Threads User Following Scraper API

Collect the accounts that any public Threads user follows — usernames, full names, verification status, profile pictures and more. Process up to 10 accounts in a single run.

What does Threads User Following Scraper API do?

This Actor looks up one or more Threads users and returns the accounts each of them follows, with profile details for every entry.

For each user you provide, the Actor returns a profile summary row followed by individual following rows — one per account they follow. When a profile cannot be read, that user has no summary row and the run says so.

Data you can extract

For the source user (profile row):

• Identity — username, full name, biography, bio links
• Stats — follower count
• Status — verified badge, private account flag, Fediverse federation status
• Media — profile picture (standard and high resolution)
• Profile enrichment — community/interest tags, and the linked podcast (show or episode name, URL and platform) when the profile has one
• Links — profile URL

For each followed account:

• Identity — username, full name
• Status — verified badge, private account flag
• Media — profile picture, plus a flag telling you when it is only a default placeholder
• Links — profile URL
• Metadata — row number within this user's results

How to get your Session ID

This Actor requires a Threads Session ID for authentication.

Option 1: Browser Developer Tools

1. Open threads.com in your browser and log in
2. Press F12 to open Developer Tools
3. Go to Application → Cookies → https://www.threads.com
4. Find the cookie named sessionid and copy its value
5. Paste it into the Session ID field in the Actor input

Option 2: Cookie Editor Extension

You can also use a browser extension such as Cookie-Editor to view and copy cookies. Install it, visit threads.com, and search for the sessionid cookie.

Disclaimer: Cookie-Editor is a third-party extension not affiliated with this Actor. As with any browser extension that accesses cookie data, please review its permissions and use at your own discretion.

Important notes

• Get a fresh Session ID before each run. Session IDs can expire at any time, often without warning. If the Actor cannot confirm your sign-in, it stops and tells you — it will not hand you an empty result and call it a success.

• Use a secondary account. Automated access may cause Threads to flag your account or temporarily restrict it. We strongly recommend using a secondary account rather than your primary one.

• Long lists take longer. Use Max Followed Accounts Per User to cap how much is collected for each account.

Input example

{
    "usernames": [
        "zuck",
        "instagram"
    ],
    "sessionId": "your-session-id-here",
    "maxFollowing": 0
}

Field	Type	Description
usernames	Array	Threads usernames to scrape (1–10). Accepts @username, username, or a full profile URL
sessionId	String	Your Threads sessionid cookie
maxFollowing	Number	Max followed accounts per user (0 = unlimited, default: 0)

Output example

Profile row (item_type: "profile"):

{
    "item_type": "profile",
    "sourceUsername": "zuck",
    "username": "zuck",
    "userId": "63055343223",
    "fullName": "Mark Zuckerberg",
    "biography": "Mostly superintelligence and MMA takes",
    "bioUrl": null,
    "bioUrls": [],
    "profileUrl": "https://www.threads.com/@zuck",
    "profilePicUrl": "https://instagram.fxxx.fna.fbcdn.net/v/...",
    "profilePicHdUrl": "https://instagram.fxxx.fna.fbcdn.net/v/...",
    "isVerified": true,
    "fediverseEnabled": true,
    "profileTags": ["AI Threads", "UFC Threads", "AI", "MMA", "memes"],
    "podcastName": null,
    "podcastEpisodeName": null,
    "podcastUrl": null,
    "podcastPlatform": null,
    "followerCount": 5704823,
    "followingCount": null,
    "postCount": null,
    "isPrivate": false,
    "index": null,
    "scrapedAt": "2026-08-10T05:31:00.000Z"
}

Following row (item_type: "following"):

{
    "item_type": "following",
    "sourceUsername": "zuck",
    "username": "simonsinek",
    "userId": "63068461084",
    "fullName": "Simon Sinek",
    "profileUrl": "https://www.threads.com/@simonsinek",
    "profilePicUrl": "https://scontent-tpe1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/...",
    "isVerified": true,
    "isPrivate": false,
    "usesDefaultProfilePic": false,
    "index": 1,
    "scrapedAt": "2026-08-10T05:31:00.000Z"
}

Field values above are taken from real output and are illustrative — counts and picture URLs change over time.

