Facebook Algorithm in 2026: How It Works and How to Reset It

The Facebook algorithm is Meta's ranking system. It decides which posts, Reels and ads appear in your Feed and in what order. It scores every eligible post by predicting how likely you are to watch, comment, share or find it worth your time, then shows the highest scores first.

You cannot switch the algorithm off. You can reset and steer it with Feed preferences, Show more and Show less, unfollowing, and clearing your activity.

How does the Facebook algorithm work in 2026?

Meta describes ranking as four steps. Facebook gathers the inventory of posts you could see, reads signals about each one, predicts how you will react, and combines those predictions into a relevance score. This runs fresh every time you open the app, so your Feed is never a fixed list.

Meta explains the process on its Transparency Center page on how ranking works, including system cards for Feed and Reels. Here is the short version.

1. Inventory: posts from friends, Pages and groups you follow, plus recommended posts from accounts you do not follow, and ads.
2. Signals: thousands of data points, such as who posted, when, the format, how other people reacted, and how you have treated similar posts before.
3. Predictions: the chance you will like, comment, share, watch to the end, or say in a survey that the post was worth your time.
4. Relevance score: the predictions are weighted and added up. Integrity rules then lower or remove posts that break Meta's guidelines.

Which signals matter most?

Meta does not publish exact weights, but its documentation keeps pointing to a few signal groups. For content from accounts you follow, relationships matter most, so people you message, tag and comment with get more space. For recommended content and Reels, the strongest signals are watch time, rewatches, shares and taps on not interested.

• Who posted: close friends and groups you are active in rank above Pages you followed years ago and now ignore.
• How others reacted: early comments, replies and shares tell the system a post is worth showing to more people.
• Your history: the formats you spend longer on (Reels, photos, links or text) show up more often.
• Freshness: newer posts usually beat older ones, though a post with an active comment thread can come back.
• Feedback: hides, snoozes, Show less taps and survey answers push similar posts down.

What is the difference between connected and recommended content?

Your Feed mixes two pools. Connected content comes from accounts you chose to follow. Recommended content comes from accounts you do not follow, picked because people who behave like you engaged with it.

Recommendations are the main way a Page or creator reaches new people. That is why Reels performance matters so much for growth.

What changed in recent Facebook algorithm updates?

The biggest recent changes came in 2025, and they still shape ranking in 2026. Meta pushed friends' content back into view, moved nearly all video into Reels, and started cutting reach for accounts that repost other people's work. The four-step system stayed the same; what it rewards changed.

• More friends content: In 2025 Meta said it wanted Facebook to feel more like the friend-focused app it started as. It added a dedicated Friends tab with posts, birthdays and requests from people you know.
• Video became Reels: Meta announced in 2025 that videos uploaded to Facebook would be published as Reels, and it renamed the Video tab. Long and short clips now compete in the same recommendation system.
• Unoriginal content crackdown: In mid-2025 Facebook said accounts that keep reposting other people's videos, photos or text without meaningful changes can lose monetization access and get lower distribution. Duplicate copies also get less reach, so the original creator gets the credit.
• Community Notes in the US: In 2025 Meta replaced its third-party fact-checking program in the US with a Community Notes model. This changed how disputed posts are labeled.

For Facebook algorithm update news as it happens, use Meta's newsroom, the Transparency Center and the notices in your in-app professional dashboard. Treat third-party posts claiming a leaked algorithm as rumor unless Meta has confirmed them.

Is the Facebook algorithm different in Vietnam or other markets?

Meta documents one ranking system used worldwide, so the 2026 updates apply in Vietnam, the US and Canada alike. What varies by country is the rollout of features, monetization programs and ad rules. These often reach some markets months before others.

Ranking also reflects local behavior. A post competes against whatever people in that market and language are engaging with that day.

How do you reset the Facebook algorithm?

At the time of writing there is no single reset button for the Facebook Feed. Instagram has a Reset suggested content option, but Facebook does not. You can get close to a reset by cleaning up who you follow, giving direct feedback on posts, and clearing your search and off-Meta history.

As an estimate based on how quickly ranking reacts to new signals, expect your Feed to shift within a few days and settle in one to two weeks. Menu labels move between app versions, so the paths below are the current common routes on iPhone and Android.

1. Clean up your follows: go to Menu > Settings & privacy > Settings > Feeds (under Preferences). Unfollow Pages and people you no longer care about. Use Snooze for 30 days when you want a break rather than a permanent cut.
2. Set Favorites: in the same Feeds settings, add up to 30 friends and Pages as Favorites so their posts rank higher.
3. Use Show more and Show less: tap the three dots on any post and pick an option. This is the most direct feedback you can give.
4. Hide posts and sources: choose Hide post, or Hide all from for repeat offenders. This works well on recommended Pages you never followed.
5. Adjust content preferences: in Feeds settings, use the Reduce controls (where available) for sensitive, low-quality and unoriginal content.
6. Clear search history: go to Profile > three dots > Activity log > Search history > Clear searches.
7. Clear off-Meta activity: go to Accounts Center > Your information and permissions > Your activity off Meta technologies. Clear previous activity and, if you want, disconnect future activity. This mostly affects ads, but it also removes old interest signals.
8. Retrain with deliberate engagement: for the next week, comment on, share and watch the posts you want more of. Scroll quickly past everything else.

For a Feed with no ranking at all, open the Feeds tab and pick All, Friends, Groups or Pages. These sort posts most recent first. The app goes back to the ranked Home Feed when you close it, so this is a view rather than a setting.

The same approach works on Meta's other big app. Our guide on how to reset the Instagram algorithm covers its built-in reset tool.

How do you reset the Facebook Reels algorithm?

To reset Reels, give strong negative feedback on unwanted clips, clear your watch history, and deliberately watch the topics you want. Reels ranking leans heavily on watch time, so what you linger on matters more than what you like. Even pausing to read the comments on a clip you dislike tells the system you were interested.

1. On any unwanted Reel, tap the three dots and choose Show less or Hide (labels vary by app version).
2. Swipe away from unwanted clips within the first second or two. Do not watch to see where they go.
3. Clear watched videos where the option exists, under Activity log > Videos you've watched.
4. Search for the topics you want, watch several clips all the way through, and follow two or three creators in that niche.
5. Tap Show more on the Reels you like, and share the good ones to Messenger. Shares are a strong positive signal.

As an estimate, give it three to five days of consistent behavior. If one topic keeps returning, check whether you watch it on Instagram too. Meta can use activity across its apps when your accounts are linked in Accounts Center.