Bluesky shows a For You feed by default. This feed uses an algorithm to guess what you might like. Many users prefer a simple chronological feed that shows posts in the order they were published. You can switch off the For You feed and return to a chronological timeline in just a few taps. This article explains how to change your default feed and hide the algorithmic view.
Key Takeaways: Switching to a Chronological Feed on Bluesky
- Settings > Feeds > Pinned Feeds: Remove the For You feed from your pinned list to stop it from appearing.
- Home tab dropdown: Tap the Home tab header to select a chronological feed like Following or a custom feed.
- Following feed: This built-in feed shows posts from people you follow in reverse chronological order.
How the For You Feed Works and Why You Might Want to Change It
The For You feed is Bluesky’s algorithmic feed. It uses engagement signals such as likes, reposts, and follows to surface content it thinks you will enjoy. This can include posts from accounts you do not follow. The feed is designed to keep you on the platform longer by showing popular or trending content. Some users find this distracting or prefer to see only posts from accounts they deliberately follow. The chronological feed, called Following, shows every post from the people you follow in the exact order they were posted. No algorithm decides what appears first. Switching to chronological gives you full control over your timeline.
Steps to Switch Off the For You Feed and Use Chronological
You can switch your default home feed on the Bluesky mobile app and on the web version. The process is the same on both platforms.
- Open Bluesky and go to your Home tab
Launch the Bluesky app on your phone or open the website in a desktop browser. You will see the Home tab at the top of the screen. This tab currently shows the For You feed if you have not changed it before. - Tap the Home tab header
Tap or click the word “Home” at the top of the feed. This opens a dropdown menu that lists all available feeds, including For You, Following, and any custom feeds you have added. - Select the Following feed
In the dropdown list, tap “Following.” The feed immediately switches to a chronological view showing posts from accounts you follow. You can verify this by checking that the posts appear in the order they were published, with the newest post at the top. - Make Following your default feed (optional but recommended)
To ensure Bluesky always opens to the chronological feed, you need to set Following as your default. Go to Settings by tapping the gear icon or your profile picture and selecting Settings. Then tap Feeds. Under Pinned Feeds, make sure Following is listed and For You is not. If For You appears in the pinned list, tap the three-dot menu next to it and choose Unpin. This removes For You from the Home tab dropdown entirely. Now, every time you open the app, the Following feed will load first. - Remove the For You feed from your saved feeds (optional)
If you want to hide the For You feed completely so it never reappears, go to Settings > Feeds > Saved Feeds. Find For You in the list and tap the minus icon or swipe left to remove it. This step is not required to switch to chronological, but it prevents accidental taps on the For You feed later.
Switching on Desktop (Web)
The web version works the same way. Click the Home tab at the top left of the screen. A dropdown menu appears. Select Following to switch to chronological. To make this permanent, click Settings in the left sidebar, then Feeds. Unpin For You and pin Following if it is not already pinned.
Common Mistakes and Limitations When Switching Feeds
“I switched to Following, but the app still shows For You when I reopen it”
This happens if For You remains your default feed in Settings. Follow step 4 above to unpin For You from the Pinned Feeds list. The app always opens to the first feed in your Pinned Feeds list. If Following is the only pinned feed, it will load first.
“I see fewer posts in the Following feed”
The Following feed only shows posts from accounts you follow. If you follow only a few accounts, the feed will appear less active than the For You feed, which pulls from the entire network. To get more content in your chronological feed, follow more accounts whose posts you enjoy.
“The For You feed keeps reappearing after I unpin it”
Sometimes Bluesky updates or resets your feed preferences. If this happens, repeat the steps to unpin For You from Settings > Feeds > Pinned Feeds. Also check that you have not accidentally saved For You as a saved feed that gets re-pinned. Remove it from Saved Feeds entirely to prevent this.
“I cannot find the Feeds option in Settings”
On the mobile app, tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner, then tap the gear icon at the top. Scroll down to Feeds. On the web, click Settings in the left sidebar, then scroll to Feeds. If you still cannot find it, update your Bluesky app to the latest version.
For You vs Following: Key Differences
| Item | For You Feed | Following Feed (Chronological) |
|---|---|---|
| Content source | Accounts you follow plus popular posts from the network | Only accounts you follow |
| Sort order | Algorithmic based on engagement signals | Reverse chronological (newest first) |
| Control over visibility | Low — the algorithm decides what you see | High — you see every post from followed accounts |
| Best for | Discovering new content and trending topics | Keeping up with specific accounts without distractions |
Now you can switch off the For You feed and use the chronological Following feed instead. The key step is unpinning For You from Settings > Feeds > Pinned Feeds so your chronological feed becomes the default. If you want even more control, try adding a custom feed that filters posts by topic or language. You can find these in the Feeds directory by tapping the search icon and selecting Feeds.