What is Explore tab?
The Explore tab is Instagram’s magnifying-glass screen, a grid of posts and Reels from accounts the person does not follow, built from what they usually like, save and watch. It is the main discovery surface outside Reels: showing up there means being shown to new people without paying for ads. The algorithm picks by the post’s early performance among existing followers, so content that engages fast in the first minutes has a better chance of reaching Explore. Carousels with high saves and Reels with high retention are the formats that get in most.