How to Hide Likes on Instagram (2026 Guide for iOS, Android and Web)
Instagram used to splash like counts under every post by default. Today the platform treats that number as optional — both for the people posting and for the people scrolling. If you want a calmer feed, a cleaner profile, or a softer launch for a new piece of content, you can turn those numbers off in a couple of taps.
There are actually two separate controls, and most people confuse them. One hides the count on your own posts so no one else sees it. The other hides other people's counts from your feed so you stop seeing them. You can use either, both, or mix and match on a per-post basis.
This guide walks through every path — globally, per post, before publishing, on iOS, Android, and the web — and flags the things the toggle does not do. If you are also tightening up other parts of your account, our companion guide on how to hide your followers and following on Instagram covers the related privacy toggles.
Quick answer
- Hide the like count on all your future posts: Profile → menu → Settings and activity → What you see → Like and share counts → turn on Hide like and share counts.
- Hide likes on one already-published post: open the post → three-dot menu → Hide like and view counts.
- Hide likes before you publish: on the new-post screen tap Advanced settings → Hide like and view counts on this post.
- Hide other people's like counts in your feed: same global toggle in Settings and activity → What you see → Like and share counts. It affects only your own view.
- It does not hide: your follower count, Reels play/view counts, or the list of people who liked a post (you can still see that yourself).
How to hide the like count on your own posts (global setting)
This is the setting most people want. Flip it once and every new post you publish hides its like count for everyone except you.
On iOS and Android:
- Open your profile and tap the three-line menu in the top right.
- Tap Settings and activity.
- Scroll to the What you see section and tap Like and share counts.
- Turn on Hide like and share counts.
On the web (instagram.com):
- Click More in the left sidebar, then Settings.
- In the left column choose What you see → Like and share counts.
- Toggle Hide like and share counts on.
Once this is on, visitors to your profile see each post without a number under it — just the heart icon. You still see the count yourself when you open the post (it is your data, after all), and you can still tap through to see the list of accounts that liked it.
Turning it off again is the same path. The change applies to past posts and future posts at the same time.
How to hide likes on a single post you already published
Maybe you only want to hide the count on one post — a product launch that is still gathering momentum, a personal photo you would rather not have judged by numbers, or a Reel that is underperforming compared to your usual. You can hide the count per post without affecting the rest of your grid.
- Open the post from your profile.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top right of the post.
- Tap Hide like and view counts.
To bring the count back, repeat the same path and choose Unhide like and view counts. This works independently of the global setting — a per-post hide overrides the global preference for that post only.
If you find yourself doing this every time you post, switch on the global toggle instead. It is much faster than remembering to hit the three-dot menu on each new upload.
How to hide likes before you publish a post
You can also decide at publish time, which is handy when you are seeding a campaign and want the numbers to stay out of the narrative on day one.
- On the new-post screen, after you have chosen your image or video and written your caption, scroll down to Advanced settings.
- Tap Advanced settings.
- Turn on Hide like and view counts on this post.
- Tap Share.
The post goes live with a bare heart icon under it. You can flip this later from the three-dot menu on the published post at any time. Many creators use this for pre-launch aesthetics — keep the first 24 hours clean, then unhide once the post has real numbers to show off. If social proof is part of your strategy, our notes on Instagram strategies to get more likes go deeper into when visible counts actually help versus hurt.
How to hide other people's like counts in your feed
Same toggle, different effect. When you turn on Hide like and share counts in Settings and activity → What you see → Like and share counts, Instagram removes the count under other people's posts as you scroll, too. You still see the heart, you still see who liked it if you tap through, but the number stops appearing in your feed, your Explore tab, and Reels.
This is purely cosmetic for you. Other people's posts are unaffected in their own feeds or for their followers. Think of it as a personal filter on what your own eyes have to process each day.
This is the closest thing Instagram offers to a "calmer feed" mode. Many users pair it with hiding their own counts and turning off read receipts on Instagram so DMs feel lower-pressure too.
What each setting actually hides — a side-by-side
People mix these up constantly. Here is what each toggle does and who sees what.
| Setting | Hides from other people | Hides from you | Affects the list of likers? | Affects follower count? | Affects Reels play count? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global "Hide like and share counts" | Yes, on all your posts | Yes, on everyone else's posts in your feed | No, you can still tap through | No | No |
| Per-post "Hide like and view counts" (three-dot menu) | Yes, on that one post | No, the rest of your feed is unchanged | No | No | View count on that Reel only |
| Advanced settings at publish time | Yes, from day one on that post | No | No | No | Yes, for that Reel |
| Archive post | Yes, the post disappears | Yes | N/A | No | N/A |
The key idea: hiding the count removes the number. It does not remove the like data. You always keep access to who liked what on your own posts, and Instagram keeps using that data for ranking and reach.
Platform differences: iOS, Android, web
The settings are named the same on every platform, but the paths differ slightly.
- iOS and Android apps: identical. Profile → hamburger menu → Settings and activity → What you see → Like and share counts. Per-post control lives behind the three-dot menu on any post.
- Web (instagram.com on desktop): More in the sidebar → Settings → What you see → Like and share counts. You can also hide likes on a single post from the web by opening the post and clicking the three-dot menu above it, though some older browsers may only expose Report and Go to post there — if so, use the app.
- iPad: behaves like the phone app but with the tablet layout. Same paths.
- Instagram Lite (older Android): the global toggle is available but Advanced settings at publish time may be absent. Publish normally, then hide from the three-dot menu on the published post.
If you change the global toggle on one device, it syncs to your account across all devices within a minute or two.
What the toggle does not do
This is where expectations go sideways. The Hide like and share counts setting hides exactly two things: the like count and, where it applies, the share count under posts. It does not hide:
- Your follower or following count. Those are a separate setting. If that is what you want, see our guide on how to hide your followers and following on Instagram.
