How to Hide Likes on Instagram in 2026: Complete Privacy Guide

Every Instagram user has felt it, the anxiety of posting content and watching the like count slowly climb, comparing those numbers to friends’ posts, influencers’ profiles, or even your own previous uploads. That tiny number beneath your photo somehow transforms into a measure of self-worth, creative validation, or social status.

In 2026, Instagram gives you complete control over like visibility. You can hide like counts on your own posts (before or after publishing), turn off like counts across your entire feed, manage who sees your liked activity, and even selectively show or hide likes post-by-post. This comprehensive guide walks you through every method of controlling like visibility on Instagram, explaining the mental health benefits, algorithm impacts, and step-by-step instructions for both personal and business accounts.

Why Instagram Introduced the Hide Likes Feature

Instagram’s journey toward hiding likes began in 2019 when the platform started testing this functionality in select countries including Canada, Australia, Brazil, and several European nations. The decision came after extensive research revealed troubling patterns about how visible engagement metrics affected users’ mental health and behavior.

The Mental Health Crisis: Studies demonstrated that constant comparison of like counts created unhealthy competition, particularly among younger demographics. Users reported feeling anxious when posts received fewer likes than expected, leading to decreased self-esteem and reduced willingness to share authentic content.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri explained the platform’s goal: “We want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. We want to ‘depressurize’ the experience and help people focus on connecting with people they love and things that inspire them.”

The Pressure to Perform: Before hiding likes became an option, users crafted posts based solely on what might generate maximum engagement rather than sharing genuine moments or creative expression. The platform had transformed from a creative outlet into a popularity contest where numbers mattered more than content quality.

The Global Rollout: After successful tests showing positive impacts on user wellbeing, Instagram rolled out the hide likes feature globally in 2021. The platform made it optional rather than mandatory, giving each user control over their experience.

Meta’s commitment to digital wellbeing meant shifting focus from vanity metrics to meaningful connections and quality interactions. In 2026, this feature remains central to Instagram’s mental health initiatives.

Understanding Instagram’s Like Visibility Settings in 2026

Before diving into how-to steps, understanding what “hiding likes” actually means helps you make informed decisions about your privacy settings.

What Gets Hidden: When you hide like counts on a post, other users see “Liked by [username] and others” instead of “Liked by [username] and 1,247 others.” The specific number disappears from public view.

What Remains Visible: People can still like your post normally. The like button functions identically whether counts are visible or hidden. You (the account owner) can still see the exact number of likes and who liked your post by tapping “others.” Instagram’s algorithm still tracks and uses likes for ranking and recommendations.

Who Can See What: If you hide likes on your post, no one except you sees the total count. Visitors to your profile see “others” instead of numbers. If you hide likes across your feed, you don’t see like counts on anyone’s posts, but other users still see them normally unless they’ve also hidden them.

Instagram Insights Remain Intact: Business and creator accounts maintain full access to analytics regardless of like visibility. You can hide public like counts while still tracking all engagement metrics privately through Instagram Insights.

Understanding these distinctions helps you configure settings achieving your specific privacy and mental health goals.

How to Hide Likes on Your Own Instagram Posts Before Publishing

If you want to post content without visible like counts from the moment it goes live, Instagram makes this simple during the creation process. This method works identically on iPhone and Android devices.

Step 1: Create Your Post

• Open Instagram and tap the “+” icon at the bottom center or top right of your screen
• Select the photo or video you want to upload from your camera roll or take new content
• Apply filters, adjustments, or edits as desired
• Tap “Next” to proceed to the caption screen

Step 2: Access Advanced Settings

• Write your caption and add location, tags, or other details
• Scroll down to the bottom of the screen
• Tap “More options” (previously labeled “Advanced settings”)

Step 3: Hide Like and View Counts

• Look for the option labeled “Likes & Share counts” or “Hide like and view counts on this post”
• Toggle this switch ON (it should turn blue or show as active)
• The text may read slightly differently depending on your region and app version

Step 4: Publish Your Post

• Tap “Share” to publish your post
• The post will immediately display “Liked by [username] and others” instead of showing a like count
• You can still see exactly how many likes the post receives by tapping “others”

This setting applies only to the specific post you’re creating. Your next post will default back to showing likes unless you repeat this process or change your account-wide settings.

How to Hide Likes on Already Published Instagram Posts

Forgot to hide likes before posting? Instagram allows you to hide like counts even after your photo or video has been shared. This flexibility means you stay in control of privacy without needing to delete and re-upload content.

