You Can't Completely Remove Reels From Instagram, but You Can Do This

Instagram Reels was designed to keep users watching short videos for longer, and for many people, it works a little too well. If you've ever opened Instagram to check a message or look at a friend's photo, only to find yourself scrolling through Reels 30 minutes later, you're not alone.

The problem is that Instagram doesn't offer a simple "Turn Off Reels" button. Despite what some articles claim, there is currently no official way to completely remove Reels from the app.

That doesn't mean you're stuck with them, though.

While you can't fully disable Instagram Reels, there are several ways to reduce how often you see them, make Instagram less distracting, and regain control over your feed. In this guide, I'll show you four practical methods that can help you use Instagram with far fewer Reels.

Can You Completely Use Instagram Without Reels?

No. Instagram does not currently provide an option to completely disable or remove Reels from the app.

Many online guides suggest that you can "turn off" Reels, but most refer to workarounds rather than an actual setting. After reviewing Instagram's official settings and help resources, you'll find no feature that completely removes Reels from Instagram.

This makes sense from Instagram's perspective. Reels has become one of the platform's most important features and plays a major role in user engagement.

The good news is that you don't need to remove Reels entirely to make Instagram less distracting. The methods below can significantly reduce Reels recommendations, hide Reels from your feed more often, and help you use Instagram the way you want.

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4 Ways to Make Instagram Less About Reels

You can't completely remove Reels from Instagram, but you can reduce how often they appear and make the app feel much less distracting. These methods won't eliminate Reels entirely, but they can help you spend more time on the content you actually care about.

Method 1. Use Instagram in a Browser Instead of the App

Effectiveness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Difficulty: ⭐

If your goal is simply to see fewer Reels, the easiest solution is to stop using the Instagram app whenever possible.

Instagram's mobile app is heavily designed around short-form video consumption. Reels are promoted throughout the app, appear frequently in recommendations, and are difficult to avoid once you start scrolling.

The browser version is different. While Reels still exist, they are less aggressively pushed, making it easier to focus on your feed, messages, profiles, and photos without getting pulled into endless video recommendations.

To use Instagram in a browser:

Step 1. Open Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or any other browser on your phone or computer.

Step 2. Go to Instagram.com and sign in to your account.

Step 3. Use Instagram as usual through the browser instead of the mobile app.

Many users find that simply switching to the web version dramatically reduces mindless Reels consumption.

Method 2. Tell Instagram You're Not Interested in Reels

Effectiveness: ⭐⭐⭐
Difficulty: ⭐

Instagram's recommendation system learns from your behavior. If you regularly watch, like, or interact with Reels, the platform will show you even more of them.

The opposite is also true.

When Reels appear in your feed or Explore page, you can actively tell Instagram that you're not interested in that type of content.

Step 1. Open a Reel that appears in your recommendations.

Step 2. Tap the three-dot menu.

Step 3. Select Not Interested.

Step 4. Repeat this whenever unwanted Reels appear.

This won't completely remove Reels overnight, but over time, Instagram will begin adjusting your recommendations based on your feedback.

Method 3. Reset or Retrain Your Recommendations

Effectiveness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Difficulty: ⭐⭐

Sometimes the problem isn't the reels themselves—it's the recommendation profile Instagram has built around your activity.

If you've spent months watching short videos, Instagram may assume that's the type of content you want most.

To retrain the algorithm:

• Remove or mute accounts that mainly post Reels

• Mark unwanted recommendations as Not Interested

• Clear your search history

• Spend more time interacting with photos, carousels, and accounts you genuinely enjoy

• Avoid watching suggested Reels all the way through

Over time, Instagram will start showing different types of content and reduce the number of Reels recommendations in your feed.

Method 4. Create a More Photo-First Instagram Feed

Effectiveness: ⭐⭐⭐
Difficulty: ⭐⭐

Instagram may prioritize Reels, but you can still shape your feed around photos, creators, and people you actually want to follow.

A simple way to do this is to become more intentional about what you engage with.

Try following:

• Friends and family

• Photographers

• Artists and designers

• Travel accounts

• Hobby-focused creators

• Educational pages that primarily post images and carousels

You can also save and interact with photo posts more often. These signals help Instagram understand that you're interested in content beyond short-form video.

No method can completely remove Reels from Instagram today. However, by combining the strategies above, you can make Instagram feel much closer to the photo-sharing platform many users originally signed up for.

How to Delete Instagram Reels Easily

If you have mistakenly uploaded an Instagram reel or are following a dance or music trend, you can remove those reels from your account. You should know that deleting reels is permanent, and you cannot retrieve the content in the future.

Steps to delete Instagram reels from your account:

Step 1. Open the app and log in to your account.

Step 2. Open your Profile section from the bottom-right corner to see all your details and posts.

Step 3. The profile tab shows all your content, like Posts, Reels, IGTV, etc. 

Step 4. Navigate to Reels and open the reel you want to delete.

Step 5. To access more options about the reel, click on the three horizontal dots.

Step 6. You can tap Delete or Remove from the options to delete the reel.

Step 7. As the delete removes the content permanently, the app prompts a confirmation message to start the removal. Approve it and delete the reel.

If you want to turn off suggested reels from other accounts, tap in the three dots on the reel and select Not Interested to let the app know that you do not like the post and content.

Bonus: How to Screen Record on Instagram

Users cannot download content from Instagram. The app restricts users from downloading posts, reels, videos, etc on the app. While tools are available to save the contents individually, you can capture pictures and record reels and videos with one tool.

EaseUS RecExperts is a UHD screen recorder that captures content on Instagram. After recording the content, you can edit the video, remove the noise, and download the video in multiple formats. To screenshot the posts, you can use the built-in screenshot tool to edit the picture. The app works for Windows and Mac, enabling you to capture high-quality content seamlessly. Download it now, and screen record on Instagram.

The Bottom Line

As there are no settings to disable reels, you should know how to turn off reels on Instagram using various methods. The post introduces effective ways to block or turn off automatic reels on Instagram. Hope one of the methods helps you prevent the short content and personalize the feed.

How to Turn Off Instagram Reels FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions on how to turn off Instagram reels. If you have similar queries, this will help you.

1. How do you hide reels from the feed?

To hide the reels on your feed, click on the three dots in the top-right corner. Select the Not Interested option to hide the reel. You can also personalize Instagram to stop showing similar content.

2. Can I get Instagram to stop showing me reels?

No, Instagram has no feature to stop reels on your feed. You must use the app on the browser or download mod apps to turn off the reels.

3. Can you turn off reels on Facebook and Instagram?

No, you cannot turn off reels on FB and Instagram. As the feature is integral to growth, you see no feature to turn them off.

4. How do you mute all reels on Instagram?

To mute all reels on Instagram, you must tap on sound off to mute it. If the reel is on your feed, you can click anywhere to mute it.