How to Hide Likes on Instagram (Counts and Your Likes)
Ask how to hide likes from Instagram and you could mean three things. You can hide the like count on your own posts, before or after sharing, and you can hide like counts on other people’s posts in your own view. The likes you give are different: Instagram says a like is visible to anyone who can see the post.
Hiding the count on your own post never hides it from you. Each case has its own steps for the app and the web. Like counts are one of several privacy settings rounded up in our guide to how to use Instagram.
Table of Contents
- How to hide likes from Instagram: which setting you need
- How to hide likes on your Instagram posts before you share
- How to hide likes on a post you already shared
- How to hide like counts on other people’s posts
- Can people see what posts you like on Instagram?
- Can you still see your own likes when they’re hidden?
- FAQ
How to hide likes from Instagram: which setting you need
Pick the row that matches what you want gone. The first three are switches Instagram offers; the last one isn’t.
| You want to hide | Where the setting is | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| The like count on a post you’re about to share | More options (app) or Advanced settings (computer), before you share | Others can’t see the count; you still can |
| The like count on a post already in your feed | The post’s Options menu | Others can’t see the count; you still can |
| Like counts on other people’s posts and reels | Your settings, below What you see, in Like and share counts | You stop seeing those counts |
| Which posts you’ve liked | None documented | Unlike the post to remove your like |
How to hide likes on your Instagram posts before you share
Use the toggle in the post’s extra settings, before you share it. In the app it sits under More options and reads “Hide like counts on this post”. On a computer it sits under Advanced settings and reads “Hide like and view counts on this post”, so the web version names view counts too. Others then can’t see the number; you still can.
On the web:
- Before sharing a post, click Advanced settings at the bottom.
- Click the toggle next to Hide like and view counts on this post to turn this setting on or off.
On iPhone:
- Before sharing a post, tap More options at the bottom.
- Tap the toggle next to Hide like counts on this post to turn this setting on or off.
On Android:
- Before sharing a post, tap More options at the bottom.
- Tap the toggle next to Hide like counts on this post to turn this setting on or off.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels.
How to hide likes on a post you already shared
Open the post’s Options menu and choose Hide like count to others, or Hide like count on a computer. The same menu offers Unhide when you want the number back, so the choice isn’t permanent. Instagram documents this route for posts in your feed:
On the web:
- Click Options in the top right of your post.
- Click Hide like count to turn this setting on. Click Unhide like count to turn this setting off.
On iPhone:
- Tap Options in the top right of your post.
- Tap Hide like count to others. Tap Unhide like count to others to turn this setting off.
On Android:
- Tap Options in the top right of your post.
- Tap Hide like count to others. Tap Unhide like count to others to turn this setting off.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels.
On a reel
Reels have their own menu. Instagram’s iPhone and Android help puts the switch under Manage:
On iPhone:
- Open your reel.
- Tap Options in the bottom right of the reel.
- Tap Manage.
- Tap Hide likes to stop others from seeing how many people liked your reel.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Manage reels on Instagram.
Android uses the same steps. The computer version of that article says the feature isn’t available on computers.
If you publish with Outfeed
How to hide like counts on other people’s posts
Turn on Hide like & share counts under What you see, then Like and share counts, in your settings. It’s a viewing preference: it changes what you see on posts and reels across Instagram, not what anyone else sees on yours.
On the web:
- Click More in the bottom left, then click Settings.
- Below What you see, click Like and share counts.
- Click the toggle next to Hide like & share counts to turn this setting on or off.
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below What you see, tap Like and share counts.
- Tap the toggle next to Hide like & share counts to turn this setting on or off.
On Android:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below What you see, tap Like and share counts.
- Tap the toggle next to Hide like & share counts to turn this setting on or off.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels.
Why some posts show no like count
Instagram documents two settings that remove the number from a post you’re looking at: the hide setting the poster chose for that post, and your own Hide like & share counts toggle. The number also depends on how many likes there are: Instagram says photos show the number of likes after 4 likes.