Step 1: Navigate to Your Post

• Go to your Instagram profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom right
• Scroll through your grid and tap the post where you want to hide likes
• The post opens in full-screen view

Step 2: Access Post Settings

• Look for the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of the post
• Tap the three dots to open the options menu
• A list of actions appears including Edit, Archive, Delete, and other options

Step 3: Hide Like Count

• Scroll through the menu options
• Select “Hide like count” (the exact wording may vary slightly)
• Instagram may ask you to confirm this action

Step 4: Verify the Change

• The total number of likes immediately disappears from your post
• Followers now see “Liked by [username] and others” instead of the number
• You can still tap “others” to see the full like count and list of users who liked it

Reverting the Change: If you later decide to show likes again, return to the same post, tap the three dots, and select “Unhide like count.” The number reappears instantly.

This individual post method gives you granular control, allowing you to hide likes on some posts while showing them on others based on content type, sensitivity, or personal preference.

How to Hide Like Counts Across Your Entire Instagram Feed

If seeing other people’s like counts causes comparison anxiety or distracts you from enjoying content, Instagram lets you hide all like counts across your entire feed. This setting affects what you see when scrolling, not what others see on your profile.

Step 1: Access Your Settings

• Open Instagram and go to your profile page
• Tap the three horizontal lines (☰) in the top right corner (sometimes called the “hamburger menu”)
• Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu

Step 2: Navigate to Like Settings

• In Settings, scroll down to the “What you see” section
• Tap “Likes and views” or “Like and share counts” (wording varies by region)
• This opens the like visibility controls

Step 3: Enable Hide Like Counts

• Find the toggle labeled “Hide like and view counts”
• Switch it ON (it should turn blue or move to the active position)
• The setting takes effect immediately

Step 4: Experience Your New Feed

• Return to your Instagram feed
• Scroll through posts from accounts you follow
• You’ll notice all posts now show “Liked by [username] and others” instead of specific numbers
• This applies to both feed posts and Reels

Important Notes: This setting only affects what YOU see when browsing Instagram. Other users still see like counts normally unless they’ve also enabled this setting. Your own posts’ like visibility remains separate, you must configure that through the individual post settings or account-wide defaults discussed in other sections.

You can disable this setting anytime by returning to Settings → Privacy → Likes and views and toggling “Hide like and view counts” off.

Can You Hide What You Like on Instagram? Privacy for Your Liked Activity

Many users wonder: “Can people see what posts I’ve liked on Instagram?” The answer is nuanced and depends on several factors including account privacy settings, post visibility, and Instagram’s activity features.

How Likes Appear to Others: When you like a public post, your username becomes visible to anyone viewing that post’s likes list. They can tap the likes count and see you among the users who liked it. Your followers may see your username below photos you’ve liked, formatted as “Liked by [your username] and 12 others.”

Activity Feed Visibility: Until recently, Instagram showed your liked activity in followers’ “Following” activity feeds. This feature has been largely removed or limited in 2026, but some activity may still appear to close connections.

The Privacy Limitation: Instagram does NOT offer a setting to completely hide all your likes from everyone. However, you can use several strategies to limit who sees your liked activity:

Strategy 1: Make Your Account Private

How It Helps: When your account is private, only approved followers can see your activity, posts, and profile information. Your likes on public posts remain visible to anyone viewing those posts, but your overall activity becomes more restricted.

Implementation:

• Go to Settings → Privacy
• Toggle “Private account” ON
• Review and approve follower requests manually

Limitation: Your likes on public posts from public accounts remain visible to people viewing those posts’ like lists, even if your account is private.

Strategy 2: Use Restricted Accounts Feature

How It Helps: Restricting specific users limits what they see from you without formally blocking them. It’s useful for limiting certain people’s access to your activity.

Implementation:

• Go to Settings → Privacy → Restricted accounts
• Add accounts you want to restrict
• These users won’t see when you’re active, when you’ve read their messages, or certain activity updates

Limitation: This doesn’t hide your public likes from restricted users if they visit posts you’ve liked.

Strategy 3: Block Specific Users

Complete Privacy From Individuals: Blocking users prevents them from seeing your profile, posts, or activity entirely.

Implementation:

• Visit the profile of the person you want to block
• Tap the three dots (⋯) in the top right
• Select “Block”
• Confirm the action

Caution: Blocking is a dramatic step that completely severs the connection. The blocked user will know they’ve been blocked if they try to visit your profile.

The Bottom Line on Hiding Liked Posts

Instagram intentionally keeps some activity visible to maintain the social nature of the platform. While you can’t completely hide every like from everyone, private accounts, restrictions, and blocking provide meaningful privacy controls for managing who sees your engagement activity.

How to Hide Likes on Instagram Stories (Current Limitations)

As of 2026, Instagram Stories present different like visibility than regular posts. Understanding these limitations helps set appropriate expectations.

