How to scrape Threads
Tags: threads, instagram, socialmedia
Published: 2023-10-18 08:13:55

---
title: How to scrape Threads
published: true
date: 2023-07-18 22:00:00 UTC
tags: threads, instagram, socialmedia
canonical_url: https://blog.apify.com/how-to-scrape-threads/
---

Threads app has become a game changer for social media in 2023, reaching an astonishing [100 million users](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/10/threads-meta-twitter-zuckerberg/) in the first five days of launch. Thats as many people as the population of Egypt or Vietnam 🤯

And although growth in the number of Threads users is reported to be [beginning to slow down](https://gizmodo.com/engagement-instagram-threads-falls-meta-blocks-vpn-eu-1850640519?utm_campaign=Gizmodo&utm_content=Giz%20News&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3h8l64xvLijuz4fW7OgM8-0eq5e_GCIWxe9WhcRt6QZhd4SS7W9YzOeW0), and despite the report of Instagram-like [restrictions](https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/942250-threads-censorship-censoring-users-free-speech-conservatives) on freedom of speech, frustration over Twitters recent API policies could keep fueling Threads user acquisition.

For [web scraping](https://apify.com/web-scraping), because Instagram and Threads users share usernames across both platforms, scraping Threads is an untapped opportunity for sentiment analysis, research, and understanding customer behavior. Its also the easiest example of doing comprehensive cross-platform social media scraping since the profile names are the same.

So since social media scraping is one of the most common business cases for data extraction, weve prepared an early-bird tutorial for Threads. In this blog post, we'll show you how to use a web scraping tool to scrape Threads and get as much public data as the Threads rate limits will allow us. Lets get on with it!

## **📲 What Threads data can I get using this scraper?**

Here's the contact data you can get using [Meta Threads Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/threads-profile-api-scraper) 🔗


* 🌐 Profile URL and ID
* 📷 Picture URL and ID
* 👤 Username
* 📛 Full name
* 🔢 Follower count
* 📝 Bio and bio link

## **🔍 How to scrape data from Threads app**

### **Step 1. Choose Meta Threads Profile Scraper**

Let's head over to [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store?ref=blog.apify.com), our library of more than 1,000 ready-to-use tools able to get any data from the open web. Try searching for 'meta there, and you'll find the right tool. Use [Meta Threads Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/threads-profile-api-scraper) 🔗. It is basically an unofficial version of Threads API which is free to try. Click the **_Try actor_** button.

![How to scrape Threads: Step 1. Choose Meta Threads Profile Scraper](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/scrape_Meta_Threads_data.png)

**_Step 1. Choose Meta Threads Profile Scraper_**

If you dont have your Apify account yet, all you need to sign up is your email address, Gmail, or GitHub account. And the best part is, you can try our Threads Scraper for free right away.

![How to scrape Threads: Sign up to scrape Threads for free](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Screenshot_2023-07-19_at_13.01.21.png)

**_Sign up to scrape Threads for free_**

### **Step 2. Add Threads usernames**

Head over to the Threads app and pick the profiles you want to scrape. Copy and paste each username into the scrapers input. You can add as many profiles as you want using the **+**  **Add** button, or upload a whole list at once using the **Bulk edit** button nearby.

![How to scrape Threads: Step 2. Add Threads usernames](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/extract_data_from_instagram_threads.png)

**_Step 2. Add Threads usernames_**

### **Step 3. Click Start to begin scraping**

Once you click the **Start** button, you'll see the output as the data begins to come in while our Threads scraper tool is operating, but it won't be done until the status changes to _Succeeded_. We've got our results in a total of just 20 seconds!

![How to scrape Threads: Step 3. Click Start to begin scraping](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Threads_Profiles_extract_data.png)

**_Step 3. Click Start to begin scraping_**

### **Step 4. Download Threads data**

Once the data extraction is complete, you can view and download the extracted Threads data in Excel, JSON, CSV, and XML. You can now click the **Storage tab** -> **Export** button to download your data.

