How to see who unfollowed you on TikTok: 3 ways that work
TikTok doesn't tell you when someone unfollows you, and there is no list of past unfollowers anywhere in the app or in your data download. You can still find out. Below are the three ways that work, what each one can and can't show, and why apps that ask for your TikTok login are a different kind of risk.
Short answer: to check one person, search your own Followers list. To see everyone who doesn't follow you back, download your TikTok data and open it in a TikTok unfollower tracker that runs in your browser. To see who actually unfollowed you, compare two downloads from different dates.
A note up front: we make UnfollowTool, which covers ways 2 and 3. We describe the limits of each way as plainly as we can.
Why TikTok makes this hard
- No unfollower list. Your Followers list shows who follows you now. Once someone leaves, nothing in the app records that they were there.
- Not in the data download either. TikTok's data download contains your follower and following lists, each entry with a username and a date, but no record of who unfollowed you.
- No list for outside apps. Apps that use "Log in with TikTok" can read your follower count, but TikTok's developer API gives them no list of accounts.
So every method works by comparing: your followers with the accounts you follow, or today's followers with an earlier snapshot. "Doesn't follow you back" and "unfollowed you" are different lists. The first also includes creators, brands and people who never followed you at all.
The 3 ways at a glance
| Question | 1. By hand | 2. One download | 3. Two downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shows | Whether one account follows you | Everyone who doesn't follow you back | Who unfollowed you between the two dates |
| Your password in a third-party app | No | No | No |
| Waiting time | None | TikTok says up to a few days | Two downloads, weeks apart |
| Cost | Free | Free with UnfollowTool | Free with UnfollowTool |
Way 1: Check by hand
If you suspect one or two specific people, you don't need any tool:
- Open TikTok and tap Profile.
- Tap your Followers count to open the list and look for the person's username.
- If they're not there, they don't follow you anymore.
TikTok calls followers you follow back Friends. If someone you follow drops out of your Friends, one of you stopped following the other.
An account that is missing from your followers hasn't necessarily unfollowed you. It may have been deleted or banned, or its owner may have blocked you. If you can't open the profile at all, one of those is more likely than an unfollow.
Good for: a handful of names. Not good for: finding out who, out of hundreds of followers, left.
Way 2: Your data download
TikTok lets you download a copy of your account data, including your follower and following lists. Request it under Profile → Menu ☰ → Settings and privacy → Account → Download your data, select all data, choose JSON and tap Request data. When it's ready, download the ZIP from the Download data tab within 4 days. Our guide to requesting your TikTok data covers every step, including tiktok.com on a computer.
Then select the ZIP in the TikTok unfollower tracker. You don't need to unzip it. The file is read in your browser and compared right there, and you get these lists:
- Don't follow you back: accounts you follow that aren't in your follower list, with the date you followed them.
- You don't follow back: people who follow you that you don't follow.
- Mutual: accounts where you follow each other.
Each list can be searched, sorted and saved as a CSV file. Nothing is uploaded to us, and the tool never contacts TikTok.
What one download can't show: who unfollowed you. It's a snapshot. An account on the "Don't follow you back" list may never have followed you, may have unfollowed you at some point, or may have been deactivated. For a real "unfollowed you" list, you need way 3.
Way 3: Compare two downloads over time
This is the only way to get a list of people who actually unfollowed you without handing your login to anyone:
- Analyze your first download in the TikTok tool with Remember this result on this device switched on (it's on by default). The usernames are saved in your browser only.
- A few weeks later, request a new download from TikTok.
- Analyze the new ZIP in the same browser. The tool compares it with the saved result and adds Unfollowed you and New followers, with the date of the earlier analysis.
Keep in mind:
- "Unfollowed you" also includes accounts that were deleted, banned or deactivated in between.
- Someone who changed their username shows up as one account gone and one new.
- Choose JSON both times. A JSON and a TXT download aren't compared with each other.
- A private window, cleared site data, another browser or another device starts without saved history. You can back up the saved history as a file and restore it elsewhere.
TikTok notes that the last 24 to 48 hours of some data may be missing from a download, so very recent unfollows may only show up next time.
What about apps that log in to your account?
Because TikTok's developer API gives apps no list of followers, an unfollower app that doesn't use your data download has to get the lists another way: with your password, a copied login session, or by collecting data from TikTok's pages.
TikTok's Help Center says it doesn't share your password with third-party apps and advises against linking your account to apps you don't know. Neither TikTok nor these apps publish how often accounts get restricted for using them, so we can't put a number on the risk. If you've typed your TikTok password into another app, change it, turn on 2-step verification under Settings and privacy → Security & permissions, and check Manage devices there for devices you don't recognize.
Common questions
Does TikTok notify you when someone unfollows you?
No. TikTok shows new followers in your inbox, but there is no notification when someone unfollows you, and nobody is notified when you unfollow them.
Can I see who unfollowed me before I started checking?
No, not reliably. TikTok keeps no list of who unfollowed you, and the data download doesn't contain one. Every method can only show changes after the first snapshot. An older TikTok download you still have can serve as that first snapshot.
Does the other person know if I check?
No. Looking through your own followers, requesting your own data and analyzing it on your device are all private.
Why did my follower count drop, but nobody I know unfollowed me?
Counts also fall when accounts are deleted or banned. Comparing two downloads shows exactly which accounts are gone, so you can see whether they were real people. Our guide to spotting fake and bot followers helps with the rest.
Does this work for Instagram too?
Yes, the same idea works with the Instagram data export. See how to see who unfollowed you on Instagram.