How to Verify Mastodon Migration Completed for All Followers

Moving your Mastodon account to a new instance requires migrating your followers. The process is not instant. It relies on a server-to-server handshake that can take hours or even days to complete. This article explains how to confirm every follower has successfully moved to your new account.

Mastodon uses the ActivityPub protocol to send a Move activity from your old account to every instance that follows you. Each remote server processes this request independently. If a server is offline or slow, the migration may stall for that follower. You need a method to verify completion rather than just trusting the process.

Below you find the exact steps to check your follower list, compare it with the old account, and identify any stragglers. You also learn what to do if some followers did not transfer.

Why Mastodon Follower Migration Is Not Instant

Mastodon follower migration works by sending a Move activity from your old account to every server that hosts one of your followers. The Mastodon server that you left sends this activity to each remote instance. Each remote instance then updates its records so that the follower now follows your new account instead of the old one. This process is asynchronous. A remote server might be temporarily unreachable, rate-limited, or running an older version of the software that handles Move activities differently. As a result, some followers may not be moved until the remote server processes the activity, which can take from a few minutes to several days.

You cannot speed up the migration from your side. The only way to guarantee completion is to wait and then verify. Mastodon does not send you a notification when all followers have been moved. You must check manually using the methods described below.

Steps to Verify Follower Migration Completion

Follow these steps in order. Do not skip any step. Each step checks a different aspect of the migration.

1. Check the old account profile for the move notice
   Log into your old account if you still have access. Go to your old profile page. Look for a notice at the top of the profile that says “This account has moved to @username@newinstance.social.” If you do not see this notice, the migration has not been initiated. Return to Preferences > Account > Move to a different account and complete the move again. If you see the notice, the move was sent.
2. Verify the old account profile is locked or redirected
   After a successful migration, your old account should show a banner message and the profile should be set to private or locked. Check that new followers cannot follow the old account. On the old account, go to Preferences > Account > Profile settings and confirm that “Lock account” is enabled. This prevents new followers from accidentally following the old account instead of the new one.
3. Compare follower counts between old and new accounts
   Open your new account profile in a browser. Note the follower count displayed. Then open your old account profile. Compare the two numbers. They should be identical. If the new account has fewer followers, the migration is still in progress or some followers were lost. Wait 24 hours and check again.
4. Export the old follower list as CSV
   If you still have access to the old account, go to Preferences > Import and Export > Export data. Click the “Download” button next to “Following list.” This downloads a CSV file containing the accounts that the old account follows, not the followers. To get the follower list, you need to use the Mastodon API or a third-party tool. Alternatively, you can view the follower list on the old account profile page and manually compare it with the new account’s follower list. For a large follower count, use the Mastodon API endpoint /api/v1/accounts/{id}/followers to retrieve the list programmatically.
5. Cross-reference followers on the new account
   Open your new account’s follower list. Scroll through the list and compare it with the list from your old account. Look for any known followers that are missing. If you find a missing follower, note their handle and the instance they are on. You can then send a direct message to that follower asking them to manually follow your new account.
6. Use a third-party tool to compare follower lists
   If you have a large number of followers, manual comparison is impractical. Use a tool like FediCheck or Mastodon Follower Checker. These tools compare the follower lists of two accounts and report any discrepancies. Search for “Mastodon follower migration checker” to find a current tool. Follow the tool’s instructions to input your old and new account handles. The tool will display a list of followers that did not migrate.
7. Wait 48 hours and repeat the comparison
   If some followers are missing, wait 48 hours and repeat the comparison. Some remote servers process Move activities on a delayed schedule. After 48 hours, if followers are still missing, you need to take manual action.

If Mastodon Migration Did Not Complete for Some Followers

Missing followers from a specific instance

If you notice that all followers from a particular instance are missing, that instance may be blocking Move activities or may be offline. Check the status of that instance by trying to load a post from that instance. If the instance is reachable, send a direct message to the administrator of that instance asking them to process the Move activity manually. You can find the admin contact on the instance’s about page.

Follower count on new account is zero

If your new account shows zero followers after migration, the Move activity may not have been sent correctly. Log into your old account and go to Preferences > Account > Move to a different account. Enter your new account handle again and submit. Wait 24 hours and check the follower count again.

Follower count matches but some followers are different

It is possible that the total follower count matches but the actual followers are different. For example, some followers may have unfollowed your old account and then followed your new account manually. To verify, compare the actual handles of the followers as described in step 5 above.

Mastodon Follower Migration Verification Methods Comparison

Item	Manual Profile Check	CSV Export Comparison	Third-Party Tool
Time required	5 minutes	30 minutes to 2 hours	5 minutes
Accuracy	Low — only checks count	High — checks each follower	High — automated comparison
Requires old account access	No	Yes	No
Handles large follower lists	No	Yes, but tedious	Yes
Can detect missing followers by instance	No	Yes	Yes

Once you have verified that all followers have migrated, you can safely delete your old account. Go to Preferences > Account > Delete account. Confirm the deletion. After deletion, the old profile will show a “This account has been deleted” notice. Your followers will remain on your new account. For future migrations, consider exporting your follower list before initiating the move so you have a backup reference. The CSV export from the old account’s follower list is the most reliable way to verify completion if you have access to the old account.