Alex Ruben
How To Remove Instagram Search Suggestions When Typing
Dealing with unwanted Instagram search suggestions is kinda annoying, especially if you’re trying to keep things private or just clean up your search feed. Sometimes, even after clearing history, suggestions pop back up, or certain folks keep showing up — it feels like Instagram is reading your mind, which is a bit creepy. This guide digs into how to actually clean that stuff out—whether you want to remove specific suggestions, wipe it all clean, or block certain users so they don’t show up again. It’s pretty straightforward, but on some devices, you might need to do a few extra steps or clear app caches to really make a difference.
How to Fix Instagram Search Suggestions That Won’t Go Away
Method 1: Clear Your Search History Inside the App
This is the easiest way to get rid of stuff that’s lingering. When you go to the search bar and see suggestions you don’t want, it’s usually because those searches are saved locally or linked to your account.
- Open up Instagram on your phone. Make sure you’re logged in. If you’re not, that’s step one.
- Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom to go to search.
- Start typing in that search bar, and you’ll see suggestions based on your past searches and maybe even profiles you visited. To delete specific suggestions:
- Tap the three dots or three lines icon next to a suggestion.
- Select Remove or Hide. Sometimes it’s just a swipe left on iOS, but tapping the dots usually does the trick.
This is usually enough to trim down what pops up, but if not, maybe some cache clearing or deeper settings are needed.
Method 2: Clear Search History via Profile Settings
If typing suggestions still keep coming back or deleting individually doesn’t cut it, you can clear the whole search history.
- Head over to your Profile by tapping your picture in the bottom right.
- Hit the menu button (three lines) in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Clear Search History.
- Confirm the action. Once done, your previous searches (and many suggestions linked to them) vanish.
Tip: On some setups, you might need to log out and back in to see the effect. Not sure why it works that way, but hey, cache or session stuff still lingering can be weird sometimes.
Method 3: Block Unwanted Users to Stop Their Suggestions
On occasion, certain users just keep showing up in your suggestions, especially if you view their profile or search for them often. Blocking them can help you cut that off at the source.
- Search for the user you want to stop seeing suggestions for.
- Open their profile and tap the three dots in the top right.
- Select Block. This will prevent their profile from appearing in your searches and suggestions.
Be aware, blocking can be a bit drastic if you just want fewer suggestions — it’s better if you’re pretty sure you won’t want to see that user again.
Method 4: Clear App Cache (Android & iOS)
Sometimes, cached data on the device makes suggestions stick around longer than they should. Clearing it might be the secret weapon, especially if you notice suggestions are lagging behind recent deletions.
- For Android:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage > Clear Cache.
- For iOS (kinda trickier):
- Head to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Find Instagram and tap Offload App. This wipes app data but keeps your account info. Alternatively, uninstall and reinstall the app to totally clear cache, but that’s more invasive.
Keep in mind, this isn’t perfect. Sometimes, even after cleaning the cache, suggestions can still hang around. If supposed to disappear, they might just wait a little or come back after some activity.
Extra Tips & Common Pitfalls
- Regularly clearing your search history helps keep suggestions relevant and less invasive.
- Blocking users tends to reduce their suggestions, but it’s not foolproof. Some suggestions are generated on your device or based on AI predictions.
- If suggestions still appear despite everything, logging out and back in might refresh things a bit.
Because of course, Instagram has to make it harder than necessary sometimes.
Wrap-up
Getting a handle on Instagram’s search suggestions isn’t always straightforward, especially with caches, local data, and AI trying to keep things personalized. Clearing search history, blocking users, and clearing app cache usually helps, but sometimes it just takes a little patience. The key is to keep trying different combos until it feels less creepy.
Summary
- Clear individual searches or your whole search history from profile settings
- Block users who keep popping up in suggestions
- Clear app cache on your device if suggestions persist
- Log out and log back in if needed
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours of frustration for someone. Instagram’s suggestion algorithm can be kind of unpredictable, but with a little patience, these tricks should help maintain a cleaner, more private search experience. Just keep in mind, total privacy isn’t really possible if you keep using the app, but you can definitely tighten things up a bit.