Instagram no longer offers a centralized list of subscription requests sent from the app. The old path “Settings > Security > Access Data” was removed between 2023 and 2024, replaced by a data export procedure hosted in the Meta Account Center. Most tutorials circulating still refer to menus that no longer exist.
Instagram Data Export: The Only Reliable Access to Sent Requests
Since the redesign of the Meta Account Center, viewing sent subscription requests now involves downloading a file. The process starts in the profile settings, then “Account Center,” “Your Information and Permissions,” and finally “Download Your Information.”
The generated file contains a folder named followers_and_following. Inside, two pages stand out: “recent_follow_requests” and “pending_follow_requests” (or their French equivalent “demandes_de_suivi_en_attente”). These files list the accounts to which a request has been sent, whether it is still pending or has already been processed.
A detailed guide explains how to view sent requests on Instagram by following each step of this export procedure from the Account Center.
The export now allows you to choose a specific date range: last week, last month, or since the account was created. This option avoids downloading the entire history when only recent requests are needed. The file can be sent directly to the device or to a cloud service, an improvement over the old exports limited to email delivery.
Why Instagram Removed the Direct List of Subscription Requests
Meta has not officially communicated the reasons for this removal. However, several contextual elements shed light on this decision.
The general trend at Meta is to centralize personal data management in one place (the Account Center), common to Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. In this logic, direct access to sent requests in the app has been replaced by the export tool, which is more compliant with GDPR obligations and data portability laws.
This centralization has a side effect: it makes information less accessible. A user who simply wants to check if their request to a private account is still pending now has to initiate an export, wait for the file to be generated, and then open a JSON or HTML folder. The process remains simple, but it takes a few minutes where a dedicated screen would have taken a few seconds.
Pending Requests on a Private Profile: What the Export Doesn’t Always Reveal
The data export distinguishes recent requests from pending requests. The distinction matters. A “recent” request may have already been accepted or declined. A “pending” request is still active, the targeted account has not yet responded.
Field reports differ on one point: some very old requests no longer appear in the export, even when selecting “all time.” The available data does not allow for a conclusion on whether this is an automatic server-side cleanup or a limitation of the export format.
- Requests manually canceled by the user generally do not appear in the exported file, as they are deleted at the time of cancellation.
- Requests declined by the recipient account may appear in “recent_follow_requests” but not in “pending_follow_requests,” as they are no longer pending.
- Accepted requests disappear from the “pending” section and move to the standard subscriptions list.
To quickly check if a specific request is still pending without going through the export, it is still possible to visit the concerned profile. If the button shows “Pending” or “Requested,” the request has not yet received a response.
Third-Party Apps and Follower Trackers: Limited Reliability
Several apps on the App Store and Play Store promise to track sent subscription requests, unfollows, or interaction history. Their operation relies on data accessible via Instagram’s API, the scope of which has been significantly reduced in recent years.
In practice, no third-party app has access to the list of pending requests via the official API. Apps claiming otherwise either use scraping (a violation of the terms of service) or capture data stored locally on the device, with the associated security risks.
- Apps like “IG tracker” detect changes in the follower list, not sent requests.
- Giving your Instagram credentials to a third-party app exposes the account to a risk of suspension, as Meta has tightened its policy on detecting unauthorized logins.
- The data displayed by these tools is often delayed by several hours, or even days, compared to the actual state of the account.
Check a Sent Request on Instagram Without Export: The Quick Method
The export remains the only way to obtain a complete list. However, for a one-time check, the most direct method is to open the profile of the targeted account.
If the profile is private and the button shows “Requested” or “Pending,” the request is still active. If the button shows “Follow,” the request has been declined or canceled. If the profile displays content normally, the request has been accepted.
This manual check leaves no visible trace for the account owner. Visiting a profile to see the status of a request does not generate a notification. The owner of the private account only sees the request itself in their list of received requests, not visits to their profile.
The data export procedure, despite its few minutes of delay, remains the only reliable tool to provide a complete overview of sent requests over a given period. As long as Meta does not reintroduce a dedicated screen in the app, this dual approach (manual profile-by-profile check, export for an overview) covers all use cases.