Explore

Meta’s November 2019 research description of Explore explained how accounts a person had interacted with could lead to similar accounts and possible posts to recommend14. Meta’s research account published by its Transparency Center in June 2026 distinguishes posts from authors the viewer has engaged with from posts similar to photos and videos they have engaged with16. That Meta research account describes several methods for finding possible recommendations, rather than a single way to assemble the pool16.

Meta’s research account published by its Transparency Center in June 2026 describes an initial Explore pool of up to 1,500 photos and videos16. In that Meta research account, an early ordering stage compares information about the viewer and the media using a two-part machine-learning model, then narrows the pool toward the top 100 candidates16. Meta’s engineering team’s August 2023 account describes further ranking and final adjustments involving predicted interactions, whether content is suitable to recommend and variety in the results, rather than selecting solely for expected engagement15.

Instagram’s Help Center says that only approved followers can see a private account’s shared photos, videos and Reels in Search and Explore13. To check whether content is eligible—allowed to be considered—for recommendations to non-followers in places such as Explore, Instagram for Creators points to Account Status; Mosseri’s December 2022 instructions placed it under Profile, Settings, then Account520. Mosseri’s statement that Meta Verified included increased Explore reach referred specifically to a February 2023 subscription test in Australia and New Zealand, not an unrestricted promise about the service21.

Instagram for Creators says engagement within Explore matters most for Explore itself, because different parts of Instagram have different recommendation systems19. Instagram’s September 2026 Reels guide says Reels that perform well can appear on Explore12. Mosseri explained in September 2024 that a clear Reel cover helps someone understand what they will get when tapping from Explore or a profile, but usually has only a marginal effect because most Reel reach comes from elsewhere22.

Meta’s Newsroom says viewers can open an Explore post’s three-dot menu and select “Interested” or “Not interested” to respond to a recommendation8. Instagram says viewers can hide multiple Explore posts at once and that selecting “Not interested” asks Instagram to avoid similar recommendations in Reels, Search and other places too9. Instagram’s Hidden Words control accepts words, emojis or hashtags to avoid in recommendation captions, rather than requiring viewers to reject each matching post individually924. Sensitive Content Control changes how much potentially sensitive material Instagram tries to filter, making it a preference about recommendations rather than a report that a particular post breaks Instagram’s rules710.

Instagram says viewers can open Your Algorithm from Reels or Explore by tapping the upper-right icon showing two lines with hearts11. The page displays an AI-generated summary of topics influencing the posts and recommendations they see11. Viewers can ask for more or less of an existing interest or add a new topic, and Instagram says those choices update recommendations across Feed, Reels and Explore without separate adjustments for each11.