Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, and part of its appeal lies in how easily users can discover new content, follow friends, and interact with influencers or brands. However, one feature that many users find both useful and slightly intrusive is the search suggestions that pop up when typing in the search bar. These suggestions can be based on your past searches, your activity, and even accounts or hashtags you’ve interacted with recently.
While Instagram’s search suggestions can be helpful for discovering new accounts or topics, they can also bring up things you’d rather not have appear—whether it’s an ex, a company you no longer follow, or something you were only curious about once. Fortunately, Instagram offers a way to clear these suggestions, ensuring that your search history doesn’t clutter your experience.
In this article, we’ll walk you through how to delete Instagram search suggestions when typing, whether on your mobile device or desktop. We’ll also answer some frequently asked questions to help you navigate this feature.
Table of Contents
Why Are Search Suggestions on Instagram Showing?
Before we dive into how to remove Instagram search suggestions, it’s important to understand why they appear in the first place. Instagram uses your search history, interactions, and recent activity to personalize the suggestions it shows when you type in the search bar.
These suggestions can be based on:
- Accounts: Instagram will show you profiles you’ve searched for before.
- Hashtags: The platform remembers the hashtags you’ve used or searched for in the past.
- Places: If you’ve searched for or tagged a location, that might also appear in your search history.
- Trending content: Instagram may show you popular accounts or trending topics based on what’s currently happening on the platform.
The good news is that Instagram allows you to clear all of this data, so you can regain control over what suggestions show up when you search.
How to Delete Instagram Search Suggestions on Mobile
Whether you’re using iOS or Android, the steps to clear search suggestions are nearly identical.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device.
- Go to your profile by tapping on the profile icon (bottom right corner).
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (the menu) in the top right corner of the screen to open your options.
- From the menu, select Settings.
- Scroll down and tap on Security.
- Under the Data and History section, tap on Clear Search History (on iOS, this will be listed as “Search History”).
- You will see a list of recent searches. Tap Clear All to remove all of them, or you can tap the X next to individual entries if you just want to remove specific suggestions.
- Confirm by tapping Clear All again when prompted.
Once you’ve completed these steps, your Instagram search suggestions will be reset. The next time you type in the search bar, you won’t see past searches unless you search for them again.
How to Delete Instagram Search Suggestions on Desktop
If you’re using Instagram on your desktop via a web browser, here’s how you can clear your search suggestions:
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Open Instagram on your preferred web browser and log into your account.
- Click on your profile icon in the top right corner to go to your profile page.
- On your profile page, click the three dots (More options) button next to your username.
- From the dropdown menu, select Settings.
- In the settings window, click on Privacy and Security from the left sidebar.
- Under the Data and History section, click on View Account Data.
- Scroll down to the Search History section and click View All.
- Click the Clear All button to remove your entire search history.
Once you’ve done this, the search suggestions you see when typing in the search bar will no longer include your past search activity.
How to Disable Search Suggestions Completely
If you want to stop Instagram from showing search suggestions altogether, you can turn off a feature called “Search History” in your settings. While this won’t stop Instagram from occasionally showing trending topics or popular hashtags, it will stop it from remembering your personal searches.
Here’s how to disable it:
- Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) and then tap Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Under the Interactions section, tap Activity Status.
- Disable the “Show Activity Status” toggle.
Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t yet allow you to fully turn off personalized search suggestions (unlike some other platforms). But turning off Activity Status limits the platform’s ability to track and personalize your content to a degree.
FAQs About Instagram Search Suggestions
1. Do Instagram search suggestions include my direct messages?
No, Instagram’s search suggestions do not include your direct message history. They are based on public accounts, hashtags, places, and content you have interacted with.
2. Can I remove individual suggestions without clearing my entire search history?
Yes, you can remove specific search suggestions by tapping the X next to individual suggestions when they appear in the search bar. This allows you to clear certain items without deleting everything.
3. Will clearing my search history make Instagram forget who I follow?
No, clearing your search history does not affect your following list or any other account settings. It simply resets your search history, meaning Instagram won’t suggest accounts based on your past searches.
4. Does clearing my search history affect other users’ suggestions?
No, clearing your search history only affects what you see on your account. It does not affect the search history or suggestions of other users.
5. How often does Instagram update its search suggestions?
Instagram updates search suggestions continuously based on your activity and trends within the platform. So, if you continue to search for the same accounts or hashtags, they will reappear as suggestions.
6. Can I recover deleted search history?
Once you clear your search history on Instagram, it cannot be recovered. If you clear all your past searches, Instagram won’t remember them, and the suggestions will be reset.
Conclusion
Clearing Instagram’s search suggestions is a quick and easy way to declutter your experience on the platform. Whether you want to remove outdated searches or simply want to maintain privacy, following these steps will help you take control of what appears in your search bar. While Instagram doesn’t yet offer a complete way to disable all search suggestions, you can at least remove old ones to create a more tailored, stress-free browsing experience.
By regularly clearing your search history, you’ll ensure that Instagram’s suggestions remain relevant and reflect only your current interests.