How to Clear Instagram Search Suggestions? An A-Z Guide

Clearing your Instagram search suggestions is not just about tidying up your digital footprint; it’s about reclaiming your privacy and streamlining your Instagram experience. 

Especially if you share your device with others, maintaining your privacy becomes paramount. Also, clearing your search field makes it easier to find the profiles or hashtags that matter most to you, without the unnecessary distractions of past searches.

In this blog post, we’re diving into the art of clearing Instagram search suggestions so that you can have a more personalized Instagram experience.

Step-by-Step Guide to Clear Instagram Search Suggestions

You can delete your Instagram search suggestions in two different ways, the first one is by clicking the “X” icon next to each suggestion manually and the second way is by clearing them all by accessing the “search history settings”.

Let me walk you through each process:

Method 1: Delete Search Suggestions Manually

Step 1: Open Instagram and Access Search Suggestions

Open the Instagram app and tap the magnifying glass icon from the bottom menu to access the search suggestions.

Once you’re in the search section, tap on the search field at the top of the screen. If you’ve made searches recently, you’ll see these listed under the Recent section.

Step 2: Delete Individual Search Suggestions

Now, next to each recent search suggestion, you will see there’s an “X” icon. All you have to do is, tap on this “X” icon, and this will delete the unwanted search suggestion for you.

You have to do it for all the search suggestions that you want to remove. This is useful if you only want to remove certain searches from your history. 

But, the manual process can be time-consuming and tedious, especially if you have a long list of search suggestions to clear. 

So, if you have a long list of search suggestions, you should adopt the second method which will help you clear all the search suggestions in one click.

Method B: Clear Search Suggestions via Accessing Instagram Settings

Step 1: Access the Instagram Activity Settings

To clear all search suggestions, you’ll need to access Instagram’s settings. To do this, navigate to your Profile page by tapping on the profile icon at the bottom right of the screen. 

Once you’re on your profile page, tap on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) at the top right corner of the screen.

This will take you to the settings and activity menu. from here, go to the “your activity” section.

Step 2: Clear All Search Suggestions

After selecting the “Your Activity” section, scroll down a bit, find the “Recent Searches” option, and click on it. This will not only show you all the search suggestions in a single place but also will provide you with an option to clear them all.

Now on the top right corner, you will see a “Clear All” button; simply tap on that and this will erase all recent searches made on your Instagram account.

And voila you cleared all your search suggestions.

However, despite clearing your search history, when you click on the search icon, Instagram will continue to provide suggestions based on popular searches, trending topics, and your overall activity on your feed. 

And most of the time, your search feed will be flooded with things that you may not even search at all!

Therefore, cleaning the search suggestions may not fully address the concerns of seeking a more private and personalized Instagram experience.

To get rid of that as much as we can, we will have to understand and fine-tune the Instagram algorithm.

Understanding and Fine Tuning Instagram Search Suggestions: Advanced Method

Instagram’s search algorithm is designed to provide users with content that aligns with their interests, based on their activity on the platform. However, there may be times when the search feed is flooded with popular searches, trending topics, and viral videos that you’re not interested in. 

This can be overwhelming and may detract from your personalized Instagram experience. 

The good news is, you can fine-tune the Instagram algorithm to better align with your preferences. This involves training the algorithm by telling it what you like and what you don’t like. Here’s how you can do it:

When you click on the search icon, Instagram presents you with a variety of images and videos on the search feed. If you come across content that you’re not interested in, tap on the individual image or video and you’ll see a three-dot option.

Click on that and you will see options like “I don’t like it” or “Not interested”… simply click any one of them. 

By selecting these options, you’re informing Instagram’s algorithm about your preferences.

Over time, as you consistently provide this feedback, Instagram’s algorithm learns more about your likes and dislikes. 

It then uses this information to curate a more personalized search feed for you. This means you’ll start seeing less of the content you’re not interested in, and more of the content that resonates with your preferences.

Remember, fine-tuning the Instagram algorithm is an ongoing process. The more feedback you provide, the better the algorithm becomes at understanding your preferences. 

So, the next time you’re on Instagram, take a moment to tell the algorithm what you like and don’t like. It’s a small step that can significantly enhance your Instagram experience.

However, sometimes, you might encounter issues when trying to clear your search suggestions. Here are some issues you may face while following the steps and their solutions:

Common Issues and Their Solutions while Clearing Search Suggestions

• Issue: The search suggestions aren’t clearing.
  • Solution: Try logging out of your Instagram account and logging back in. If this doesn’t work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Instagram app.
• Issue: The same search suggestions keep appearing.
  • Solution: Instagram’s search suggestions are based on your activity. If the same suggestions keep appearing, it might be because you’re frequently visiting certain profiles or hashtags. Try reducing your activity with these profiles or hashtags to see if the suggestions change.

Final Words