![How to scrape Threads: Step 4. Download Threads data](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Screenshot_2023-07-18_at_15.19.54.png)

**_Step 4. Download Threads data_**

![How to scrape Threads: Same data but as HTML table](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Threads_API.png)

**_Same data but as HTML table_**

You can also clean and preprocess the scraped data before downloading it by removing any irrelevant information. Here, in our example, we only want username, full name, follower count, and some other details such as bio and URL in our dataset. In order to export only that data, well choose the relevant tags from the list of **Selected fields** before downloading them.

![How to scrape Threads: clean and preprocess the scraped data before downloading it](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Screenshot_2023-07-19_at_12.10.10.png)

**_Clean and preprocess the scraped data before downloading it_**

### **Step 5. Bonus: export Threads data via API**

If you dont want to download the data but plug it directly into your app or project after extraction, you can use the Apify API option. Go over to Storage and click on the **API** button in the top-right corner. There you can explore multiple API export options, so choose **Get output**.

![](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Meta_Threads_data-1.png)

![](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Export_Threads_data_via_API.png)

**_Step 5. Bonus: export Threads data via API_**

If you need to, you can also see all API Endpoints and API Client tokens in Apify Console.

![How to scrape Threads: API Endpoints and API Client tokens in Console](https://blog.apify.com/content/images/2023/07/Threads_API_token.png)

**_API Endpoints and API Client tokens in Console_**

## ❓**FAQ**

### ⚖️**Is it legal to scrape Threads data?**

Since they all belong to the same company, when extracting data from Threads, the same rule applies to scraping Facebook or Instagram. The safest is to make sure that you are not extracting personal data (even if its publicly available for anyone on the web) or at least that you have a good reason to do that. For more information on the topic of ethical scraping, see [the article from our lawyers](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/).

### **🛡 Do you need proxies to scrape Threads?**

You generally need proxies to have a successful and generally reliable scraping process nowadays. But in the current situation with Threads app, you cant even use it if youre from the EU for example, let alone scrape it. So there are at least two major reasons you do need proxies for scraping Threads. We recommend using [residential proxies](https://blog.apify.com/types-of-proxies/#proxies-based-on-location-of-ip-address) as the most reliable way to go about scraping anything from Meta in 2023. Fortunately, our [free plan](https://apify.com/pricing?ref=blog.apify.com) offers a **free trial of residential proxies** , so you can fully test this scraper tool on getting data from Threads, Instagram or Facebook.

### **📹 Can I download Threads videos?**

Yes, apart from the Meta Threads Profile Scraper that this tutorial is about, there are several other tools available for scraping Threads or similar content from different platforms. Here are a few examples:


* [💬 Meta Threads & Replies Scraper](https://apify.com/lexis-solutions/meta-threads-replies-scraper)

* [📩 Instagram Threads Scraper](https://apify.com/mscraper/instagram-threads-scraper)

* [📲 Meta Threads Scraper](https://apify.com/tiger_king/meta-threads-scraper)

* [📹 Threads Video Downloader](https://apify.com/epctex/threads-video-downloader)

These tools are just a few examples, and there may be other specialized Thread scrapers available in the future. We always recommend exploring the available options and choosing a tool that aligns with your scraping needs.

### **🎂 Can I scrape both Threads users and Instagram users?**

Yes. You can scrape both Threads users and Instagram users since they share the same usernames and profiles. By using scraping techniques, you can extract data from both platforms simultaneously and get insights into user profiles and their activities on both Meta platforms. You may want to check out our [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-profile-scraper) as well.

> ❓[**How to extract contact details from Google Maps**](https://blog.apify.com/how-to-extract-emails-from-google-places/)
[Download Google Maps contact details in Excel.](https://blog.apify.com/how-to-extract-emails-from-google-places/)
**Learn how to extract emails, social profiles, phone numbers and addresses from Google Maps**