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Facebook does not offer one switch for editing its feed algorithm. Instead, multiple AI ranking systems learn from your activity and direct feedback. You can influence them with Interested or Not interested, Feed Preferences, Favorites, snooze and reconnect controls, and the Feeds tab for a chronological view. Since December 16, 2025, interactions with Meta AI features can also become a personalization signal for posts, reels and ads in most regions.
What Facebook’s “customizable algorithm” actually means
Facebook’s feed is assembled by many AI systems rather than a single editable algorithm. Meta says its system cards describe 22 ranking systems across Facebook and Instagram, including candidate retrieval, prediction, ranking and customization. These systems evaluate signals such as likes, comments, views, watch duration, your history with an author and your previous interaction with similar posts.
The systems can also recommend content from outside the people, Pages and groups you follow. Meta said its recommendation systems selected from “tens of billions” of pieces of content beyond a person’s network and that more than 20% of Facebook and Instagram feed content was AI-recommended at the time of its 2023 explanation. Meta also reported a 15% increase in watch time in Facebook’s Reels video player during the previous fall.
That means you can steer the ranking signals, but you cannot directly set a universal rule such as “show only friends” for every surface of Facebook.
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Controls that change your feed
| Control | Immediacy | Scope | Ordering | Reversibility | Transparency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interested or Not interested | Immediate feedback on one post | That topic and similar recommendations | Algorithmic | Usually a temporary ranking adjustment | Use “Why Am I Seeing This?” when available |
| Favorites | Account-level preference | Selected friends and Pages | Prioritizes chosen sources | Persistent until changed | Reviewable in Feed Preferences |
| Snooze | Immediate | A person, Page or group | Algorithmic, with that source suppressed | Temporary | Visible in Feed Preferences |
| Reconnect | Account-level preference | Sources you previously unfollowed | Returns them to normal ranking eligibility | Persistent until changed | Reviewable in Feed Preferences |
| Feeds tab | Immediate view change | Posts from selected feed categories | Chronological rather than ranked | Use it whenever needed | Order is explicit by time |
How to train Facebook with post-level feedback
- Open Facebook and find a recommended post you do not want.
- Tap or click the post’s three-dot menu.
- Choose Not interested. Meta previously labeled this action Show less; the current wording may vary by account or rollout.
- For content you want more often, open the same menu and choose Interested, formerly Show more.
- When offered, select Why Am I Seeing This? to inspect activity and other inputs that influenced the recommendation.
This feedback changes the ranking score for similar content; it is not a permanent block of every post about that subject. If a source is the problem rather than the topic, use snooze or unfollow controls instead.
How to prioritize friends and Pages
Use Favorites for important sources
Open Facebook’s Feed Preferences and choose Favorites. Add the friends and Pages whose posts should receive priority. Favorites changes ranking priority; it does not turn the entire service into a friends-only chronological feed.
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Use snooze when you need a temporary break
From a person, Page or group’s post menu, choose the snooze option and select the available duration. Snooze is useful when you want to reduce one source without making a permanent unfollow decision. Manage or undo snoozes later in Feed Preferences.
Use reconnect after an earlier unfollow
Feed Preferences includes Reconnect controls for people, Pages and groups you previously unfollowed. Reconnecting makes those sources eligible for normal feed ranking again.
How to see posts in chronological order
Select the Feeds tab when you want a time-ordered view instead of Facebook’s default personalized ranking. Depending on the interface, Feeds can include categories such as friends, Pages or groups. Chronological order limits ranking between posts in that view, but it does not permanently change the default Home feed. Return to Feeds whenever you want to check what was posted most recently.
Can Meta AI chats change your Facebook recommendations?
Yes. Meta announced that conversations with its generative AI features would become an additional signal for personalizing posts, reels and ads. Notifications were scheduled to begin October 7, 2025, and the change took effect December 16, 2025, with rollout covering most regions.
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For example, discussing hiking with Meta AI may be followed by recommendations for hiking groups, trail posts from friends or hiking-boot advertising. Meta says this applies whether the interaction is a text exchange or a voice chat. It also says conversations about religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs or trade-union membership are not used to show ads. Microphone access requires permission and active use of a microphone feature.
If this personalization is unwanted, review Facebook’s feed controls and Ads Preferences. Those settings can reduce or manage recommendations and advertising personalization, but they do not provide a single master switch that removes every ranking signal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why unwanted posts can keep appearing
- One “Not interested” action is not a block: it lowers the score for similar content temporarily, while other signals may still favor it.
- Several systems rank different surfaces: Home, Reels, Stories, search and other areas may use different models and signals.
- Recommendations include non-followed content: Facebook can retrieve posts from outside your network when predicted interest is high.
- Recent behavior has weight: watching a video for a long time or repeatedly opening similar posts can counteract a single negative action.
Apply feedback consistently, add key sources to Favorites, snooze repeat offenders and switch to Feeds when recency matters more than discovery.
What you can and cannot control
You can provide explicit positive or negative feedback, prioritize selected friends and Pages, temporarily suppress sources, reconnect previously unfollowed accounts and view posts chronologically. You cannot inspect or edit every model, assign a precise permanent percentage to each topic or guarantee that all recommended posts come from people you follow. “Why Am I Seeing This?” offers explanation for some recommendations, not a complete disclosure of every signal or model decision.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Facebook show only posts from friends?
Use the Friends option within the Feeds area when it is available, and use Favorites to prioritize specific people. The standard Home feed can still contain recommendations and ads.
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No. It provides ranking feedback that can raise the score of similar content. Other activity and later feedback can change what Facebook predicts you will want.
Are Meta AI conversations used to target ads about sensitive subjects?
Meta says conversations about religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs and trade-union membership are not used to show ads. The broader AI-personalization change nevertheless adds eligible Meta AI interactions as a signal for recommendations and advertising in regions covered by the rollout.
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