# How to Remove Instagram Reels in 2026 (iPhone, Android and Desktop) > Instagram has no setting to turn off Reels. Here’s what actually removes them on iPhone, Android and desktop, and what Instagram’s own settings can do. - Author: Joel Happ, Software Engineer and Founder of RelockIn - Published: 2026-11-08 - Updated: 2026-11-11 - Canonical URL: https://relockin.com/blog/how-to-remove-instagram-reels - Language: en ## Key takeaways - Instagram has no setting that turns off Reels or removes the Reels tab. Its built-in tools (a daily time limit, snoozing suggested posts, the Following feed) only reduce how many you see. - On iPhone, iPad and Android, the free RelockIn browser hides the Reels tab on Instagram. It applies to Instagram opened in RelockIn, so pair it with a limit on the Instagram app. - On Android, apps like ScrollGuard can hide Reels inside the Instagram app itself, using Android’s Accessibility permission. No app can do that on iPhone. - On a computer, a free browser extension (RelockIn for Web, IGPlus or Untrap Insta) hides Reels on instagram.com. RelockIn for Web and Untrap Insta also work in Firefox. You can’t turn off Instagram Reels in Instagram’s settings: there’s no switch that removes Reels or the Reels tab. To actually remove them, use Instagram somewhere that strips Reels out: the free [RelockIn](https://relockin.com/download) browser on iPhone and Android, a Chrome extension like IGPlus on a computer, or, on Android only, an app like ScrollGuard that hides Reels inside the Instagram app. Instagram’s own tools, like a **daily time limit** and **snoozing suggested posts**, can only cut down how many Reels you see. Reels are Instagram’s full-screen, vertical videos. They have their own tab and also show up in your Home feed and Explore. Below is what works on each device, how to set it up, and the catch with each one. ## Which method should you use? | Device | Best option | Removes Reels? | Cost | The catch | | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | iPhone, iPad, Android | RelockIn browser | Yes, inside RelockIn | Free | Doesn’t change the Instagram app itself | | Android | ScrollGuard (in-app blocker) | Yes, inside the Instagram app | Free, with paid extras | Needs Android’s Accessibility permission | | iPhone, Android | Instagram’s daily limit | No, it’s a reminder | Free | Covers all of Instagram and can be dismissed | | iPhone, Android | Snooze suggested posts, Following feed | No, it reduces them | Free | Snooze lasts 30 days; the Reels tab stays | | Computer (browser) | RelockIn for Web, IGPlus or Untrap Insta | Yes, on instagram.com | Free | Only works in the browser you install it in | ## How do you remove Instagram Reels on iPhone or Android? Use a browser that removes Reels from Instagram. Instagram’s app doesn’t let you remove them, and on iPhone no other app is allowed to change what the Instagram app shows, so the fix is to use Instagram somewhere that does. RelockIn is a browser for iPhone, iPad and Android that strips addictive features out of sites like Instagram. Disclosure: we make it. Here’s how to hide Reels: 1. Install [RelockIn](https://relockin.com/download) from the App Store or Google Play, open it, and sign in to instagram.com. 2. Open the hub (the hourglass button) and go to **Customize Sites**. 3. Pick **Instagram** and turn on **Hide Reels tab**. 4. Optional: turn on **Make Explore search-only**, so Explore keeps search but drops its grid of recommended posts and Reels. 5. Optional: under **Home feed**, choose **Only Following** so your feed only shows accounts you follow, not suggested posts and Reels from strangers. ![RelockIn’s Customize Sites page for instagram.com, with Hide Reels tab on and Home feed set to Only Following](https://relockin.com/blog/remove-instagram-reels/relockin-customize-sites-instagram.webp 'RelockIn’s Instagram settings, shown in the Chrome extension. The iPhone and Android apps have the same options.') ### What else can RelockIn change on Instagram? Hiding the Reels tab is one of many Instagram options, and you only turn on the ones you want: - **Hide videos in your feed**, so Reels and other videos stay behind a cover as you scroll. You can exempt accounts you follow. - **Only see people you follow**, with a Home feed of **Only Following** or **Only Favorites** instead of Instagram’s algorithm. - **Cover posts from strangers** if you’d rather keep the regular feed. - **Hide ads**, so sponsored posts stop interrupting your feed. - **Show, cover or remove Stories**, so you only check them when you mean to. - **Hide comments**, with the option to keep them