StillfeedHow to Hide Instagram Stories and Suggested Posts
Two specific things people search for aren't the same complaint, but they come from the same place: the Stories tray at the top of Instagram, and the "Suggested for You" posts that show up mixed into your feed once you've seen everything new from people you follow. Neither has a real off switch in the Instagram app.
Here's what Instagram actually lets you do about each one, and what it takes to remove them properly.
Quick answer: Instagram has no setting that hides the Stories tray or turns off Suggested for You posts completely. You can mute individual Stories and turn down suggested content in Settings, but both keep coming back. Locking your feed to Following only and blocking Stories with Stillfeed Pro removes both.
What Instagram lets you do about Stories
Instagram doesn't offer a setting that hides the Stories tray itself. What's available instead:
- Mute individual accounts' Stories. Press and hold a profile picture in the Stories tray, or go to their profile → the three-dot menu → Mute → Story. This works one account at a time, and the tray itself stays.
- Turn down suggested content. Somewhere in Instagram's settings is a Suggested Content option that lets you tell Instagram to show less of certain kinds of suggested posts and reels, which can reduce how many accounts you don't follow show up with Stories — Instagram moves the exact menu path around from time to time, so search its Help Center if you can't find it. Either way, it's a dial, not an off switch.
What Instagram lets you do about Suggested for You
"Suggested for You" is Instagram's label for posts from accounts you don't follow, inserted into your main feed once you've caught up on new posts from people you do follow. There's no setting that removes it from the algorithmic Home feed. Your options:
- Switch to the Following feed. Tap the Instagram wordmark at the top and choose Following. Suggested posts can't appear there, because it only shows accounts you follow. The catch: Instagram doesn't remember this choice, and reopens on the algorithmic Home feed next time — see how to see Following in chronological order for more on that reset.
- Mark individual suggested posts "Not interested." This tunes which suggestions you get, not whether you get them.
Why neither one fully goes away
Both Stories and Suggested for You exist to pull you from the people you came to see into content Instagram's algorithm picked instead, so there's no incentive for Instagram to offer a permanent off switch for either. The available settings reduce the noise; they don't remove the surface.
Removing both with Stillfeed
We built Stillfeed as a free in-app browser for iPhone that loads the real instagram.com, signed into your own account, and strips out specific parts of the page before they're shown to you.
What you get for free
- Instagram opens to your Following feed by default, which keeps Suggested for You posts out of the way for most of your time in the app
- Reels and Explore removed entirely
- No trial, no payment and no Stillfeed account needed
What Stillfeed Pro adds (optional)
- Block Stories — the Stories tray is removed, not just individual accounts muted
- Following only — locks the feed so it can't switch back to the algorithmic feed, which is where Suggested for You posts appear
- A DMs-only mode and a daily time limit, for anyone who wants to go further
Pro is an optional purchase on top of the free tier.
Common questions
Can you hide the Stories tray on Instagram?
Not for every account at once. You can mute individual people's Stories one at a time, or look for a Suggested content option in Settings to reduce how much Instagram pushes into your Stories tray and feed — Instagram moves it occasionally — but there's no single setting that removes the Stories bar. Stillfeed Pro removes it entirely.
How do I stop Suggested for You posts on Instagram?
Instagram's suggested-content settings let you turn down how many suggested posts and reels you see, but Instagram doesn't guarantee they disappear. Suggested for You posts only appear in the algorithmic Home feed, so locking your feed to Following-only removes the surface they appear on.
Is hiding Stories and suggested posts free in Stillfeed?
The Following feed default, which already keeps the algorithmic feed (and its suggested posts) out of your way most of the time, is free. Locking the feed to Following-only and hiding the Stories tray completely are both part of the optional Stillfeed Pro tier.