- Reels play/view counts for ordinary Reels on the Reels tab. The per-post and publish-time toggles do hide view counts on the specific Reel you apply them to, but there is no global "hide all Reels view counts" switch.
- The list of accounts that liked a post. You can still see that from your own post — tap the heart icon under the post to open the list.
- Comments. If you want to limit those, use Instagram's comment controls under Privacy → Comments.
- Story view counts. You always see who viewed your story for 48 hours; there is no setting to hide that from yourself, and the number is never shown to anyone else anyway.
If you want a strategic view of whether hiding likes is actually the right move for your account, our write-up on reasons you need more Instagram likes lays out the business case for leaving them on.
Why people hide likes — and when to leave them on
A few common reasons to turn the count off:
- Mental health and comparison. The constant visibility of other people's numbers is a known source of social comparison stress, especially for younger users. Hiding counts in your feed is a simple intervention.
- Creator pressure. If your feed is mostly creators, every scroll becomes a benchmarking exercise. Removing the number lets you watch the content instead of the scoreboard.
- Pre-launch aesthetics. Brands and artists often hide likes for the first day or week of a campaign so early low numbers do not become the story. Unhide once momentum is real.
- Personal posts. Wedding photos, memorial posts, anything where a like count feels crass. Hide it once and stop worrying.
- A/B testing content without bias. If you are judging posts on reach or saves rather than likes, hiding the count prevents you from unconsciously weighting it.
And reasons to leave likes visible:
- Business accounts optimizing for social proof. A visible high count is still a trust signal for new visitors deciding whether to follow or buy.
- Influencer partnerships. Many brands evaluate creators by visible engagement. Hiding counts can complicate deal conversations even though the numbers are still available in analytics.
- Early-stage growth. If you are actively trying to grow and your counts look healthy, letting them show can help new visitors decide to follow. For engagement tactics, see how to get more comments on Instagram as a complementary signal.
There is no wrong answer. The toggle is reversible, and you can mix per-post overrides with a global default however you like.
Myths and scam apps to avoid
Every time Instagram adjusts a visibility setting, a wave of third-party tools pops up claiming to do more than the official toggle — "hide likes from specific followers," "show likes only to paid subscribers," "boost your hidden-likes post." Treat all of it with suspicion.
- "Hide likes from specific people" apps. Instagram does not offer per-viewer like visibility, and no external tool can inject that. Anything that claims to do it either fakes the result client-side on your phone or asks for your login and scrapes your account.
- "Like booster" apps. These buy engagement from bot networks, violate Instagram's terms, and can get your account suspended in a wave action. Even when they work, the likes come from dead accounts that hurt your ranking in the long run.
- Browser extensions that "show hidden like counts." They either make the number up or require you to hand over your session cookie. Both outcomes are bad.
- "Analytics" apps that need your password. Any tool that needs your Instagram password rather than the official OAuth flow is one breach away from being a problem. If you have already handed credentials to one, change your password and revoke third-party access from Settings and activity → Accounts Center → Password and security → Apps and websites.
The only safe way to hide likes on Instagram is inside Instagram itself. Everything else is, at best, cosmetic theater on your own device.
Related privacy toggles worth flipping at the same time
While you are in Settings and activity, a few other switches pair well with hiding likes for a calmer, less-pressured experience:
- Turn off read receipts in DMs. Reduces the pressure of "Seen" in conversations. Walkthrough: how to turn off read receipts on Instagram.
- Hide typing indicators in DMs. Same path as read receipts — the toggle is right next to it.
- Hide your activity status. Stops the green "Active now" dot from appearing next to your name.
- Hide your story from specific viewers. Under Privacy → Story → Hide story and live from.
- Hide followers and following counts. See our guide on how to hide followers and following on Instagram.
Each of these is a small friction removal. Turning on three or four together can meaningfully change how the app feels day to day.
FAQ
Does Instagram notify other people when I hide my likes? No. The count simply stops appearing under your posts. Nobody gets a push notification, and nothing is labeled as hidden — the number is just absent.
Can I still see how many likes my own posts got after I hide them? Yes. You always see your own counts when you open your own post. Tap the line under the heart to see the full list of likers. Nothing about your analytics changes.
Will hiding likes hurt my reach? No. Hiding the count is purely a display setting. Instagram's ranking still uses like signals the same way. Reach depends on content quality, timing, and engagement rate, not on whether the number is visible.
Does hiding the like count also hide Reels view counts? Only on a per-Reel basis. The per-post and publish-time toggles hide both like and view counts on the specific Reel you apply them to. The global toggle does not hide view counts on other people's Reels in the Reels tab.
Can I hide likes from some followers but not others? No. Instagram does not offer per-viewer like visibility. You can only hide the count universally or per post. Any app claiming otherwise is a scam.
What happens to the like count if I switch the global toggle back off? The count reappears on every post that was using the global default. Posts where you explicitly chose to hide likes per post stay hidden until you unhide them individually from the three-dot menu.
Does turning off like counts also hide follower counts? No. Follower and following counts are controlled separately. See our guide on how to hide followers and following on Instagram for that.
Final word
Hiding likes on Instagram is one of the rare platform settings that costs you nothing and gives back quite a lot: a calmer feed, softer launches, and less public scorekeeping on your own grid. Try it for two weeks with the global toggle on. If it suits you, keep it. If you need the social proof back for business reasons, flip it off in five seconds.
And while you are in the settings, it is a good excuse to tidy up the rest of your privacy setup. Start with how to hide your followers and following on Instagram, then move on to turning off read receipts on Instagram for a quieter DM experience. Small toggles, big difference in how the app feels.