---
title: "Adding the recommended for you block"
slug: "adding-the-recommended-for-you-block"
updated: 2026-08-13T16:00:58Z
published: 2026-08-13T16:00:58Z
canonical: "totara.help/adding-the-recommended-for-you-block"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Adding the recommended for you block

The **Recommended for you** block presents personalised learning suggestions powered by Totara's [recommendations engine](/totara-20/docs/recommendations-engine-settings-1). This block supports all content types for selection (including courses, programs, certifications, resources, playlists, and workspaces), giving Site Administrators full control over what appears to users.

Totara 20 introduced a redesigned interface that aligns the block visually with the Explore catalogue, offering a consistent browsing experience across the platform.

Note that the recommendations engine must be set up in order to use this block. If it has not been configured, a warning message will be displayed to inform users that personalised recommendations are currently unavailable.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-HTT85Y0I.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T16%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-09T17%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=r%2BHfBwl%2B3vCKom4ZymfjhHRfNuZpEpViE3oyYe9qg%2FA%3D)

You can find out more about how the **Recommended for you** block works in the developer documentation.

## Adding the Recommended for you block

To add this block to a dashboard, follow these steps:

1. Go to the dashboard where you want to add the block and click **Blocks editing on**.
2. Click the plus button (![Icon Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1632835758536.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T16%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-09T17%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=r%2BHfBwl%2B3vCKom4ZymfjhHRfNuZpEpViE3oyYe9qg%2FA%3D)) in the block area you want to use.
3. Select **Recommended for you** from the list.

To add this block to the catalogue, follow these steps:

1. Go to the catalogue page.
2. Click on the three dots (![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-RL02VNBV.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T16%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-09T17%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=r%2BHfBwl%2B3vCKom4ZymfjhHRfNuZpEpViE3oyYe9qg%2FA%3D)) and select **Customise this page.**
3. Click the plus button ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1748962675287.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T16%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-09T17%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=r%2BHfBwl%2B3vCKom4ZymfjhHRfNuZpEpViE3oyYe9qg%2FA%3D) ) found after the last block on the page.
4. Select **Recommended for you** from the list.

## Configuring the Recommended for you block

Once you have added the **Recommended for you** block to either the dashboard or catalogue, follow these steps:

1. Click the cog icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1632835758584.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T16%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-09T17%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=r%2BHfBwl%2B3vCKom4ZymfjhHRfNuZpEpViE3oyYe9qg%2FA%3D)) on the **Recommended for you** block and select **Configure Recommended for you block**.
2. Under **Custom block settings**, select whether to use the **Tile** or **List** display type and select the **Number of recommendations** to display in the block.
3. Select the type of content you want to include using the **Recommendation type** setting:
  - Certifications
  - Courses
  - Programs
  - Resources
  - Workspaces
4. Add a **Collection title** for your **Recommended for you** **block**.
5. Choose whether or not you want to display likes and ratings for items in the block. Note that if you have selected **Courses** or **Workspaces** for the **Recommendation type** you will not be able to change this setting.
6. Click **Save changes**.

Once you have added the block and viewed content on the site, the recently viewed content will be displayed.

> [!NOTE]
> Note that the content type labelled **Micro learning** in previous Totara versions has been renamed to **Resources**. This category now includes all resource items, regardless of their estimated completion time. It is no longer limited to content with a 'time to read' of under five minutes.

## Behaviour of the Recommended for you block

When a user adds multiple learning types to the **Recommended for you** block, the recommendations are grouped by learning type and presented in alphabetical order (i.e. **Certifications**, **Courses**, **Programs**, **Resources**, and **Workspaces**).

Within each learning type, items are ordered based on relevance (e.g. recommendation score or visibility), but learning types are not mixed. This means that a resource with a high score will still appear after all courses, even if those courses have lower scores.

![Course badge](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/Snag_6b721223.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T16%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-09T17%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=r%2BHfBwl%2B3vCKom4ZymfjhHRfNuZpEpViE3oyYe9qg%2FA%3D)

The Totara Academy has a whole course dedicated to using the [Catalogue](https://totara.community/course/view.php?id=948) in Totara. Here you can learn more on how to use the catalogue, see best practice, and give it a go yourself.

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

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