You open Instagram to check one friend's post and twenty minutes later you're still swiping through Reels? Instagram has no off switch for Reels. These settings do cut how many you see.
Updated October 2026. Instagram renames menus often, so if a label looks slightly different on your phone, look for the closest match.
Key takeaways
- Instagram has no official setting to turn off Reels or hide the Reels tab.
- The single most effective built-in fix is the Following feed: chronological, only accounts you follow, no suggestions from strangers.
- Not interested, Reset suggested content and a daily limit help, but none of them is a hard stop.
- To really draw a line, you need a limit outside Instagram, such as iPhone Screen Time or an app like Feedbye.
Can you turn off Reels on Instagram?
No, not directly. As of October 2026 the Instagram app has no toggle for Reels and no way to remove the Reels tab from the navigation bar.
That's by design. Reels are core to Instagram's business: in April 2024 Mark Zuckerberg said Reels already made up about half of the time people spend in the app (Meta Q1 2024 earnings call). In the US antitrust case against Meta, a federal judge also noted that Americans now spend only about 7% of their Instagram time on content from friends (FTC v. Meta, memorandum opinion of Nov 18, 2025, PDF).
So the realistic goal is to keep Reels out of your way, slow the algorithm down and set yourself a limit. The steps below work in the iPhone app and stack well together.
Step by step: how to see fewer Reels
Switch to the Following feed
Tap the Instagram logo in the top-left corner of your home feed and choose Following or Favorites.
Following shows posts only from accounts you follow, newest first, with no suggestions from strangers. Favorites is narrower still: just the accounts you've added to your Favorites list. Of everything Instagram offers, this is the strongest lever.
Two catches. The next time you open the app you're back on the regular home feed, so you have to switch every time. And if people you follow post Reels, you'll still see those, just not random ones.
Snooze suggested posts
On a suggested post in your feed, tap the X or the three dots and snooze suggested posts for 30 days.
For roughly a month, your home feed shows fewer posts from accounts you don't follow. It doesn't touch the Reels tab, and you'll need to repeat it after 30 days. Not every app version shows the option in the same place; if you can't find it, step 1 does most of the work anyway.
Mark Reels as Not interested
On a Reel you don't want, tap the three dots and choose Not interested.
This tells the algorithm which topics to show less of. It reduces certain content, not Reels overall. In the US, Instagram added "Your Algorithm" to the Reels tab in December 2025: it shows the topics Instagram thinks you like and lets you adjust them (Search Engine Land). It's worth a look if you have it.
Reset suggested content
Go to your profile, tap the menu in the top-right corner, open Content preferences and tap Reset suggested content.
According to Meta, this clears your recommendations across Explore, Reels and Feed so the algorithm starts fresh (Meta). It's useful if one topic has taken over your feed. It won't give you fewer Reels by itself, just different ones, and you can't undo it.
Set a daily limit inside Instagram
Go to your profile, tap the menu in the top-right corner, and under How you use Instagram open Time management, then Daily limit.
In older versions the same setting sits under Your activity and Time spent. When you hit the limit, Instagram shows a reminder that you can snooze or ignore for the rest of the day. It's a nudge, not a lock.
Cap Instagram with iPhone Screen Time
In your iPhone's Settings, open Screen Time, give Instagram a daily time budget and lock it with a Screen Time passcode.
The catch: Screen Time can only limit the whole app, not the Reels part. When your time runs out, messages and Stories go too. iOS 27 replaced App Limits with Time Allowances, and our guide on how to set app limits on iPhone shows the new menus.
What doesn't really work
- Instagram in a browser: instagram.com has Reels as well. It's a little clunkier, nothing more.
- Old app versions: On iPhone you can't install an older Instagram build without Reels. The App Store only offers the current version.
- Modded Instagram apps: Unofficial clones that strip Reels ask for your login. That puts your account and data at risk.
- Deleting the app: It works, but you lose messages, Stories and your friends along with the Reels. If that's too much, try our social media detox checklist instead.
Instagram without Reels: the app route
If constantly switching feeds and dismissing reminders wears you down, move the limit outside Instagram.
That's the idea behind Feedbye, our iPhone app. You use Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, X and Facebook without the endless feeds: Reels, Shorts and For You are hidden, while friends, messages and Stories stay. Each app gets a daily limit of feed posts, say 10. Then the feed is done for the day, with three exceptions a day for when you really need one.
So you don't slip back through the original app, you can block it with Apple's Screen Time. When you want to post, Post Mode opens it for a few minutes and then locks it again. Feedbye is independent and not affiliated with Meta.
Want the bigger picture of a gentle social media detox without deleting a single app? Start on our home page.
FAQ
Can you turn off Reels on Instagram completely?
No. As of October 2026 there is no official setting that turns off Reels or removes the Reels tab. You can only see fewer of them, for example with the Following feed, Not interested and a daily limit.
Why do I still see Reels in my Following feed?
The Following feed shows everything the accounts you follow post, including their Reels. It only removes suggestions from accounts you don't follow.
Does Instagram's daily limit lock the app?
No. Instagram's own daily limit is a reminder you can snooze or ignore for the day. A real lock only comes from iPhone Screen Time with a passcode, or from an app that ends the feed for you.
Does using Instagram in a browser get rid of Reels?
Not really. Instagram's website has Reels too. A browser makes scrolling slightly clunkier, but it isn't a limit.
Is Feedbye an official Instagram app?
No. Feedbye is an independent iPhone app and is not affiliated with Meta or Instagram.