Instagram Is Now Allowing Users to Reset Their Algorithms and Start from Scratch

The joys and perils of life on social media are many, but one of the chief tradeoffs of these platforms is the way that they are controlled by algorithms. An algorithm can be great, because the best ones serve you exactly the kinds of content that you're interested in. Sometimes, though, you can find yourself getting recommended content that you don't want to see for one reason or another.

If you want to reset your algorithm, it's not always easy. Thankfully, Instagram just introduced a tool that allows you to do exactly that. Here's what we know about how it works.

If you misled your algorithm in some way thanks to an accidental like or had a passing interest in a content creator you don't actually want to see more from, your options used to be fairly limited.

You could curate your algorithm by hand by telling Instagram that you didn't want to see that kind of content anymore and then be intentional about what you actually watch through the app. You could also start completely from scratch with a whole new account.

If neither of those options is appealing to you for one reason or another, Instagram is now playing with a third. In a blog post on Nov. 19, the company said that it is testing a feature that would allow users to totally reset their algorithm. This kind of reset would allow you to see posts that you wouldn't have seen before, and would also mean that you might miss out on posts the algorithm previously would have recommended to you.

Of course, this reset doesn't turn the algorithm off. It will just give you the chance to start from scratch. Over time, the algorithm will once again start curating the content you see, but you may be able to train this one more proactively, which could help you avoid some of the pitfalls that you may have encountered the first time you set your algorithm up.

The feature isn't available yet, but once it is, you should find it in your Instagram settings. If you go to your profile and then click on the hamburger menu, you should be able to access Content preferences. From there, you should see a button that says "Reset suggested content," which essentially clears your algorithm and allows you to start from scratch without losing your profile and followers.

When you click that button, Instagram will warn you that the action can't be undone, and also notify you that you will now see posts you might not have seen before. Instagram may also recommend that you unfollow certain accounts before it allows you to reset your algorithm. If you're convinced that's what you want to do, though, the app will let you.

It's unclear when this feature will be made available to everyone who uses the app. If you hate your algorithm, though, you now have the opportunity for a fresh start.