How to See Sent Requests on Instagram
By Kushagra Kumar, founder of Shre. Updated 1 July 2026.
Instagram does not put your outgoing requests front and center, so it is easy to lose track of who you have followed or messaged that has not responded yet. The good news is the information is there if you know where to look.
This guide shows where to find the follow requests and message requests you have sent, and how to cancel them. Menus move around between app versions, so treat the paths below as a close guide rather than an exact map.
To see follow requests you have sent, download your information from Accounts Center, or check the account's profile where a Requested button means the request is still pending. Sent message requests sit in the recipient's Requests inbox until they accept, and you can cancel a follow request by tapping Requested and confirming.
Sent follow requests: where they live
When you follow a private account, Instagram sends a follow request that stays pending until the person approves it. Instagram does not show a single tidy list of these in the main app for everyone, but you have a couple of reliable ways to check.
- Check the profile: open the account you followed. If the button still says Requested, your request is pending. If it says Following, it was accepted.
- Download your information: in Settings, open Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions, then Download your information. The export includes a file listing pending follow requests you have sent.
The download is the most complete method because it lists every pending request in one place, though it can take a little time to arrive by email.
How to cancel a follow request you sent
If you followed someone by mistake or changed your mind before they approved, you can pull the request back.
- Open the person's profile.
- Tap the Requested button.
- Confirm that you want to cancel or unfollow.
The person is not notified that you canceled. If they had already accepted, this same button will say Following, and tapping it unfollows them instead.
Sent message requests: how they work
When you DM someone who does not follow you, your message usually lands in their Requests folder rather than their main inbox. Until they accept, it sits there pending.
Instagram does not give the sender a dedicated list of pending message requests, but you can find each one by opening the conversation from your Direct inbox. If the chat shows that the person has not accepted, the request is still waiting. To take it back, you can unsend your messages.
- Open the conversation in Direct.
- Press and hold the message you sent.
- Choose Unsend to remove it.
Unsending removes the message for both sides, which effectively withdraws a pending request if you remove everything you sent.
Tips for keeping track
A few habits make outgoing requests easier to manage.
- Check the Requested button on a profile before sending a duplicate follow.
- Use the data download every so often if you follow a lot of private accounts.
- Remember that unsent DMs cannot be recovered, so only unsend when you are sure.
If you are on the receiving end and want to understand the inbox side of this, see what Instagram Direct is and how to check your DMs.
For businesses sending lots of DMs
If you run a page and reach out to many people, sending manual requests one by one is slow and can look spammy. A cleaner approach is to let people start the conversation and then answer them automatically. Shre sends a direct message when someone comments a keyword on your content, on the official Instagram API, so replies go only to people who asked. See how to DM on Instagram for the basics, or Auto DM for the automated version.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see all my sent follow requests?
The most complete list comes from Download your information in Accounts Center, which includes a file of pending follow requests. You can also check individual profiles for a Requested button.
Does canceling a follow request notify the person?
No. If you tap Requested and cancel before they approve, Instagram does not send them a notification. Steps may vary by app version.
How do I cancel a message request I sent?
Open the conversation, press and hold each message you sent, and choose Unsend. Removing your messages effectively withdraws a pending request.
Why can I not find a list of sent message requests?
Instagram does not give senders a dedicated pending list. You confirm status by opening each conversation in your Direct inbox to see whether it was accepted.
Related
Source and reference: Instagram Platform, Meta for Developers. Shre sends messages through the official Instagram Graph API within Instagram's rules.