What Instagram's Navigation Redesign Actually Changed

Instagram redesigned its bottom navigation bar in March 2026, moving the Create button to the top-left corner and placing Reels in the center. The new tab order is Home, Reels, DMs, Search, Profile, which affects how creators access Stories, posts, and Lives from the mobile app.

Key facts at a glance

• New tab order: Home, Reels, DMs, Search, Profile
• The Create button moved from the bottom bar to the top-left corner
• Reels now occupies the center position where Create used to be
• In some markets Instagram opens directly to the Reels feed
• The change is permanent and rolling out in waves since late February 2026

New Instagram Tab Order and Create Button Placement

The new tab order runs Home, Reels, DMs, Search, Profile, which means the Create button that used to sit anchored in the center of the bottom bar is gone from its old position. It now lives in the top-left corner of the screen, so reaching it takes an extra scroll or tap depending on where you are in the app.

Reels has taken the center spot, while DMs moved down from the top of the screen to the bottom bar and Search shifted to the right. If you are someone who used to tap the center icon to post a Story or photo, that same reflex now opens Reels instead, which can be disorienting the first few times it happens.

Why Instagram Moved Reels to the Center of the Navigation Bar

Adam Mosseri explained the reasoning in plain terms, saying that DMs, Reels, and recommendations drive almost all of Instagram's growth. That means the navigation now reflects where engagement actually happens rather than where it used to happen.

Reels currently accounts for roughly half of all time spent in the app, according to Disrupt Marketing's coverage of the rollout, so putting it in the center position is a deliberate statement about which format Instagram wants creators and viewers to focus on.

In some markets the app now opens directly to the Reels feed rather than the home timeline. That detail has not rolled out everywhere yet, although it signals clearly where Instagram is heading as a product.

How the Navigation Redesign Affects Instagram Story Creators

Stories are still in the app and you can still post them, but the path to creating one is less obvious than it was a week ago. That matters especially for anyone who relied on the bottom bar to start their workflow.

If you manage multiple accounts or post on behalf of a brand, the extra navigation step adds friction that compounds when you are publishing daily.

Desktop scheduling tools that bypass the mobile app entirely, like Storrito, become more practical in this context, because Instagram itself keeps rearranging how you get to basic functions.

The broader pattern here is familiar, since Instagram has been gradually steering creators toward Reels for two years now. This redesign simply makes that steering physical. The Create button still exists, but it is no longer the thing your thumb lands on by default.

FAQ

Is the old navigation coming back? There is no indication of that. Instagram has described this as a permanent change rather than a test.

Can I rearrange the tabs myself? No, the tab order is fixed and you cannot customize the bottom navigation bar.

Does this affect how Stories appear to viewers? Not at all. The Stories tray at the top of the home feed is unchanged, so this redesign only affects how creators access the posting flow.

Did the Create button disappear entirely? It did not disappear, but it moved to the top-left corner of the screen. It still opens the same creation flow for Stories, Reels, posts, and Lives.

Is this rolling out everywhere at once? The redesign is rolling out in waves. Some users saw it in late February 2026, while others are still on the old layout as of mid-March.