How To Reset the Instagram Explore Page

Dave Johnson August 28, 2023

Instagram is a great platform to spot new trends. With an enormous number of users creating new content daily, there are endless photos and reels to view. Daily users of Instagram are familiar with its Explore page. Instead of endless scrolling through your feed to see what those you follow have posted, the Explore page shows you varied content. What you’ll see is a mix of uploads from accounts you follow and some you don’t. This can make your entire Instagram experience much more enriching.

You would think that the content available to you would be interesting and entertaining, but sometimes it feels like you are shown the same reels, photos and videos over and over again. Fortunately, there’s a way to reset your Instagram explore page and get it to show you different content. If you’re tired of the same old thing, make sure you read through to the end of this article.

Resetting the Instagram Explore Page on an Android Device

Sometimes, the Instagram algorithm can get stuck. Instead of varying the content daily on the Explore page, it shows you the same things, or perhaps content you aren’t interested in. If you’ve had this unpleasant experience, you’re not alone. Fortunately, you can reset your Explore page, resulting in new and varied content. There are two different methods you can use.

This first method can be time-consuming, but it’s the best way to teach the algorithm what your likes and dislikes are. Here’s how to do it.

Launch the Instagram app.
Navigate to the “Explore” page by tapping on the magnifying glass icon.
Tap on a post that doesn’t interest you.
Press on the three dots icon in the post’s upper-right corner.
Click “Not interested.”

Continue to do this for all the posts that have content you don’t like and fairly soon your explore page should be a better reflection of your interests.

There’s another method to reset your Instagram Explorer page to ensure you only see the type of content you’re interested in. Although not as accurate at retraining the algorithm, it will help to reset it. If you prefer this much faster way, follow the steps below.

Open your Instagram app.
Tap on your “Profile Photo” located in the bottom-right corner.
Click on the three vertical lines icon and then select “Settings.”
Choose “Security” and then “Clear search history.”
Located in the top-right corner, select “Clear all.”

Once you’ve done that, the algorithm will begin to base what it shows you on the Explore page on what type of content you view. This method clears the algorithm and starts the process over again.

Resetting the Instagram Explore Page on iOS

If you’re a regular user of Instagram, then you’re familiar with the Explore page. This page is where you’ll find photos and videos from all different types of creators. Some will be from accounts you follow, others from users you may not know. What’s shown to you is based on what the Instagram algorithm thinks you would be interested in viewing. It predicts your past viewing history and the different topics or hashtags you’ve searched for.

This is not a perfect system, and your Explore page may not always show you content that interests you. There is a way to reset this and begin seeing content more to your liking. If you mostly see photos and videos that you have no interest in, you can make a few easy changes to begin seeing content that more fits your interests.

The first method is the best way to retrain the Instagram algorithm to teach it what you dislike. It is time-consuming but well worth the effort. Here’s how you do it.

Launch the Instagram app on your iPhone.
Click the magnifying glass icon to navigate to the Explore page.
Scroll through the list of suggested posts and click on one that doesn’t interest you.
Select the three dots icon in the post’s upper-right corner.
Press “Not interested” to alert the algorithm that you don’t like the post.

There’s another way to achieve the same goal and is much quicker. It’s not as efficient as the above method, but it works fine. This process will wipe clean the algorithm, causing it to relearn your viewing and searching preferences. To use this technique, follow the steps outlined below.

Open the Instagram app.
Click on your profile photo in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Tap the three vertical lines icon and choose “Settings.”
Press “Security” and then “Clear search history.”
Hit “Clear all” in the top-right corner.

You’ve now erased your search and view history. This will cause the algorithm to start fresh. You should see a difference in your Explore page posts. The more you search and view the types of posts you like, the better the chances are of your Explore page suggestions showing you appropriate content.

FAQ

How does Instagram decide what posts to display on my Explore page?

Instagram’s Explore page uses an algorithm that displays posts on your Explore page that it believes will interest you the most. This is based on a number of different factors. It looks at things like how many likes and comments a post gets and how many times it’s been shared. Other factors include whom you follow, which types of posts you interact with the most, and your search history.

Is there a way to see which topics Instagram thinks I’m interested in?

Yes, there’s a way to see this information, but it’s buried a bit deep in your settings. Instagram uses this data to determine which ads you’d be most interested in. There isn’t a way for you to modify this list, but you can view it. If you’d like to learn how to do this, follow these instructions.

1. Launch Instagram.

2. Press the three vertical lines icon and then pick “Settings.”

3. Click on “Accounts Center.”

4. Scroll down to the bottom and under the heading “Ad Preferences.”

5. Click “Ad Topics.” You’ll see a long list of topics the algorithm thinks you are interested in.

As part of Instagram’s User Agreement, it has the right to collect information about your account. Part of this information is to generate a list of users’ interests that it can use to sell to its advertisers.

Kickstart Your Instagram Explore Page With a Reset

If you’re not seeing posts on your Instagram Explore page that interest you, there’s a way to change it. You can reset the page by selecting the posts you don’t like and letting the app know that you don’t like them. Although it can take some time to select them one by one, this method is very efficient. The fastest method is to clear your viewing history, which wipes the algorithm slate clean.

Have you reset your Instagram Explore page so you’ll see more relevant posts? Did you use the same methods outlined in this article? Leave a comment in the comments section below.