How To Reset The TikTok Algorithm

Computer programs known as algorithms control most of what TikTok users experience on the social media platform.

One algorithm with a very important role decides which TikTok posts appear on users’ For You feeds. What you see as you scroll is largely based on the TikTok videos you’ve already watched and interacted with, and the topics you’ve searched for on the app.

That’s what creates the “personalized” experience the platform is known for. The algorithm figures out what you like to see, and that’s the type of TikTok content that dominates your feed. It works extremely well and is a key reason why the app has more than two billion users worldwide.

But it doesn’t always provide an optimal experience.

Why Would You Want to Reset the TikTok Algorithm?

Several scenarios immediately come to mind.

1. You’re bored with always seeing the same kind of posts and want to broaden your horizons.
2. Your interest in the subjects that have dominated your TikTok feed has declined, so you’re getting tired of seeing the same sort of videos over and over again.
3. You were researching a topic and watched lots of content about it, so the algorithm began showing you more and more vids on that topic. Your research has been completed, though, and you don’t need to see those types of posts anymore.

There’s no simple way to change the subjects that the algorithm thinks you’re interested in; you won’t find a menu of preferred topics anywhere on the app once you’ve signed up for a TikTok account.

Instead, you’ll have to “teach” the algorithms that your preferences have changed.

Methods of Resetting the TikTok Algorithm

You can gradually change the type of videos you see on your feed by liberally liking and engaging with posts you want the algorithm to show you, while ignoring the ones you don’t want to see anymore. That can take a very long time.

You can speed up the process by directly telling the system you don’t want to see videos like the ones that show up in your feed. When one appears, press the middle of the screen for a few seconds, and you’ll see a pop-up with lots of options. Right at the top, there’s a “broken heart” icon that’s labeled “Not interested.” Tap it, and you’ll see less of that type of content.

There’s a faster approach, though.

Completely Resetting the TikTok Algorithm

This method tells the algorithm to start from scratch by erasing all of your previous viewing history. You can’t just eliminate one topic from your content preferences, though; your For You feed will no longer show posts on any of the topics the app knows you’re interested in. It will take a while to retrain the algorithm to display videos on the subjects you still like.

Want to do it anyway? Here’s how.

1. Open your TikTok profile by tapping the “Profile” icon on the bottom right of your home screen.
2. Open the profile menu by clicking the Menu icon (three horizontal bars) at the top right.
3. Choose “Settings and privacy” from the pop-up that appears.
4. Scroll the next screen, choose “Content preferences,” and tap “Refresh your For You feed.” If you’re asked to confirm, do it.

The algorithm that controls the videos you see on your feed has now been reset. If you want to reset everything about your TikTok history, including content preferences and previous searches, you can clear your TikTok cache from the “Settings and privacy” screen by going to “Free up space” > “Clear cache.”

What Else Do the Algorithms Do?

On a complicated social app like TikTok, there are multiple algorithms responsible for all sorts of functions. One of the algos controls how much exposure your posts receive across the platform; massaging that algorithm can help you become more visible, popular, and important on TikTok.

iDigic has social media strategies that can boost your TikTok followers and engagements; contact us at any time for more details.