on posts from accounts you follow. - **Make pictures and videos greyscale**, which makes Instagram less eye-catching. - **Make Explore search-only**, so you can still look things up without the recommendations. - **Choose how hard covers are to remove:** instantly, after a 5- or 10-second wait, after a challenge, or not at all. Instagram is one of several sites RelockIn customizes. It has similar settings for YouTube (Shorts, the Home feed, autoplay, ads), Reddit, X and LinkedIn, plus an optional time limits system: lock distracting apps and sites, including the Instagram app, until you start a session with a goal and a time limit. > [!NOTE] > RelockIn’s Instagram settings apply to Instagram opened inside the RelockIn browser. They don’t change the Instagram app. To stop opening the app out of habit, add it to a RelockIn limit so it stays locked until you start a session, or delete the app and use Instagram in RelockIn instead. Hiding Reels is free. Some of the other options need RelockIn Pro, which you can try for free. ## Can you hide Reels inside the Instagram app on Android? Yes, with an app that uses Android’s Accessibility permission to watch the screen and block Reels as they appear. This is the only way to hide Reels inside the real Instagram app, and it only works on Android. **[ScrollGuard](https://scrollguard.app/)** is one of the better-known options. It runs on top of the Instagram app and blocks Reels while leaving the rest of Instagram usable. It’s free to download, with some features behind a paid plan. On iPhone it works differently: it gives you a cleaned-up web version of Instagram rather than changing the app. > [!WARNING] > Accessibility permission lets an app see everything on your screen. Only grant it to an app you trust, and read its privacy policy first. This is also why these apps can’t exist on iPhone: iOS doesn’t offer that level of access. ## How do you limit Reels with Instagram’s own settings? Instagram has no Reels switch, but four built-in settings cut down on them. None removes the Reels tab. ### Set a daily time limit 1. Open Instagram and go to your profile. 2. Tap the menu (☰) in the top right. 3. Tap **Your activity**, then **Time spent**. 4. Tap **Daily limit**, choose an amount of time, and tap **Turn on**. The limit covers all of Instagram, not just Reels, and it’s only a reminder. When you hit it, Instagram offers **Remind me in 5 minutes**, **Remind me in 15 minutes** and **Ignore limit for today**. iPhone’s Screen Time and Android’s Digital Wellbeing can set a firmer limit on the whole app. ![Instagram’s “You’ve reached your daily limit” screen, with options to be reminded in 5 or 15 minutes or ignore the limit for today](https://relockin.com/blog/remove-instagram-reels/instagram-daily-limit-reached.webp 'Instagram’s daily limit screen. “Ignore limit for today” is one tap away.') ### Snooze suggested posts for 30 days Suggested posts are where most Reels from accounts you don’t follow end up in your Home feed. To pause them: 1. Tap the menu (☰) on your profile and open **Settings and privacy**. 2. Tap **Suggested content**. 3. Turn on **Snooze suggested posts in feed**. You can also tap the **X** on any suggested post and choose to snooze all suggested posts. Either way, they come back after 30 days, and Reels in the Reels tab and Explore aren’t affected. ### Switch to the Following feed Tap the **Instagram** logo at the top of your Home feed and choose **Following** to see only accounts you follow, newest first. It cuts out suggested Reels, but Reels from accounts you follow still appear, and Instagram may switch you back to the regular feed when you reopen the app. ### Tune Reels with “Your Algorithm” In the Reels tab, the **Your Algorithm** button (top right) shows the topics Instagram thinks you like and lets you ask for more or less of each. Tapping **Not interested** on individual Reels does something similar. Both change _which_ Reels you see, not how many, so they won’t help if the goal is fewer Reels. ## How do you remove Reels on instagram.com on a computer? Install a browser extension that hides Reels. All three below are free in the Chrome Web Store and also work in most Chromium-based browsers, like Edge and Brave. RelockIn for Web and Untrap Insta are also available for Firefox. ### RelockIn for Web [RelockIn for Web](https://relockin.com/web) is our extension, for Chrome and Firefox. Open it, go to **Customize Sites**, pick Instagram and turn on **Hide Reels tab**. It has every Instagram option [listed above](#what-else-can-relockin-change-on-instagram), plus settings for YouTube, Reddit, X