Instagram Explore Page: How It Picks Posts and Resets
The Instagram Explore page shows photos and reels from accounts you don’t follow, picked using factors such as the accounts you follow, posts you’ve engaged with and your connections. In the app it’s Search & Explore, in the bar at the bottom (the layout can differ by app version and region); on a computer, Explore is on the left. Not interested and Reset suggested content reshape it.
The first half is for creators who want to appear there, the second for anyone who wants a different feed, all from Instagram’s own help pages. Explore is one tab of many; our Instagram walkthrough handles the rest. Brands looking for creators to partner with start with the same in-app search, by keyword and hashtag: see how to find influencers for your brand.
Table of Contents
- What and where Explore is
- How Explore chooses posts
- How to get on Explore
- Why posts never appear
- Changing what you see
- Resetting Explore
- FAQ
What is the Explore page on Instagram, and where is it?
Explore is Instagram’s page of recommendations from accounts you don’t follow, meant to help you discover new things. Instagram’s phone help calls it Search & Explore and says you open it at the bottom of the app; on a computer, you click Explore on the left. Checked against Instagram Help Center: How posts are chosen for Explore on Instagram
A Meta post on 29 September 2025 said DMs would move to the center of the navigation bar and Reels to the second tab, without saying where Search & Explore goes, so the layout can differ by app version and region. Checked against Instagram Help Center: How posts are chosen for Explore on Instagram (location re-read)
How does Instagram choose what’s on your Explore page?
Instagram says machine-learning models suggest the posts you’re most likely to be interested in or engage with, across Feed, Reels and Explore. Its help pages name these factors:
- Your activity, including posts you’ve liked or engaged with
- The accounts you follow and your connections
- How popular a post is and when it was posted
- How often people interact with the account
- Your device type and your activity on Threads
Checked against Instagram Help Center: How Instagram determines which posts appear as suggested posts.
Suggested posts aren’t ads from businesses, Instagram adds. How Explore weighs these signals against Feed and Reels is in our guide to the Instagram algorithm.
How to get on the Instagram Explore page (what Instagram says)
Instagram documents eligibility, not a shortcut, and says eligibility doesn’t guarantee your content will be recommended. Three documented checks come first:
- Is the account public? If it’s private, only approved followers see your posts in Search & Explore. Checked against Instagram Help Center: How posts are chosen for Explore on Instagram
- Does Account Status say you can be recommended? A professional account can see there whether its content may be recommended to non-followers. If it isn’t eligible, none of its content is recommended, though followers still see it. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Recommendation eligibility on Instagram
- Does the post fit the Recommendations Guidelines? They keep some allowed content out of recommendations, including Explore: unoriginal content repurposed with only minor edits, low-quality content, content rated false by fact-checkers, and long captions unrelated to the content. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Recommendations on Instagram
To open Account Status on iPhone (Android’s steps are the same):
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below More info and support, tap Account Status.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Check your Account Status on Instagram.
Reel or photo? That choice is covered in Instagram reels vs posts.
Why your posts may never appear on Explore
Beyond the checks above, Instagram documents three reasons: repeated guideline breaches, bought likes and reels it shows less often. An account that repeatedly posts content against the Recommendation Guidelines may be made harder to find in Search and Explore rather than removed. Checked against Instagram Help Center: When Instagram accounts don't show up in search Instagram also avoids recommending accounts that repeatedly bought likes to build a following, so buying likes works against you. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Recommendations on Instagram
For reels, Instagram says it shows them less often when they’re muted, blurry or low resolution, carry borders, logos or watermarks, are mostly covered by text, or aren’t original. Checked against Instagram Help Center: What kind of reels you may see on Instagram
If your reach dropped suddenly, our Instagram shadowban guide walks through Instagram’s checks; getting found through search instead is covered in Instagram SEO.
