How to Reset Instagram Reels Recommendations

Your Instagram Reels feed feels off. Suddenly, you're only getting makeup tutorials when you're looking for business tips, or it's nothing but cat videos after your friend showed you one funny clip. This article will guide you through resetting and retraining your Reels recommendations, step by step, so your feed starts showing you content you actually want to see.

Why Your Reels Feed Gets Stuck in a Rut

The Instagram algorithm is a powerful learning machine, but it's not a mind reader. It bases its recommendations on specific signals:

• Watch Time: How long you watch a Reel. Watching a video all the way through, or multiple times, is a strong signal that you liked it.
• Direct Engagement: This includes likes, comments, shares, and especially saves. Saving a Reel indicates a strong interest in similar future content.
• Profile Interactions: If you watch a Reel and then visit the creator’s profile, Instagram takes note.
• Searches: The topics and accounts you search for heavily influence the algorithm's recommendations.

Sometimes, a brief obsession or a week of searching for a specific topic can lock your feed into that category. Your feed isn’t broken, it just learned the wrong lesson and needs a course correction.

Method 1: The Quickest Fix - "Not Interested"

The simplest way to tell Instagram you don't like something is to use the "Not Interested" button. This provides the algorithm with immediate feedback, helping it better understand your preferences.

How to Mark a Reel as "Not Interested":

1. While watching a Reel you're not into, tap the three dots (&hellip,) in the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. A menu will pop up from the bottom. Tap "Not Interested."
3. The Reel will immediately disappear, and you'll see a confirmation message from Instagram saying the video has been hidden. It will also say, "We'll show fewer posts like this from now on."
4. For stronger feedback, you can tap "See Why" and select a reason, such as "See fewer posts from accounts you don’t follow."

Every time you mark a Reel as "Not Interested," you're refining your recommendation tree and making room for new content.

Method 2: Wiping the Slate Clean - Your Activity and Search History

Your past interactions are the data the algorithm uses to predict your future interests. To reset your feed, revisit some of your history by clearing searches and reviewing your past likes and saves.

Clearing Your Search History

Your search history is a powerful signal. Clearing it tells the algorithm to disregard past searches when recommending new content.

Steps to Clear Your Search History:

1. Go to your Instagram profile page and tap the three horizontal lines (☰) in the top right corner.
2. Tap on "Your activity."
3. Scroll down and select "Recent searches."
4. In the top right, you'll see an option to "Clear all." Tap this and confirm.

This removes historical search data, preventing old interests from influencing your Reels feed.

Reviewing Your Past Engagement ("Interactions")

This is the most effective method for a deep reset. Within the "Your activity" hub, you can see every post you’ve liked, commented on, or saved. Unliking or un-saving content that no longer fits your interests is a powerful way to rewrite your data profile.

Steps to Manage Your Past Interactions:

1. Navigate back to the "Your activity" menu.
2. Under the "Interactions" subheading, you’ll see menu items for "Likes," "Comments," and "Saves."
3. Tap on "Likes." You’ll see a grid of all the posts you’ve ever liked.
4. You can sort this by "Newest to oldest" or filter by author or date range. This helps you find batches of content from an old interest quickly.
5. Long-press on one image to enable selection mode, then tap multiple posts to select a group. Tap "Unlike" at the bottom to bulk-remove your likes.
6. Repeat this process for your "Saves."

Focus on the most recent months or specific periods where you focused on a topic you're now tired of seeing.

Method 3: Proactively Training Your New Feed

Resetting is only half the battle. Once you've scrubbed old data, you need to feed the algorithm new, positive signals. Show Instagram what content you value.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Search with Intent: Use the search bar for keywords, hashtags, and accounts related to new interests. For example, search for #graphicdesign if that's your interest.
• Engage Generously (with the Right Content): When a Reel matches your interests, give the algorithm every signal you can:
  • Watch it completely, even twice.
  • Give it a like.
  • Leave a relevant comment.
  • Share it with a friend.
  • Most importantly, save it.
• Follow Relevant Creators: Following new accounts in your desired niche sends a clear message to the algorithm.
• Mute or Unfollow Unwanted Accounts: If your feed still shows unwanted content, mute or unfollow those accounts. This helps improve recommendations.

Myths vs. Reality: What Doesn’t Work

There are common misconceptions about resetting your algorithmic feed.

• Myth: There is a secret "reset" button.
• Reality: No magical button exists. Resetting your Reels feed is a process of curation and training over time.
• Myth: Blocking a few accounts will fix everything.
• Reality: Blocking stops content from a specific account, but doesn't prevent similar types from other creators. Use "Not Interested" for broad topic changes.
• Myth: Reinstalling the app gives a fresh start.
• Reality: User data and interaction history are tied to your account, not your device. Reinstalling the app won't change recommendations.

Final Thoughts

Retraining your Instagram Reels feed is an active process. By consistently telling the algorithm what you don’t like with the "Not Interested" feature and what you love through likes, saves, and watch time, you can create a feed that inspires, entertains, and educates every time you open the app.

A well-curated feed is essential for understanding trends and finding inspiration for your social media strategy. While turning ideas into consistent posting across platforms can be overwhelming, Postbase helps with our visual calendar to plan your video strategy and reliable scheduling to publish seamlessly.

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