and press Search.
- Read the list from top to bottom. The first row is the account that was followed most recently.
How to read the result
You get up to five rows. Each row shows the username, the display name if the account has one, and whether the account is public or private. A private account in the list only means that its own content is hidden. The fact that it was followed is still visible on the public profile you looked up.
The result is a snapshot of the moment you searched. If the person follows someone new an hour later, a new search shows that account in the first row.
Limits you should know
The search is honest about what it cannot do.
- Private accounts cannot be looked up. You get a clear notice instead of a result.
- Exact dates are not shown. Instagram does not publish when a follow happened, only the order.
- One search per day is free. More searches need Premium.
- Very new follows can take a short while to appear.
Common mistakes
Most failed searches come from a typo or from using the display name. If the search says the account does not exist, open the profile in Instagram and copy the handle from the top of the screen. Failed searches do not use up your free search.
Try it with a username
One search per day is free. No Instagram login needed.