Starting January 2026, the 'Instagram Explore' ad placement will be removed, meaning advertisers can no longer select it for their campaigns. When users click tiles in the Instagram Explore grid, they will be directed to a new immersive Reels viewer instead of the traditional Explore feed.
Ads targeting the 'Instagram Reels' placement will now appear in what was previously the Explore feed, providing the same Reels experience. Once this change is implemented in an ad account, any ad sets targeting 'Instagram Explore' will automatically deliver to other selected placements.
However, advertisers can still choose the 'Instagram Explore home' placement for their ads.
