2 September 2025

How to Reset Instagram Explore and Home Feed Easily

Are you tired of seeing the same type of content on your Instagram Explore and Home feeds? Sometimes, the algorithm can get a little too comfortable, serving you content that no longer aligns with your interests. The good news is, you don’t have to live with a feed that doesn’t excite or inspire you. Whether your taste has changed or you’re just curious to explore new types of content, resetting your Instagram Explore and Home feed is easier than you might think.

Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm

To effectively reset your Instagram feed, it’s helpful to understand how the platform decides what to show you. Instagram’s algorithm uses a combination of factors, including:

• Your interaction history – likes, comments, shares, and saves.
• Accounts you follow and your activity with them.
• The type of content you spend the most time viewing.
• Search history and interaction with hashtags.

This intelligent algorithm continuously learns from your behavior and curates your Explore and Home feeds accordingly. But as life evolves, so should your feed. Below, we lay out simple, effective steps to reset your Instagram experience.

Why Reset Your Instagram Feed?

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s look at a few reasons why someone might want to reset their Instagram feed:

• Changed Interests: You’ve started a new hobby or are passionate about new topics.
• Too Much Repetition: Your feed shows the same content repeatedly.
• Irrelevant Posts: You’re being shown posts that don’t resonate with you anymore.
• Clean Slate: You want to start fresh and discover completely new content.

Ready to take control of your Instagram experience? Let’s explore the different ways to reset what you see.

1. Clear Your Instagram Search History

Your search behavior plays a significant role in determining the content you’re shown. To reset this:

1. Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
3. Select Your activity and then Recent searches.
4. Tap Clear All to remove your search history.

Once cleared, Instagram will no longer tailor as much content based on past searches.

2. Manage Your Explore Feed

The Explore feed reflects your recent interactions more than anything else. To reset or change it:

• Use the “Not Interested” Option: On any post in your Explore feed that doesn’t interest you, tap the three dots (…) and select “Not Interested.” Instagram will show you fewer posts like this over time.
• Interact with New Content: Actively like, follow, and comment on posts that are closer to your new interests. The algorithm will quickly adapt.

This might take a few days, but consistency is key. The more you engage with fresh content, the more the Explore tab evolves.

3. Fine-Tune Your Home Feed

The Home feed is influenced by the people and pages you follow, along with their interaction histories. Here’s how to tweak it:

• Unfollow Irrelevant Accounts: Go through the list of people or pages you’re following and remove those that no longer align with your interests.
• Mute Instead of Unfollow (Optional): If you don’t want to unfollow someone, you can tap the three dots on a post and select Mute to hide their posts without causing offense.
• Interact with Desired Content: Start liking and saving posts that better reflect what you want to see.

These actions will quickly retrain the algorithm to prioritize newer content you’ll actually enjoy.

4. Adjust Ad Preferences

Ads are another part of your feed that’s affected by your behavior on the app and outside of it. To adjust the kind of ads you see:

1. Go to Settings > Ads.
2. Tap Ad Topics and choose to show less of the ones that don’t interest you.

This isn’t a complete reset, but it’s useful for avoiding overly repetitive or irrelevant advertising.

5. Use the “Following” and “Favorites” Features

Instagram allows you to customize your feed by organizing how content is displayed:

• Following Feed: Tap the Instagram logo on the top left of your Home screen and choose Following. This shows content in the order it was posted by people you follow, eliminating algorithmic interference.
• Favorites Feed: This allows you to curate a list of accounts you value the most. Tap the Instagram logo, go to Favorites, and start adding key accounts.

Switching between these feeds lets you refresh your daily experience without a full reset.

6. Clear App Cache and Log Out (Advanced)

If you really want a “hard reset,” you can clear Instagram’s cache (on Android) or log out completely:

• Android Cache Clear: Go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage > Clear Cache.
• Log Out & Log Back In: Sometimes all you need is a clean exit to trigger subtle changes in your feed once you start engaging with new content again.

Note: iOS users don’t have a cache-clearing option, but reinstalling the app achieves a similar result.

Bonus Tip: Create a New Account

If none of the above methods feel like enough, it may be time for a complete clean slate. Creating a new Instagram account allows for an entirely new algorithmic profile based on fresh behaviors. You can start by:

1. Logging out of your current account.
2. Clicking on Sign Up for a New Account.
3. Following only the types of accounts you now want in your feed.

This should only be considered if you’re truly ready to abandon the existing network you’ve built, as starting over means losing past content and follower connections.

Final Thoughts: Be Patient With the Algorithm

Instagram’s algorithm does a good job of learning your preferences—but it also takes time. The most effective reset strategy is a combination of the steps above, paired with consistent engagement in the direction of your new interests.

Whether you’re aiming for motivational quotes, photography tips, sustainable living, or just fewer dancing cat videos, you really can train the algorithm to work for you—not against you.

Take control of your Instagram journey today and make your scroll time count!