01
The short answer
Mutual, Following only and Followers only are overlapping views of two source sets: Followers and Following. The counts make sense when you combine the correct groups for the total you are checking.
Followers total = Mutual + Followers only.
02
How do the three groups relate?
- Mutual: present in both Followers and Following.
- Following only: present in Following but not Followers.
- Followers only: present in Followers but not Following.
Because Mutual belongs to both source sets, it is used once when rebuilding each respective total.
03
How do you rebuild the Following total?
Add Mutual + Following only. Those are all accounts that appear in your imported Following data.
Followers only should not be added to the Following total because those accounts are not present in Following for that snapshot.
04
How do you rebuild the Followers total?
Add Mutual + Followers only. Those are all accounts that appear in your imported Followers data.
Following only should not be added to the Followers total because those accounts are not present in Followers for that snapshot.
05
Why might the totals still differ from Instagram?
The export is a snapshot rather than a live query. If the account changed after the export was created, the live Instagram totals can differ from the imported totals.
Read why your Instagram follower count can differ from your export for that case.
06
What if the imported math itself still looks incomplete?
Check that the Followers and Following files belong to the same profile and export set, and make sure all split follower-related file parts were included.
If source records appear missing, read Instagram data export not showing all followers?.
Use the contact form if the source files appear complete but the calculated result still looks incorrect.