You cannot edit one master “Facebook algorithm” switch, but you can train the ranking systems and replace them with a chronological view. Use Interested or Not interested on individual posts, adjust Feed Preferences, curate Favorites, and open the Feeds tab when you want the newest posts first. Since December 16, 2025, interactions with Meta’s generative-AI features can also become a signal for recommendations and ads in most regions.
What “customize the algorithm” means on Facebook
Facebook does not offer a single editable algorithm. Meta describes a collection of AI systems that retrieve candidate posts, predict what you may value, rank the candidates, and apply your feedback. Its published system cards cover 14 Facebook systems among 22 cards for Facebook and Instagram.
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Those systems use signals such as likes, comments, views, watch duration, your history with an author, and your past interaction with similar posts. They also recommend material from outside the people and pages you follow. Meta says its systems select from tens of billions of pieces of content outside a person’s network and reported in 2023 that more than 20% of content in Facebook and Instagram feeds was AI-recommended.
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Controls that change what you see
| Control | Scope and ordering | How long it applies | What it tells Facebook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interested / Not interested | One post or topic; keeps the normal algorithmic order | Immediate ranking feedback; the effect is described as temporary for similar content | Raise or lower the score of comparable posts |
| Favorites | Selected friends, profiles and pages; prioritizes their posts | Persistent until you edit the list | Give chosen accounts higher priority |
| Snooze | Temporarily hides a person, page or group | Temporary; the duration is shown when you set it | Pause this source without unfollowing |
| Reconnect | Helps restore sources you previously unfollowed | Persistent until changed | Resume seeing selected people or pages |
| Feeds tab | Posts from chosen feed categories in chronological order rather than ranked order | Applies while you use that tab | Requests recency over predicted relevance |
| Why Am I Seeing This? | Explains an individual recommendation where available | Post-specific transparency | Shows activity or relationship signals behind the recommendation |
How to train your feed, step by step
Give immediate feedback on a post
- Find a post that is especially useful or irrelevant.
- Tap or click the post’s three-dot menu.
- Choose Interested to see more similar material or Not interested to reduce it. Older versions of Facebook called these options Show more and Show less.
- If Facebook offers Why Am I Seeing This?, open it before dismissing the post to inspect the activity or relationship that influenced the recommendation.
This is the fastest way to influence a topic, but it is not a permanent block. Use unfollow, snooze or a feed preference when you need stronger control over a source.
Prioritize friends and pages with Favorites
- Open Facebook’s menu and go to Settings & privacy, then Feed or Feed preferences (the label can vary by app version).
- Open Favorites.
- Search for and add the people and pages whose posts you do not want ranked below other content.
- Return to the same screen whenever your priorities change.
Favorites is an account-level preference, so it is more suitable than repeatedly marking individual posts when your goal is to see more from friends broadly.
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Use Feeds for a chronological view
- From Facebook’s main navigation, select Feeds. On some layouts you may need to choose See more first.
- Select the category you want, such as friends, pages or groups.
- Read the resulting list in newest-first order.
The Feeds tab is the clearest alternative to algorithmic ranking. It does not permanently turn off recommendations across the Home feed; switch to Feeds whenever recency matters.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
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Use a post’s three-dot menu to hide an individual item. In Feed preferences, use Snooze to pause a person, page or group without unfollowing, or Reconnect to restore accounts you previously removed from your feed. These controls are reversible from the same preferences area.
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- Call anyone, anywhere. Use apps like Messenger and WhatsApp to connect with friends and family—even if they don’t have a Meta Portal.
- A more natural connection. Smart Camera adjusts automatically so you can move freely and stay in frame, while Smart Sound ensures you can be heard clearly.
- Privacy by design. Easily disable the camera and microphone, or block the lens with the camera cover.
Why Facebook recommends posts from strangers
Facebook’s recommendation systems can retrieve posts outside your network, then rank them using engagement predictions and your history. A video you watched for a long time, a topic you frequently comment on, or activity involving a similar author can all increase the likelihood of related material appearing. Ads use separate delivery systems but can reflect inferred interests and activity connected with Facebook’s services.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do Meta AI chats change your Facebook recommendations?
Yes, potentially. Meta announced in October 2025 that interactions with its generative-AI features—including text exchanges and voice chats—would become another personalization signal for 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.
Rank #4
- A more natural connection. Smart Camera adjusts automatically so you can move freely and stay in frame, while Smart Sound ensures you can easily be heard.
- Call anyone, anywhere. Use apps like Messenger and WhatsApp to connect with friends and family—even if they don’t have a Meta Portal.
- Designed for the home. With a sleek picture frame design, quick setup and intuitive voice and touchscreen controls, Meta Portal fits easily and seamlessly into your home.
- Privacy by design. Easily disable the camera and microphone, or block the lens with the camera cover.
For example, discussing hiking with Meta AI may be followed by recommendations for hiking groups, trail posts from friends or hiking-boot advertising. This does not mean every conversation produces a visible match, and availability can depend on region and rollout status.
The Tool Desk
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Quick Recap
Best Value
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- Call anyone, anywhere. Use apps like Messenger and WhatsApp to connect with friends and family—even if they don’t have a Meta Portal.
- A more natural connection. Smart Camera adjusts automatically so you can move freely and stay in frame, while Smart Sound ensures you can always be heard.
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A practical setup for a cleaner feed
- Add essential friends and pages to Favorites.
- Use Not interested on unwanted recommendations as they appear.
- Snooze high-volume sources rather than unfollowing when you only need a break.
- Check Why Am I Seeing This? on surprising recommendations to identify the signal you can change.
- Open Feeds for a chronological catch-up, then return to Home when you want recommendations.
- After December 16, 2025, review Ads Preferences if Meta AI conversations are producing unwanted personalization.
What these controls cannot do
- They cannot expose or let you manually edit Facebook’s ranking formula.
- Interested and Not interested influence similar content but are not guaranteed, permanent filters.
- Favorites raises priority; it does not guarantee that every post from those accounts will appear.
- Feeds changes ordering in that tab, not the entire Facebook experience.
- AI recommendations can include content from accounts you do not follow, so eliminating all suggested posts requires using a different feed view and continuing to dismiss recommendations.
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