and LinkedIn and optional time limits, schedules and guardrails. ### IGPlus [IGPlus](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/igplus-hide-instagram-ree/dbbopjndlaginbghfoibbndhlbpdpapd) is also a good option. Turn on **Disable the Reels page & Reels videos**; its other switches can disable the Explore page, Stories, recommendations and like counts. It’s open source and has around 10,000 users. The main difference is scope. RelockIn for Web customizes more sites and includes optional time limits, schedules and guardrails, while IGPlus only covers Instagram. On Instagram itself, RelockIn can limit your feed to accounts you follow and hide ads, which IGPlus doesn’t do. IGPlus can block videos and images to reduce data usage, which RelockIn doesn’t do. ![IGPlus’s settings, with Disable the Reels page & Reels videos, Disable the Explore page and Disable recommendations switched on](https://relockin.com/blog/remove-instagram-reels/igplus-settings.webp 'IGPlus’s settings. Reels are the first switch.') ### Untrap Insta [Untrap Insta](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/untrap-insta/fbkdkpeadbfdkokobbjinbnlimpdhleo) is the simplest: two switches, **Hide Reels** and **Hide Explore**. It’s open source and also available for Firefox. ![Untrap Insta’s popup with Hide Reels and Hide Explore switched on](https://relockin.com/blog/remove-instagram-reels/untrap-insta-settings.webp 'Untrap Insta has two switches.') Extensions only work in the browser you install them in, so Reels are still there in the Instagram app and in other browsers. ## Summary: the best way to remove Reels on each device - **iPhone and iPad:** Use the [RelockIn](https://relockin.com/download) browser with **Hide Reels tab** turned on, and lock or delete the Instagram app. - **Android:** Use [RelockIn](https://relockin.com/download) the same way, or an in-app blocker like [ScrollGuard](https://scrollguard.app/) if you want to keep using the Instagram app. - **Inside the Instagram app:** Set a **daily limit**, **snooze suggested posts** and use the **Following** feed. They reduce Reels but don’t remove them. - **Computer:** Install [RelockIn for Web](https://relockin.com/web), [IGPlus](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/igplus-hide-instagram-ree/dbbopjndlaginbghfoibbndhlbpdpapd) or [Untrap Insta](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/untrap-insta/fbkdkpeadbfdkokobbjinbnlimpdhleo) in Chrome. In Firefox, use RelockIn for Web or Untrap Insta. Reels are built to keep you watching, so the methods that work take them out of reach instead of relying on willpower. If you also watch YouTube Shorts, see [how to remove YouTube Shorts](https://relockin.com/blog/how-to-remove-youtube-shorts). ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you turn off Reels on Instagram? Not in Instagram’s settings. There’s no switch that removes Reels or the Reels tab. To remove them, use Instagram in a browser that hides Reels (like RelockIn on your phone), a browser extension on a computer, or an Android app that hides Reels inside the Instagram app. ### How do I delete a Reel I posted? Open the Reel on your profile, tap the three dots (More), then tap Delete and confirm. This removes your own Reel; it doesn’t change which Reels Instagram shows you. ### Does the Following feed remove Reels? No. The Following feed only shows accounts you follow, which cuts out suggested Reels from strangers, but Reels those accounts post still appear, and the Reels tab stays. ### Is there a free way to block Instagram Reels? Yes. Instagram’s own limits are free, the browser extensions in this guide are free, and hiding Reels in the RelockIn app is free on iPhone and Android. ### Can I hide Reels inside the Instagram app on iPhone? No. iOS doesn’t let other apps change what the Instagram app shows. On iPhone you can either use Instagram in a browser that hides Reels, or limit or lock the Instagram app with Screen Time or RelockIn. ## Sources - [Set a daily time limit reminder on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/2049425491975359) - [How to disable Instagram feed suggestions](https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/disable-instagram-feed-suggestions/) - [Instagram launches “Your Algorithm” controls for Reels](https://hypebeast.com/2025/12/instagram-launches-your-algorithm-controls-for-reels) - [Instagram reintroduces chronological feed option](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/23/instagram-chronological-feed-option/) - [How to block Instagram Reels](https://scrollguard.app/blog/how-to-block-instagram-reels)