To start over, use Reset suggested content: go to your profile, tap the menu (three lines), then Content preferences and Reset suggested content (Meta). It clears what Instagram suggests in Explore, Reels and Feed at the same time. For smaller changes, tell Instagram what you want to see more or less of, right on the posts.
Reset your Explore page
- Go to your profile and tap the menu (three lines).
- Tap Content preferences. In some versions of the app it sits under Settings and activity > What you see (Metricool).
- Tap Reset suggested content and confirm.
- Instagram then shows the accounts you follow, so you can unfollow some before the reset finishes. This step is optional (Meta).
The steps are the same on iPhone and Android. The reset doesn’t delete your data and doesn’t change the ads you see (Engadget). After it, suggestions start fresh and adjust again as you like, save and watch posts.
Change Explore without a full reset
- Not interested or Interested. On a post in Explore, tap the three dots and choose one of them (Meta).
- Your Algorithm. Shows the topics Instagram thinks you like, and lets you add or remove them. It started in Reels, where you open it with the icon of two lines with hearts (TechCrunch), and it came to Explore in April 2026 (Social Media Today).
- Hidden Words. Hides posts with words or phrases you choose in the caption (Meta).
- Sensitive content. Choose Less, Standard (the default) or More. Teen accounts get stricter limits by default (Meta).
Snoozing suggested posts for 30 days works in Feed only, not in Explore (Metricool).
How Explore picks posts
Instagram says it doesn’t have one single algorithm. For Explore, Adam Mosseri listed these signals, roughly from most to least important (Instagram):
- The post: how many people are liking, commenting, sharing and saving it, and how quickly.
- Your activity in Explore.
- Your history with the account that posted.
- Information about that account.
So the most direct way to shape Explore is through what you do there: open, like and save the kind of posts you want, and mark the rest Not interested.
Does clearing search history reset Explore?
Older guides, including an earlier version of this one, said so. Search history isn’t on Instagram’s list of Explore signals, and we found no official statement that clearing it changes Explore. You can still clear it for privacy: profile > menu > Your activity > Recent searches > Clear all (AirDroid).
Posting yourself and want to show up in Explore? See how to grow on Instagram, including how to stay eligible for recommendations.
FAQ
Does the reset also change Reels and Feed?
Yes. It clears suggested content in Explore, Reels and Feed together.
Will resetting unfollow anyone?
Only if you choose to. The reset shows the accounts you follow, and unfollowing is optional.
Will it change my ads?
No. Meta says the reset doesn’t change how ads are shown to you.
Why does my Explore page show things I don’t like?
Explore mixes posts that are popular right now with posts close to what you’ve interacted with. Mark the ones you don’t want Not interested, check your Sensitive content setting, or reset.