Can people see what posts you like on Instagram?
Yes. Instagram says that when you like a photo, the like is visible to anyone who can see the post, and your followers may also see your username below a photo you’ve liked, however many likes it has. After 4 likes, a photo shows the number of likes along with the usernames of some people you follow who liked it. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Who can see when you've liked a photo, or when someone's liked your photo on Instagram
A private account doesn’t change that on public posts: your like shows to everyone and your username is clickable. Going private changes who sees your own posts, as covered in how to hide followers on Instagram.
Blocking doesn’t hide your likes
People you block can still see your likes and comments on posts shared by public accounts or by accounts they follow. Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram Restricting someone is about their comments and messages, and Instagram’s description of it doesn’t mention likes; see what restricting someone on Instagram does.
Likes in the Reels Friends tab
Reels has a Friends tab that shows public content your friends have interacted with. When Meta launched it globally, it said it was also rolling out controls for what’s shown there, “including the ability to hide your own likes and comments on reels” (6 August 2025). Neither that post nor any Instagram Help Center article we found gives a menu path for it, so none is given here. Checked against Meta Newsroom: New Instagram Features to Help You Connect (6 August 2025)
Taking a like back
The only documented way to take a like back is to unlike the post. Your activity shows the 300 most recent posts you’ve liked:
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below How you use Instagram, tap Your activity.
- Below Interactions, tap Likes.
- Tap the post or video you'd like to view.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: See recent photos and videos you've liked on Instagram.
Android uses the same steps. To unlike several at once, tap Select in the top right of Likes, select the posts, then tap Unlike and Unlike again to confirm. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Remove your likes from multiple Instagram posts
Can you still see your own likes when they’re hidden?
Yes. Hiding the count on your post only hides the number from other people. Instagram says you’ll still be able to see the total number of likes on your own posts. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels
The two settings are separate sections in Instagram’s help, “Posts and reels you see” and “Your posts in feed”. Turning on Hide like & share counts only changes what you see, so it doesn’t hide the count on your posts from anyone else, and hiding the count on one of your posts doesn’t change what you see elsewhere.
Instagram gave everyone these options in May 2021, after people and experts told it during tests that not seeing like counts “was beneficial for some, and annoying to others” (26 May 2021). Neither that announcement nor the help article says hiding counts changes reach. Checked against About Instagram: Giving People More Control on Instagram and Facebook (26 May 2021)
For what Instagram says shapes who sees your posts, read how the Instagram algorithm works; for building an audience that doesn’t hinge on one number, see how to grow Instagram followers organically.
Draft and schedule Instagram feed posts in Outfeed AI
FAQ
How do I hide likes on my Instagram posts?
Before you share, open More options in the app, or Advanced settings on a computer, and turn on the toggle that hides like counts on that post. For a post already in your feed, open its Options menu and choose Hide like count to others in the app, or Hide like count on a computer. You’ll still see your own totals.
Can I hide likes on a post after it’s been published?
Yes. Open the post, tap Options in the top right and tap Hide like count to others; on a computer, click Hide like count. The same menu offers Unhide when you want the count back. For a reel, Instagram’s iPhone and Android help puts Hide likes under the reel’s Options menu, then Manage.
Can people see what posts I like on Instagram?
Yes. Instagram says a like is visible to anyone who can see the post, and your followers may see your username below a photo you’ve liked. Its Help Center documents no setting that hides the likes you give. To take one back, unlike the post, one at a time or several at once from Your activity.
Can I hide my likes from friends in the Reels Friends tab?
Meta said in August 2025 that it was rolling out controls for what’s shown in the Friends tab in Reels, including the ability to hide your own likes and comments on reels. Neither that announcement nor any Instagram Help Center article found on 2 October 2026 gives a menu path for the control.
Does hiding likes on Instagram affect reach?
Instagram doesn’t say. Neither its help article on hiding like counts nor its May 2021 announcement of the setting mentions reach or ranking. The announcement presented hiding as a personal choice, after people and experts told Instagram that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, and annoying to others.