- How the Instagram feed decides what to show you
- Showing only people you follow in your Instagram feed
- Hiding an Instagram suggested post from your feed
- Snoozing Instagram suggested posts for 30 days
- Managing Instagram content preferences
- Changing the Instagram feed for business and creator accounts
- What Instagram feed changes won't do
- Instagram feed options at a glance
- Frequently asked questions
To change your Instagram feed, tap Instagram in the top left and choose Following to see only people you follow. To trim what Instagram suggests, tap Options above a post and choose Not interested. Instagram's Help Centre also lets you snooze suggested posts for 30 days and manage content preferences from the Menu.
If your feed feels cluttered, repetitive or full of things you never asked for, you're not imagining it. Instagram mixes posts from people you follow with suggestions, and the balance isn't always what you'd choose. For a small business or creator, a tidier feed is also a better research tool, because you see the accounts you care about rather than a random assortment.
There isn't one switch that rebuilds your feed, so I've pulled together the options Instagram's Help Centre does describe. Some change which posts you see, some trim the suggestions, and one pauses them for a while.
How the Instagram feed decides what to show you
According to Instagram's help pages, when you exit and reopen the app or refresh your feed, the photos and videos predicted to be most relevant to you appear towards the top. Alongside people you follow, you may also see suggested accounts that fit your interests.
Instagram's page on suggested posts says they're based on four things: your activity, your connections, information about the post and information about the account. Your activity includes the accounts you follow and what you've liked, saved, reposted or commented on. So the quickest long-term way to change your feed is to change what you interact with, though that works slowly.
The same page makes one useful clarification: suggested posts aren't ads from businesses. They're Instagram's guesses about what you'd like.
Showing only people you follow in your Instagram feed
This is the biggest single change you can make. Instagram's Help Centre describes a Following view that shows posts and reels only from accounts you follow, with newer posts at the top and older ones as you scroll down.
- Open the Instagram app and go to your feed.
- Tap Instagram in the top left of the screen.
- Tap Following.
If you want to treat Instagram like a timeline of the people you know, this is the view to use. It won't remove suggestions from every other part of the app, but your main feed becomes a list of accounts you chose.
Hiding an Instagram suggested post from your feed
When one particular post doesn't belong in your feed, tell Instagram. The help page for this gives these steps:
- Tap Options above the post in your feed.
- Tap Not interested.
From that Not interested menu, the Help Centre says you can also choose from several options:
- Don't suggest posts from the account, to stop similar suggested posts in your feed.
- Don't suggest posts with certain words, to stop seeing suggested posts that include them.
- Snooze, to pause all suggested posts in your feed for 30 days.
- Manage content preferences, to manage suggested content.
- This post made me uncomfortable, to say that the post made you uncomfortable.
Use these one post at a time. After a few weeks of saying no to the same kind of thing, your suggestions should feel more like you.
Snoozing Instagram suggested posts for 30 days
Snooze is the nearest thing to a break button. It pauses all suggested posts in your feed for 30 days, according to the help page. It's a good choice if you're doing a focused week of work, or if you're tired of a topic that has taken over your feed. It doesn't change who you follow, and you can come back to your settings later.
Managing Instagram content preferences
For a wider reset, Instagram points you to Content preferences. The steps in the Android and iPhone app are:
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- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Content preferences.
Instagram says this is where you manage suggested content that you might see or that you've already hidden. The same help page says the iPad app is different: it points iPad users to Meta's Transparency Centre for more on how the feed is ranked, rather than giving the same steps.
Changing the Instagram feed for business and creator accounts
If you post for a brand, your own feed and what your audience sees are two separate questions. Changing your feed changes what you see. It doesn't change how your followers' feeds treat your content.
What I'd suggest is using the Following view for competitor and customer research, so the posts you're studying are really from accounts you've chosen. Pair it with my guide to improving your Instagram engagement so what you learn feeds into your own posting.
A wider plan helps too. My piece on putting together an Instagram marketing strategy shows where feed research fits in the bigger picture.
What Instagram feed changes won't do
- They work on your feed. The help pages describe ranking by predicted interest, so the order isn't yours to set.
- The steps here are for your feed, so don't expect one tap to change every part of the app.
- They won't change what other people see.
- They take time, because your activity keeps feeding the ranking.
If you're still not seeing the options on this page, update the app. Menu names change between versions, and if you can't find a setting, use the Help Centre or report a problem from inside the app.
Instagram feed options at a glance
| Goal | Where to go |
|---|---|
| See only people you follow | Instagram in the top left of your feed, then Following |
| Hide one suggested post | Options above the post, then Not interested |
| Pause suggestions | Not interested, then Snooze for 30 days |
| Manage suggested content | Profile, Menu, Content preferences |
I keep every related walkthrough in the Instagram Help: 81 Guides to Followers, Hashtags, Money, Accounts and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change my Instagram feed?
Use the Following view to see only people you follow, hide suggested posts with Not interested, or manage Content preferences in the Menu.
How do I see only people I follow on Instagram?
Tap Instagram in the top left of your feed, then tap Following. Instagram's help page says it shows posts and reels only from accounts you follow.
Can I turn off suggested posts on Instagram?
Instagram's help pages describe hiding them one at a time and snoozing them for 30 days. They don't describe a permanent off switch.
Are suggested posts ads?
Instagram's help page says suggested posts aren't ads from businesses. They're based on your activity, connections and information about the post and account.
Where is Content preferences on Instagram?
Tap your profile picture, tap Menu, then tap Content preferences in the Instagram app for Android and iPhone.
