When you're scrolling through your Instagram feed to see what your friends are having for dinner, who's engaged in college, and which celebrities are mysteriously coy about their relationship status, receiving advice can be an unwelcome intrusion . For reels and accounts to follow. Unless the suggestions are specifically for you — say, you’ve recently started crocheting, and the DIY shag blanket content for you really hits the spot — the suggestions will make your feed feel cluttered and good, rather than like you. Which is to say: Just because you like a post from your best friend in college, doesn’t mean you want to follow their dog’s account. The social media platform doesn't make this explicit, but there's actually an easy way to turn off suggestions on Instagram, which will hide account, post, and reel suggestions from your feed.
While the Suggestions Mute feature isn't permanent—it only lasts for 30 days—it can give you a break from being bombarded with apps' interpretations of your interests, which aren't always accurate. Blocking suggestions can help make Instagram feel more intimate, especially if you prefer a more personalized experience when you log in.
Ready to take a break from the scrolls of your friend’s friend’s dog? Here's how to disable annoying suggestions on Instagram.
Scroll through your feed until you find suggested posts that don't come from accounts you follow. It'll say "Because you liked @RandomAccount123's post," and below are recommended videos that Instagram thinks you'd like to see. Tell Instagram you don't want to see it by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner and then clicking "Not interested." Next, click the clock icon to pause all suggested posts in the feed for 30 days. If you change your mind and think your friend's friend's dog is actually fun and you don't mind seeing suggestions occasionally, just hit "Undo." You'll know when the pause ends because you'll start seeing suggested posts in your feed again.
If you don't mind seeing suggested reels or posts but would like to fine-tune them, you can click "Not interested" or click the X above a post when you see it in the feed. This will help let Instagram’s algorithm know that the suggestion is a failure. If you'd like to be more proactive in managing your interests, you can do so more directly by clicking on the three dots above the suggested posts you like, then clicking "Manage Interests." Next, click "Interested" to pull down a list of topics the app thinks will interest you. You can edit this list by adding and removing topics to increase your chances of getting Reels recommendations you'll be happy to see.
