Recommendation controls guide
Instagram Your Algorithm: Change What You See
Instagram's Your Algorithm panel lets you inspect and edit the topics shaping recommended posts. Your recommendations update across Feed, Reels, and Explore, but the change does not guarantee any particular post, creator, or result.
Published and reviewed by the Roastagram team ·
Change a recommendation topic
- Open Reels or Explore in the Instagram mobile app.
- Tap the upper-right icon that looks like two lines with hearts.
- Read the AI-generated summary and the interests attached to it.
- Choose topics to see more or less of, or type a new topic to add.
- Review the results across several sessions instead of judging one refresh.
Instagram also points to Settings and activity, then Content preferences, as another route. The current Help Center says the control is available on mobile devices, not computers.
Use a topic you can name
A visible run of beach and ocean images suggests a concrete interest such as coastal life, kayaking, or beach photography. "Lifestyle" says much less. When you edit your own recommendations, start with the subject you want to spend time with, then make it specific enough to separate it from everything else in the feed.
Treat the list as a preference, not a promise. Instagram says the topics influence recommendations; it does not say adding one topic forces every post into that category or removes every neighboring subject.
One edit now follows you across three surfaces
Instagram expanded the control to Explore on April 15, 2026, then announced global English availability across Feed, Reels, and Explore on June 10. The company describes it as one unified system. A topic changed in Reels can therefore alter recommended content elsewhere rather than staying inside that tab.
That scope still has boundaries. Stories are not named in the current rollout. Topic preferences also differ from recommendation eligibility, which tells a professional account owner whether public content may be recommended to non-followers.
Do not reduce a whole account to one label
A live bio may emphasize music while recent posts also cover work, personal updates, or current events. A useful recommendation topic can describe one reason to see a post without defining the person behind the account. Remove a topic because you want less of that subject, not because you think the label proves the creator's identity or intent.
Creators face the same limit in reverse. Clear names, captions, and visible subjects can help a visitor understand a post, but Instagram has not published a recipe that guarantees classification or reach. Use the Instagram SEO checklist for clarity, then measure actual results in Insights.
Audit the result without inventing a ranking test
Write down the topic you changed and the date. Over the next week, note whether recommended posts in Feed, Reels, and Explore better match that choice. Keep followed-account posts and ads out of the sample because the topic control is described around recommendations.
For your own public profile, ask a separate question: can a new visitor name the subject of each post from the image, opening words, and caption? The profile audit checks that visible promise without claiming access to Instagram's private classification systems.
Sources and freshness
The cross-surface rollout, access icon, AI-generated topic summary, and add or remove controls were checked September 26, 2026 against Instagram's Your Algorithm announcement, updated June 10, 2026, and Meta's live Tune your algorithm Help Center page. The Help Center page shows a 2026 copyright notice but no material-update date, so this guide records the check date.
Your Algorithm questions
What is Your Algorithm on Instagram?
Your Algorithm shows an AI-generated summary of topics influencing your recommendations. You can ask to see more or less of a topic or add a new interest.
Where can I find Your Algorithm?
Open Reels or Explore and tap the icon with two lines and hearts in the upper-right corner. Instagram also lists it under Content preferences in Settings and activity.
Which parts of Instagram change when I edit a topic?
Instagram says one topic system now updates recommendations across Feed, Reels, and Explore. It does not describe the control as a switch for every post or every account you follow.
Can creators see the topics other people choose?
Instagram's public guidance does not offer creators a list of another person's topic choices. Use Insights and Account Status for the information Instagram actually makes available to an account owner.
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