Last Updated on June 10, 2025 by Marie Watkins
Home » Blog » 
Instagram’s search bar is a handy tool until it starts showing suggestions you’d rather forget. Accounts, hashtags and unused search results can be cleaned. Removing Instagram search suggestions will have more of a cleaner user experience.
In this guide, you will find out how to clear Instagram search suggestions on both mobile and desktop, whether you want to remove them one at a time or clear the entire history.
Understanding Instagram’s Search Suggestions
Instagram’s search options suggest things based on what you’ve recently looked at and use hashtags for search and content you interact with. Instagram search suggestions are designed to make discovering things easier. Let’s look at how you can clear Instagram search Suggestions on both mobile and desktop.
How To Clear Instagram Search Suggestions On Mobile?
Clearing suggestions is quick and simple if you are using Instagram on your phone. .
This is how you can set it up:
- Open the Instagram app on your iOS or Android device.
- Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom.
- Tap the search bar at the top of the screen.
- Your recent searches will appear below.
- To delete one, tap the ‘X’ beside it.
- To remove all, tap “See All” and then “Clear All” in the top right.
- Confirm when prompted.
How To Clear Instagram Search Suggestions On Desktop?
While the desktop version of Instagram doesn’t have all the features of the app, it does let you remove your search suggestions.
Anyone using Instagram on the web, especially in open offices or shared areas, would prefer to manage what is visible in their history.
Steps to follow:
- Log into Instagram.com via any browser.
- Click the search bar at the top.
- A dropdown menu of recent searches will appear.
- Hover over any item and click the ‘X’ on the right to remove it.
Note: Instagram’s desktop does not provide a “Clear All” button like the mobile app
How To Clear Individual Search Suggestions?
Clearing individual search suggestions could help you to manage your search suggestions carefully and manage what to save.
Here’s how:
- On mobile, open the search bar and tap the small ‘X’ next to any search suggestion you want to remove.
- On the desktop, click the search bar, hover over the unwanted item, and click the ‘X’ icon to delete it.
How To Clear All Search History on Instagram?
Need a fresh start? You can remove all your search history in one step from your profile options.
Removing your browser history will keep your searches private and may provide new and better results in your suggestion list.
To do this:
- Tap your profile picture, then the three lines in the top-right corner.
- Choose “Your activity.”
- Scroll down and tap “Recent searches.”
- Tap “Clear all” and confirm.
How To Delete Instagram Search Suggestions When Typing?
Search suggestions come up as you type, even when your history is empty.
Here’s how to deal with it:
- Go to the search bar, and as suggestions appear, long-press the suggestion.
- Tap “Hide” or “Not Interested”.
Conclusion
By now, you can remove search suggestions on Instagram from either your mobile device or desktop , one suggestion at a time or all of them. Checking these regularly will keep your feed clean, keep your information safe and help make Instagram feel better suited to your needs.
Don’t let old searches crowd your space. Use the steps in this guide to keep things relevant, clean, and stress-free.
Marie is our go-to Instagram specialist at Goldstar Social. She brings a 360-degree approach to the platform—tracking trends, responding to algorithm updates, identifying viral challenges, and analyzing what works. From strategy to execution, she manages the entire Instagram planning process with precision.