Output schema

Each run produces two row types in the same dataset:

Field	Type	Profile	Following
item_type	String	"profile"	"following"
sourceUsername	String	✓	✓
username	String	✓	✓
userId	String	✓	✓
fullName	String	✓	✓
biography	String	✓	— ¹
bioUrl	String	✓	— ¹
bioUrls	Array	✓	— ¹
profileUrl	String	✓	✓
profilePicUrl	String	✓	✓
profilePicHdUrl	String	✓	— ¹
isVerified	Boolean	✓	✓
fediverseEnabled	Boolean or null	✓ ²	— ¹
profileTags	Array	✓	— ¹
podcastName	String	✓ ⁸	— ¹
podcastEpisodeName	String	✓ ⁸	— ¹
podcastUrl	String	✓ ⁸	— ¹
podcastPlatform	String	✓ ⁸	— ¹
followerCount	Integer or null	✓	— ¹
followingCount	Integer	always null ³	— ¹
postCount	Integer	always null ³	— ¹
isPrivate	Boolean	✓ ⁷	✓ ⁷
usesDefaultProfilePic	Boolean or null	—	✓ ⁶
index	Integer	null ⁴	✓ ⁵
scrapedAt	String	✓	✓

¹ Only available on the source user's profile row — not included for individual followed accounts.

² null when Threads did not report the federation status for that account. A null means "not reported", not "not enabled".

³ Threads does not publish following count or post count on the profile, so these are always returned as null. They are kept in the schema so the column set stays stable.

⁴ Present in the row but set to null — the field only orders following rows.

⁵ Row number within this user's results (1-based). It is the order the accounts came back in, not a ranking or a position in that user's following list.

⁶ true when the account has not set its own picture, so profilePicUrl points to a default placeholder rather than a real avatar. null when Threads did not report it.

⁷ isPrivate is sourced per row type: on a profile row it is the account's Threads privacy setting — the one that decides whether its following list can be collected — and on a following row it is the account's Instagram privacy setting, which is what the list itself reports.

⁸ Filled when the profile links a podcast. A profile that links a whole show fills podcastName; one that links a single episode fills podcastEpisodeName instead. podcastUrl and podcastPlatform are filled either way. Most profiles link no podcast at all, so empty here is the normal case.

Text fields (username, userId, fullName, profileUrl, profilePicUrl, profilePicHdUrl, biography) are returned as null rather than an empty string when Threads did not supply them.

In CSV and Excel exports the two list columns (bioUrls, profileTags) are spread across numbered columns, one per entry, and are empty on rows where the account has none. bioUrl is simply the first entry of bioUrls, kept for convenience.

How it works

1. Connects to your Threads account with your Session ID and confirms you are signed in
2. Looks up each username and collects their profile information
3. Collects the accounts they follow — usernames, display names, verification status and more
4. Keeps working at the list until it has recovered as much of it as Threads will give up
5. Saves results as they are collected — you can start using the data before the run finishes

Tips for best results

• Check the run log. Each user's line states whether the list finished, hit your limit, may be incomplete, or was stopped early. The closing line breaks the run down by outcome.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a Session ID required?

Threads requires a signed-in session to serve following lists. Without one, the data is not available.

Is it safe to use my Session ID?

Your Session ID is marked as a secret field, so Apify stores it encrypted, and the Actor never writes it to the log or to your results. Even so, we strongly recommend using a secondary Threads account rather than your primary one.

Will I always get every account someone follows?

Not guaranteed. Threads does not always return a following list in full. The Actor works to recover as much of it as it can, and when a list may be short it says so instead of presenting it as finished. Leave maxFollowing at 0 to collect as much as possible.

Can I scrape private accounts?

No. A private account's profile information is returned with isPrivate: true, but its following list is not accessible.

What happens if authentication fails?

The run stops and reports a sign-in error instead of returning an empty dataset. Get a fresh Session ID and try again.

Can I scrape multiple users at once?

Yes — up to 10 usernames per run.

Why does usesDefaultProfilePic matter?

Some accounts have never set a profile picture. Threads still returns a picture URL for them, pointing at a generic placeholder. This flag lets you tell a real avatar from a placeholder instead of downloading identical images.

Integrations

Connect Threads User Following Scraper API with other apps and services using Apify integrations. Export data to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make and many more.

More scrapers

Browse the rest of our social media and web data Actors: apify.com/futurizerush

Disclaimer

This Actor is intended for learning, research and personal use. Please use it responsibly and ethically, and ensure your usage complies with Threads' Terms of Service and with the data-protection law that applies to you.

Threads may update its platform at any time, which could temporarily affect this Actor's functionality. While we actively maintain compatibility, occasional disruptions are possible.

Using a Session ID means providing authentication credentials to the Actor. We strongly recommend using a secondary account, as automated access may result in account restrictions or temporary bans. You are solely responsible for how you use this tool and for any consequences that arise from its use.

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