How to Use the Instagram Auto Unfollow

Before you start

• Awareness of safe usage:
  • Instagram is strict with automation. To avoid restrictions, keep your unfollows very low: max 1 per hour, with no more than 5 per launch, and spread them out during office hours.

Step 1: Connect your Instagram account

To let the Phantom act on your behalf:

1. Install the PhantomBuster browser extension and connect your Instagram session in one click.
2. If you’re not using Chrome or Firefox, you can retrieve your session cookie manually (see our cookie guide).

Step 2: Provide the profiles to unfollow

Tell the Phantom which Instagram profiles you’d like to unfollow. You can:

1. Paste a single Instagram profile URL.
2. Provide a Google Sheet with Instagram profile URLs (make sure it’s shared with “Anyone with the link”).
3. Upload a CSV file with Instagram profile URLs (make sure it’s publicly accessible, and note that CSV upload is only available on paid plans).

→ If you’re using a spreadsheet, the Phantom defaults to the first column (A). To use a different column, enter the column’s header name in the field “Name of column containing profile URLs.”

Step 3: Configure unfollow settings

Choose how the Phantom should handle unfollowing:

1. Unfollow action (optional):
   • Unfollow
   • Unfollow only if they don’t follow you
2. Delay between loading each profile in seconds (optional):
   • Default = 2 seconds.
   • Increase if you need more natural pacing.
3. Number of profiles to process per launch (optional):
   • Default = 1.
   • Maximum = 5 per launch.
   • To stay safe, we recommend:
     • No more than 1 unfollow per hour, spread across multiple launches.
     • Do not exceed a total of 200 unfollow actions per day across all your launches, regardless of how many profiles you process per launch.
4. Exclude private profiles (optional):
   • Enable to skip unfollowing accounts that are private.

Result file settings (dropdown in setup)

1. Name your results file (optional)

   • You can customize the file name.

     If you rename the file between launches, the Phantom will create a new results file and start processing inputs from scratch.

2. Fields to keep (optional)
   • Export only the fields you care about by listing them (comma-separated).
     Example: profileName, followersCount, status.
   • This generates a second CSV file with just those fields.
   • Learn more in our guide: Customize how your Phantom results files are saved.

Step 4: Select launch frequency

Choose how often the Phantom should run:

1. Launch manually: Start the Phantom yourself whenever you need.
2. Launch once at a specific time: schedule a one-time run at a set date and time.
3. Launch repeatedly: schedule regular runs (e.g. once per day, several times during working hours).
4. Launch after another Phantom: chain automations together so this Phantom starts right after another finishes.
5. Advanced scheduling: customize the exact minutes, hours, days, or months when the Phantom should run.

→ For a complete walkthrough of scheduling options, see our guide to scheduling Phantoms automatically.

Step 5 (Optional): Advanced settings

Advanced settings are available if you want to fine-tune how your Phantom runs, but by default they’re already optimized for most use cases.

We recommend leaving them as they are unless a guide specifically instructs you to change something.

→ For a detailed overview of all advanced options (like execution limits, retries, email notifications, proxies, webhooks, and file management), see our Advanced settings guide.

Launch and results

When you’re ready:

1. Click Launch to start your Phantom.
2. Once it finishes, open the Results tab in the Phantom console to see the data collected.
3. Download your results as a CSV or JSON file.

→ To learn how to export your data to Google Sheets, integrate with other tools, or reuse it in more automations, check our Access and Export your Phantom Results guide.

Export and input limits on the Free plan
If you’re on the Free plan or Free trial, some features are limited:
- CSV exports include only the first 10 rows of results.
- CSV download links (for dynamic viewing in Google Sheets or integrations) are not available.
- JSON exports are not available.
- CSV upload as an input method is not supported.
To unlock all features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

What you give (Input) and What you get (Output)

This section gives you a detailed breakdown of everything you need to provide to run this Phantom, and everything you’ll receive once it completes.

What you give (Input)

What you get (Output)

Tips and troubleshooting

Common pitfalls

• Using a private spreadsheet (make sure it’s set to “Anyone with the link”).
• Private accounts: If you enable Exclude private profiles, the Phantom will skip them.
• Steady results: Multiple small, spaced-out launches are always safer than one large run.
• Error during unfollowing → You might see “Couldn’t click on Unfollow button” if Instagram temporarily blocks unfollow actions. Learn how to fix this error.

If you run into errors or account issues

• Check how to troubleshoot your phantom using Logs.
• Browse the Fix Issues & Troubleshoot Errors section for solutions to common problems.
• Review our Automation Rate Limits by Platform guide.
• Check our Best Practices for Social Media Automation guide.

Suggested automations

You can combine the Instagram Auto Unfollow Phantom with other Phantoms to build safer, more effective engagement strategies:

• Instagram Follower Collector Phantom → Instagram Auto Unfollow Phantom
  First collect all the accounts you’re following (or who follow you), then use the Auto Unfollow Phantom to remove them in bulk, applying filters like “only if they don’t follow back.”
• Instagram Auto Follow Phantom → Instagram Auto Unfollow Phantom
  Combine the Auto Follow Phantom and Auto Unfollow Phantom to test follow/unfollow strategies. For example, follow new accounts in your niche, then later unfollow those who don’t engage.
• Instagram Post Scraper Phantom → Instagram Auto Unfollow Phantom
  Scrape accounts posting under certain hashtags, follow them for engagement, and later use Auto Unfollow Phantom to keep your account’s follow ratio balanced.
• Instagram Profile Scraper Phantom → Instagram Auto Unfollow Phantom
  Gather detailed info about the accounts you plan to unfollow (bio, post count, follower count) before deciding who to remove.