How to reset your Instagram algorithm and Explore page

1. Reset suggested content

Meta announced this in late 2024. It’s in the Instagram app (iPhone and Android), not on a computer.

1. Tap your profile picture at the bottom right.
2. Tap the menu (three lines) at the top right.
3. Under What you see, tap Content preferences.
4. Tap Reset suggested content.
5. Tap Next and follow the steps. Instagram shows you the accounts you follow (and your ad topics, if you have any) so you can tidy them up first.
6. Tap Reset suggested content to confirm.

A reset can’t be undone. It doesn’t change who you follow or the ads you see, and Meta keeps your data. What it clears is the picture Instagram has built of what to suggest, so Explore and Reels start broad and get personal again as you use them.

2. Clear your search history (optional)

Searches feed suggestions too. Go to your profile, tap the menu, then under How you use Instagram, tap Your activity, then Recent searches, then Clear all. Meta is moving this setting, so on some accounts it’s under Meta Account (or Accounts Center) in the same menu, then Your information and permissions, then Search history.

Cleared searches can come back if you search for the same thing again.

3. Steer it from here

The first few days after a reset matter most, because Instagram is learning fast.

• Not interested. On anything you don’t want, tap the three dots (on a reel, they’re at the bottom right) and tap Not interested. From there you can also stop suggestions from that account, or snooze all suggested posts in your feed for 30 days.
• Your algorithm. In Reels or Explore, tap the icon at the top right (two lines with hearts). Under What you want to see less of, tap Add + and type a topic. You can also add topics you want more of. Instagram says this is still rolling out and may not be available to everyone.
• Sensitive content. In Content preferences, set Sensitive content to Less. See Instagram’s sensitive and political content settings.
• Words. Tell Instagram not to suggest posts with certain words: see how to block words on Instagram.
• Watch what you want. Instagram learns from what you like, share and linger on. A few long looks at the old stuff will pull it right back.

What a reset doesn’t fix

A reset clears suggestions, nothing more:

• Accounts you follow are untouched. If they post about something you’re tired of, it stays, unless you unfollow or mute them.
• It starts learning again right away. The same habits rebuild the same feed.
• “Not interested” and Your algorithm mean “less”, not “never”. Neither is a promise that a topic won’t appear.
• It’s per app and per account. It doesn’t touch Facebook or Threads, and it only works in the Instagram app.

Questions