How to change what you see on Explore
Tell Instagram what you don’t want with Not interested, hide posts by keyword, set the Sensitive Content Control, or tune your interests, before you reach for a full reset.
| Control | What it does | Where it lives | Timing and undo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not interested | Shows you fewer posts like that one | Options on a post; in Explore, tap and hold a post | — |
| Interested | Tells Instagram you like a recommended Explore post | The three dots on the post | — |
| Hide posts with certain words | Hides suggested posts whose hashtags or captions contain words, phrases or emojis you list | Not Interested, then Don’t suggest posts with certain words | Up to 24 hours to apply; phone app only |
| Your Algorithm (Tune your algorithm) | Shows the interests shaping Reels, Explore and Feed; add topics to see more or less of | The icon in the corner of Reels or Explore | Tap an interest, then Remove interest |
| Sensitive Content Control | Sets how much potentially upsetting content you see from accounts you don’t follow | See Instagram’s article below | Standard by default; teen accounts start on See less |
| Snooze | Pauses all suggested posts in your Feed (the article names Feed only) | Not interested on a suggested Feed post | 30 days |
| Reset suggested content | Clears your suggestions across Explore, Reels and Feed | Menu, then Content preferences | Can’t be undone |
Instagram’s iPhone steps for Not interested, which Android shares; the computer article gives none:
On iPhone:
- On the post, tap Options, then select Not Interested.
- In Explore you can also tap and hold a post, then tap Not interested.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Hide an Instagram post that you're not interested in.
Sources for the rest of the table: hiding words Checked against Instagram Help Center: Stop seeing suggested posts with certain words on Instagram; Interested and the reset’s scope Checked against About Meta newsroom: Reshape Your Instagram With a Recommendations Reset (19 November 2024); the Sensitive Content Control Checked against Instagram Help Center: About Sensitive Content Control on Instagram; Snooze Checked against Instagram Help Center: Hide suggested posts in your Instagram Feed.
Your Algorithm’s status depends on the page you read: the Help Center still calls it a test that may not be available to everyone. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Tune your algorithm on Instagram Instagram’s announcement, updated 10 June 2026, says it’s live across Feed, Reels and Explore globally in English. Checked against About Instagram: Introducing a new way to see and control your algorithm (10 December 2025, updated 10 June 2026)
How to reset your Instagram Explore page
Reset suggested content clears what Instagram recommends to you so it can start fresh. It can’t be undone, doesn’t change who you follow or the ads you see, and won’t delete your data; suggestions become personalized again as you like, share and interact. Meta began testing the reset on 19 November 2024 and said it would soon roll out globally. Checked against About Meta newsroom: Reshape Your Instagram With a Recommendations Reset (19 November 2024)
The steps match on iPhone and Android; the computer version of Instagram’s article has no steps:
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below What you see, tap Content preferences.
- Tap Reset suggested content.
- Tap Next and follow the instructions on the screen. You'll be given the option to review who you follow and your ads topics.
- Tap Reset suggested content.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Reset your suggested content.
Every control above lives inside Instagram. Planning the posts themselves is a separate job. Where Outfeed AI, which we make, comes in:
Line up your next Instagram post in Outfeed AI
Instagram Explore page FAQ
How do I get on the Instagram Explore page?
Instagram documents eligibility, not a shortcut. Explore recommends posts from accounts the viewer doesn’t follow, and a private account’s posts show in Search & Explore only to approved followers. A professional account can check in Account Status whether its content can be recommended, and Instagram notes that eligibility doesn’t guarantee a recommendation.
How do I reset my Instagram Explore page?
In the app, go to your profile, tap Menu, tap Content preferences below What you see, then tap Reset suggested content and follow the prompts. The reset can’t be undone and doesn’t change who you follow or the ads you see. Suggestions become personalized again as you like, share and interact.
Why is my Explore page showing content I don’t want?
Explore recommends posts from accounts you don’t follow, based on factors including the accounts you follow, posts you’ve liked or engaged with and your connections. To change it, tap Not interested on posts, hide suggested posts with certain words, adjust the Sensitive Content Control, or reset suggested content.
Where is the Explore page on Instagram now?
Instagram’s Help Center says you open Explore at the bottom of the app, where the phone version calls it Search & Explore, and from Explore on the left on a computer. Meta announced navigation bar changes in September 2025 without saying where Search & Explore goes, so the layout can differ by app version and region.