What are Instagram Explore ads?
Instagram Explore ads appear in Explore, the discovery surface people open with the magnifying glass. Meta's remaining placement is Explore home, where ads show as square tiles in the grid with your logo and an ad label. Since January 2026 the separate Explore feed placement is gone; tapping a tile opens a reels viewer served by the Reels placement.
Explore is the part of Instagram where the app surfaces posts from accounts people do not already follow, chosen around their interests. Advertisers can use it too. What used to be two Explore placements is now one: the Explore home grid. The feed people enter after tapping a tile has been replaced by a reels viewer, and Meta now fills it from the Instagram Reels placement.
Where do Explore ads appear?
Meta describes Explore home ads as 1x1 tiles in the Explore grid, shown with your account logo and an ad label. Meta also says Explore home is not a standalone placement: to appear there, your ads must also run in Instagram Feed. Meta’s Explore article says ads are not shown in topic channels.
What changed in January 2026?
Meta says that, starting in January 2026, Instagram Explore is no longer available as a placement in Ads Manager. Tapping a tile in the Explore grid now opens an immersive reels viewer instead of the Explore feed.
| Before January 2026 | From January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Instagram Explore placement: the feed after tapping a tile | Removed from Ads Manager |
| Instagram Explore home placement: the grid | Still available to select |
| Ad sets targeting Instagram Explore | Deliver to the other placements they target |
| The feed opened from a tile | A reels viewer, served by ads targeting Instagram Reels |
If your old ad sets had Explore selected, you do not need to rebuild them: Meta says they deliver to their other targeted placements.
Why would you advertise in Explore?
Meta gives three reasons:
- Explore is a browsing experience where people look for new ways to engage with their interests.
- You can reuse your existing Feed creative and the same people-based targeting.
- Ads that deliver in Instagram Feed can be extended to the Explore placements to reach more people.
How do you run ads in Explore home?
- Create a campaign in Ads Manager with an objective that supports Instagram Explore home.
- Keep Advantage+ placements on, which include Explore home, or choose placements manually.
- If you choose manually, tick Instagram Explore home and keep Instagram Feed selected too.
- Add identity, format and links, preview the ad, then submit it for review.
Meta’s product-tag article, read on 2 October 2026, still says an ad with product tags runs with its tags on Instagram Feed, Instagram Explore and Instagram Stories under Advantage+ placements, although Meta’s Explore article says the Explore placement left Ads Manager in January 2026.
FAQ
Do boosted Instagram posts show in Explore?
Meta’s Instagram boosting article, read on 2 October 2026, still says boosted posts appear in Explore, Home Feed, Explore feed, profile feed and Stories. Given the January 2026 change to the Explore feed, check your ad’s placement preview to see exactly where a boosted post is shown in your account today.
Do video ads play differently in Explore?
Meta’s video playing specifications, read on 2 October 2026, still list Instagram Explore: 25% of a video ad’s pixels must be in view for it to play there, the same as Instagram Feed, while Instagram Stories need 100%. Explore home has no row of its own.
Can I target only Explore?
No. Meta says Instagram Explore home is not available as a standalone placement: if you choose placements manually, Instagram Feed must be selected too. Meta recommends Advantage+ placements so the delivery system can try to make the most of your budget, and says adding placements does not increase cost.
Sources
- About ads in Instagram Explore (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About ad formats available on Instagram (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About ad placements across Meta technologies (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Set up ads in Instagram Explore (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Video ad playing specifications by placement (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Run an existing shoppable post as an ad with product tags (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Boost a post on Instagram (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.