What "Find Similar" does and why you might want to turn it off
Find Similar is a TikTok feature that shows you accounts and content related to creators you follow or interact with. When you tap the three dots on a video or visit a creator's profile, you'll see a "Find Similar" option that pulls up comparable accounts — usually creators in the same niche, with similar content style, or who appeal to the same audience.
The feature exists to help you discover new creators, but it also means TikTok is actively tracking which accounts you engage with and building a map of your interests. If you want to limit how much TikTok learns about your viewing patterns, or if you straightforward don't want algorithmic recommendations pushing you toward specific creators, turning off this feature reduces that data collection.
TikTok doesn't have a single master switch to disable Find Similar everywhere at once. Instead, you control it through your privacy settings and by managing what data TikTok collects about your activity. The steps below show you how to restrict this feature on both iPhone and Android.
Key Takeaways
- Find Similar shows you new creators based on accounts you already follow or watch, which means TikTok is tracking your viewing patterns to build recommendations.
- You can limit Find Similar by turning off "Personalized ads" and "Personalization and data" in your privacy settings, which reduces the data TikTok uses to suggest similar creators.
- On individual videos, you can tap the three dots and select "Not interested" to prevent that creator from appearing in Find Similar recommendations.
- Disabling Find Similar does not delete your watch history — it only stops TikTok from using that history to suggest new creators to you.
- These settings work the same way on iPhone and Android, though the menu names vary slightly between app versions.
How to turn off personalized recommendations in your privacy settings
The most direct way to limit Find Similar is to turn off the data permissions that power it. Open TikTok and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner. Then tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) in the top right, and select "Settings and privacy."
From there, tap "Privacy" and scroll down to "Personalization and data." You'll see toggles for "Personalized ads" and "Personalization and data." Turn both of these off. When you disable "Personalization and data," TikTok stops using your watch history, search history, and interaction patterns to build recommendations — which includes Find Similar suggestions.
After you turn these off, you may notice that Find Similar still appears as an option on videos and profiles, but the accounts it suggests will be far more generic and less tailored to your actual viewing habits. The feature doesn't disappear entirely, but it becomes much less useful because TikTok has less information to work with.
Blocking Find Similar on individual videos
If you want to prevent a specific creator from showing up in Find Similar recommendations, you can do that on a per-video basis. Open any video from that creator, tap the three dots in the bottom right corner, and select "Not interested." This tells TikTok not to recommend that creator to you in the future.
Repeat this for any creator whose similar accounts you don't want to see. Over time, this trains TikTok's algorithm to narrow down what it considers "similar" to your interests. It's slower than a blanket setting, but it gives you more control over which creators actually appear when someone uses Find Similar to discover accounts like the ones you follow.
You can also mute creators or block them entirely if you want to prevent them from appearing anywhere in your feed. Muting hides their content from your For You page without notifying them; blocking prevents them from seeing your profile or messaging you.
What happens to your watch history when you turn off Find Similar
Turning off Find Similar does not erase your watch history. TikTok still keeps a record of every video you've watched — that data is stored on their servers and used for other purposes, like showing you ads or training their recommendation algorithm for your main feed.
What changes is that TikTok stops using that history specifically to power the Find Similar feature. Your For You page may still show videos similar to ones you've watched, because that's a separate recommendation system. Find Similar is just one way TikTok surfaces related content, and disabling it only affects that one pathway.
If you want to actually delete your watch history rather than just stop TikTok from using it for recommendations, you can do that separately. Go to "Settings and privacy," tap "Cache and cellular data," and select "Clear watch history." This removes the record of videos you've watched, though TikTok may still retain some data about your activity for legal or security reasons.
Why TikTok uses Find Similar and what it learns from it
Find Similar exists because it keeps you on the app longer. When you discover new creators through recommendations, you're more likely to keep scrolling and watching, which means more time for TikTok to show you ads. The feature also helps TikTok understand which types of creators and content appeal to the same audiences, which makes their overall recommendation system more accurate.
Every time you use Find Similar or TikTok suggests a creator to you, the company learns something about your interests and how you relate to other users. If you frequently use Find Similar to find fitness creators, TikTok notes that pattern. If you watch a lot of videos from a specific creator and then use Find Similar to find similar accounts, TikTok builds a profile of what "similar" means to you specifically.
This data is valuable to TikTok because it helps them sell more targeted ads. Advertisers pay more to reach people whose interests have been precisely mapped. By limiting Find Similar, you're reducing the amount of behavioral data TikTok collects about your preferences, which means you'll see less targeted (and often less relevant) ads.
The difference between Find Similar and your For You page
Find Similar and your For You page are two separate recommendation systems, and turning off one doesn't affect the other. Your For You page uses TikTok's main algorithm, which looks at videos you've watched, accounts you follow, sounds you've engaged with, and hashtags you've searched. It's designed to show you a constant stream of new content.
Find Similar is narrower — it only activates when you specifically ask for it by tapping the three dots on a video or visiting a creator's profile. It's a tool for discovery, not a passive feed. If you turn off Find Similar but leave "Personalization and data" turned on, your For You page will still be highly personalized, but you'll have to actively search for new creators rather than having TikTok suggest them to you.
Some people prefer this trade-off because it gives them more control over their discovery process. Others turn off personalization entirely because they want TikTok to show them less targeted content across the board. The choice depends on how much control you want over what TikTok knows about you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off Find Similar make TikTok less fun?
That depends on how you use the app. If you like discovering new creators through recommendations, yes — you'll have fewer suggestions. If you prefer to search for creators yourself or stick with accounts you already follow, you probably won't notice much difference. Your For You page will still show you new content; Find Similar just won't be available as a separate discovery tool.
Can I turn off Find Similar for some creators but not others?
Not directly. You can block or mute specific creators to prevent them from appearing in recommendations, but you can't selectively enable Find Similar for only certain accounts. Your privacy settings explore to the whole app. If you want Find Similar to work for some creators but not others, you'd need to turn off the privacy restrictions and then manually block the creators you don't want to see.
Will turning off Find Similar stop TikTok from tracking me?
No. Turning off Find Similar only stops TikTok from using your data for that specific feature. TikTok still tracks your watch history, search history, and interactions for other purposes — your main feed, ads, and internal analytics. To reduce tracking more broadly, you'd also need to turn off "Personalized ads" and limit app permissions in your phone's settings.
If I clear my watch history, does Find Similar disappear?
Clearing your watch history removes the record of videos you've watched, which means Find Similar has less data to work with. However, TikTok may still use other signals — like accounts you follow or sounds you've engaged with — to suggest similar creators. Find Similar won't disappear entirely, but it will be less accurate because it has less information about your viewing patterns.