Instagram following list order: what it means and what it doesn't
By the Stalkie teamUpdated · 5 min read
Quick answer
On someone else's profile, Instagram's following list isn't in chronological order: Instagram ranks it for whoever is looking, so accounts you both follow tend to come first and the order changes between visits. Only your own list can be sorted by date followed.
The most common guess about Instagram is that the first names in a following list are the people someone followed last. It's right often enough to be convincing and wrong often enough to cause real misunderstandings.
This guide explains how the order works on your own profile and on other people's, which beliefs about the order don't hold up, and how to get a timeline that doesn't depend on guessing.
On your own profile, you choose the order
Your own Following list has a sort option. Default is the order Instagram picks, Date followed: Latest puts your newest follows on top and Date followed: Earliest puts the oldest first.
- Open your profile and tap Following.
- Tap the sort option at the top of the list.
- Pick Date followed: Latest or Date followed: Earliest.
The wording can vary a little between app versions, but the option only ever shows up on your own list.
On someone else's profile, Instagram chooses
Another account's Following list has no sort option and no dates. Instagram ranks it for the person looking, which has three practical consequences:
- Two people see different orders. You and a friend can open the same list at the same time and not see the same names at the top.
- Accounts you both follow tend to come first. The top often says more about your own network than about theirs.
- The order moves. The same list can look different from one visit to the next, and between the app and the browser.
On small lists, the top sometimes does look like newest first, which is where the belief comes from. It doesn't hold up on larger lists, and nothing on screen tells you when it does.
And the followers list?
The list of people who follow a profile works the same way on someone else's account: no dates and no promised order. To know who recently started following a profile, you also have to compare that list over time.
Three beliefs about the order that don't hold up
| Belief | What actually happens |
|---|---|
| The top of the list is who they followed last | Only sometimes, on small lists. Instagram doesn't promise any time order. |
| The top of the list is who they talk to most | The ranking is built for the viewer. A name near the top says more about your connections than theirs. |
| The bottom of the list is their oldest follows | Not reliably. The order isn't chronological at either end. |
How to get a real timeline
Since the list carries no dates, a timeline has to be built from the outside: record the list, record it again later and compare. A name that wasn't there before is a new follow; one that disappeared is an unfollow.
By hand, this works on short lists; see how to see who someone recently followed for the steps. A tracker does it several times a day and dates each change by when it was spotted, which gives you the order Instagram doesn't show.
- @sample.profile started following @studio.exampleToday, 3:10 PM
- @sample.profile started following @maria.exampleYesterday, 11:25 PM
- @sample.profile unfollowed @old.band.exampleMonday, 8:40 AM
Newest first, as a tracker lists them; times show when each change was spotted.
Apps and extensions that promise chronological order
Some tools say they show someone's following list in chronological order. None of them can read a follow date that Instagram doesn't publish. The honest ones build the order the same way: by keeping copies of the list and noting when each name first appeared. So:
- The history starts when tracking starts. Follows from before that moment can't be dated.
- It only works on public profiles. A tool that promises a private profile's list is lying or asking for something it shouldn't.
- It doesn't need your password. Reading a public list doesn't require your Instagram login; see how to choose a safe tracker.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Instagram following list in chronological order?
Only on your own profile, if you sort it by date followed. On other people's profiles, Instagram ranks the list for the viewer and shows no dates.
Are the first people on someone's following list the ones they followed last?
Sometimes, on small lists, but not reliably. Accounts you both follow tend to come first, and the order changes between visits.
Why does the order of someone's following list keep changing?
Because Instagram ranks it for each viewer and refreshes that ranking. A new order doesn't mean the person followed or unfollowed anyone.
Does the top of the list mean they interact with those accounts a lot?
Not necessarily. The ranking is made for you, the viewer, so the top often reflects your own connections.
Can I sort someone else's following list by date?
No. The date sort only exists on your own Following list.
How can I see who someone followed most recently?
Compare their public following list over time, by hand or with a tracker that checks it several times a day and dates each change.