Instagram holds onto anything you post on the platform. This also counts for your search history as well.
However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves – we’re not saying that you look up inappropriate things on Instagram. We’re just here to give you a reminder that whatever you look for on Instagram stays in Instagram’s search history.
This means that if you’ve used particular hashtags on your posts, then these hashtags will come up when you’re on the hunt for new hashtags that are similar – because this makes your life a little bit easier, right?
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Delete Your Search History on Instagram
While a personal record of your search history can be helpful, you may want to think about this as a potential risk to your privacy. Additionally, your search history also means that you’ll see users you don’t want to see come up in your future searches.
There’s nothing wrong with going way back on a friends’ feed, or stalking a celebrity – we’ve all been there. It’s Instagram’s job to suggest these searches when you make new ones, in case they can help you narrow down what you’re looking for.
However, if you find this feature annoying and frustrating, you may want to think about deleting your Instagram search history. If you’re someone who could be interested in learning how to do this, then keep reading.
This article will teach you how to get rid of any incriminating evidence from your Instagram search history. You’ll also figure out how to avoid certain Instagram users and accounts from being shown in your future searches.
Bear in mind that once you’ve done this, there’s no way that you can look up your search history directly again. However, on the plus side, you can easily find your favorite hashtags and people again.
Five Steps to Deleting Your Instagram Search History
Believe it or not, it’s only going to take you five minutes to get rid of your Instagram search history. You can only do this, however, through the smartphone app, so make sure you have access to it this way.
- Open up the Instagram app.
- Log in to your Instagram – you can obviously skip this step if you’re already logged in.
- Have your profile page come up on the screen. To do this, click the icon that’s located in the bottom right-hand corner.
- Click on the three lines located in the top right-hand corner. Go to settings which is the gear icon that you’ll find at the bottom of the screen.
- Look through the options until you come across search history. Click on this, and you will see an option to clear your history. Click on this, and Instagram will ask you if you’re sure. Select that you’re sure, and your search history will be removed.
If you’re on your smartphone, you can even do this just from the Instagram search bar. In the search bar, you’ll find your search history, or in other words a list of Instagram users or hashtags that you’ve recently searched for or seen. There will be a ‘clear’ option in the right-hand corner. Click on this and your search history will be gone.
Pretty easy, isn’t it?
Now that you’ve figured out how to easily delete your search history on Instagram let’s talk about how you can obscure single accounts on Instagram.
How to Stop Certain Instagrammers from Appearing on Your Instagram
You may have noticed that you keep being given the same users as options in your recommended searches. While you may like this sometimes, there are going to be times that you don’t like it, too. Good thing there’s a way to get rid of these accounts, so they don’t come up when you try to search for people. All you have to do is follow these easy steps:
- Open up your Instagram app.
- Log into your account if you haven’t already.
- On your profile page, there will be a little icon of a magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen – this is your search button. Click on this. Then click on ‘search bar’ that you’ll find at the top of your screen.
- You’ll be given four options – people, top, places, and tags. Choose ‘people’ or ‘top.’
- Click on and hold down the Instagrammer that you want to get rid of. Instagram will ask you if you’re sure again. Choose the ‘hide’ option.
That’s it – it’s done. Once this has been done, you don’t have to worry about coming across these users again, unless you manually want to search for them.
If Your Search History Doesn’t Go Away?
If you are still seeing your search history pop up even though you have followed our instructions – don’t despair. There are a number of solutions to this problem.
Let’s take a look.
Restart Your Smartphone
Once you’ve tried to clear your search history, it’s a good idea to restart your phone. Sometimes restarting your phone is the easiest way to fix a technical problem. However, there is a chance that this won’t work. If it doesn’t, then keep reading.
Log Out From Instagram
Another way to solve this issue is by logging out of your Instagram account. Click on the horizontal line icon at the top right-hand corner of your screen. You’ll see settings come up as an option. Click on this and go all the way to the bottom until you see the ‘log out’ option. Click on this.
After this, try restarting your phone. Once it’s started back up again, you can log into your Instagram once more.
Clear Your App History and Cache
If you’re on an android, then you may want to try a different route to clear the problem – clearing your history and cache.
- Go to the settings on your device and look until you see ‘app management.’ Depending on which android you’re using, the name for this option could vary.
- Click on the Instagram app option and find the storage for your app.
- Under this option you will see two further options, ‘clear storage’ or ‘clear data.’ You’ll also see ‘clear cache’ here too. Click on ‘clear cache.’
- We recommend restarting your android at this point. If the problem still exists when your phone comes on again, then keep reading to step five.
- Try step one and two again. This time, choose ‘clear data’ or ‘clear storage.’
When you clear your cache, you’re only clearing what the app has temporarily stored for you, or where it temporarily keeps data or images from the internet.
However, when you clear your app data, you are basically deleting all the data it has gathered since you first started using it. When this happens, the Instagram app will be restored to what it was when you first downloaded it.
Uninstall Your Instagram
If none of these solutions are working for you, there is a last resort that you can try, and that is uninstalling the Instagram app from your smartphone. Let’s take a look at how to do this the correct way:
- Located settings on your phone again and visit app management. Click on Instagram.
- Click ‘delete’ or ‘uninstall’ – whichever option appears (it will vary depending on your device). This will immediately remove the app from your phone.
You can also try uninstalling the app from your Google Play store, and you can also hold down the Instagram app until it’s moving, and then click on the ‘x’ button to delete it. This can only be done on iPhone.
Whichever one is easiest for you is the best option. Once you have uninstalled the app completely, try restarting your device. Then download and reinstall the Instagram app once more.
So, if you don’t want to leave behind a trace of your Instagram history, then you need to follow our simple steps to figure out exactly how you can delete your search history on Instagram. You can also learn how to hide those pesky Instagram users that you don’t want coming up in your Instagram searches anymore.
If just clearing your Instagram search history isn’t enough to be rid of your history, at least you’ve got four other options to try and resolve the issues. Good luck and enjoy that clear Instagram history that looks just like it did when you first started using the app.
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