Instagram Stories Like Privacy: Stories use “reactions” rather than traditional likes. When someone reacts to your Story with an emoji or heart, only YOU see these reactions. Other viewers cannot see who reacted or how many reactions your Story received.

No Additional Settings Needed: Story reactions are private by default. You don’t need to configure special settings to hide Story likes from other viewers.

Limited Sharing Options: If you want extra privacy on Stories beyond default settings, you have these options:

• Close Friends List: Share Stories only with your “Close Friends” list, a curated group you select manually. Go to your profile → Menu → Close Friends → Add people to the list. When creating a Story, select “Close Friends” instead of “Your Story” to share with this limited audience only.
• Hide Story From Specific People: You can prevent certain followers from seeing your Stories without unfollowing them. Go to Settings → Privacy → Story → Hide Story From, then select people to exclude.
• Private Account: Making your entire account private restricts all content (including Stories) to approved followers only.

The takeaway: Instagram Stories already provide more privacy than feed posts regarding engagement visibility. Reactions remain between you and the person who sent them.

How to Hide Likes on Instagram Reels in 2026

Instagram Reels present unique considerations for like visibility. As short-form video content competing with TikTok, Reels prioritize engagement metrics differently than traditional posts.

Current Status (2026): You CAN hide like counts on Reels using the same methods as regular posts. The process works identically for both content types.

Before Publishing a Reel:

• Create your Reel with video clips, audio, effects, and text
• On the final sharing screen with caption entry, scroll down to “More options”
• Toggle “Hide like and view counts on this post” ON
• Share your Reel

After Publishing a Reel:

• Navigate to your published Reel
• Tap the three dots (⋯) in the bottom right
• Select “Hide like count”
• Confirm the action

View Counts vs. Like Counts: Note that hiding likes on Reels doesn’t hide view counts. Reels display both metrics, and you can choose to hide likes while keeping views visible. Some sources suggest Instagram may eventually allow hiding view counts separately, but as of early 2026, view counts remain visible even when likes are hidden.

Why Hide Likes on Reels: Reels often reach massive audiences beyond your followers through Instagram’s recommendation algorithm. This broader exposure can intensify comparison anxiety when viewing others’ like counts or worrying about your own. Hiding likes on Reels lets you focus on creative expression rather than viral metrics.

How to Hide Likes on Instagram Business Accounts

Business and creator accounts access the same like-hiding features as personal accounts, but with important considerations regarding analytics and social proof.

Technical Process (Identical to Personal Accounts):

• Business accounts hide likes using the exact same methods: individual post settings, advanced settings before publishing, or account-wide feed preferences
• All features discussed in previous sections work identically on business accounts

Strategic Considerations for Businesses:

Pros of Hiding Likes for Business:

• Quality Over Quantity: Forces audience focus on content value rather than popularity metrics
• Reduced Pressure: Eliminates the anxiety of low-performing posts damaging brand perception
• Authentic Engagement: Encourages meaningful comments and shares over reflexive double-tapping
• Privacy for Testing: Allows experimentation with new content types without public performance scrutiny

Cons of Hiding Likes for Business:

• Lost Social Proof: High like counts serve as credibility signals, indicating popularity and trustworthiness to potential customers
• Influencer Partnerships: Influencers and brand partners often assess collaboration opportunities based on visible engagement metrics including likes
• Benchmarking Difficulty: Comparing performance to competitors or industry standards becomes harder without visible like counts
• ROI Assessment: Determining marketing campaign effectiveness can be more complex without clear public metrics

Instagram Insights Remain Unchanged: Crucially, hiding likes from public view doesn’t affect your Instagram Insights access. Business accounts maintain full analytics visibility showing exact like counts, reach, engagement rates, saves, shares, and all other metrics regardless of public like visibility settings.

The Balanced Approach: Many businesses hide likes on certain content types (behind-the-scenes, educational content, community-building posts) while showing likes on others (product launches, testimonials, major announcements). This selective strategy leverages the benefits of both approaches.

Does Hiding Likes Affect Instagram’s Algorithm or Reach?

One of the most common questions: “If I hide likes, will my posts get less reach or engagement?” The answer based on Instagram’s official statements and user testing provides reassurance.

Instagram’s Official Position: The platform has repeatedly confirmed that hiding like counts does NOT negatively impact your posts’ reach, algorithm ranking, or distribution. Instagram’s algorithm still tracks all likes internally for ranking purposes. The only thing that changes is public visibility, not the data Instagram uses for recommendations.

What the Algorithm Actually Uses: Instagram’s recommendation system considers multiple factors beyond just likes including: comments and their depth/quality, shares via Direct Messages (heavily weighted), saves (indicating valuable content worth revisiting), time spent viewing the post, profile visits after seeing the post, and follower engagement patterns.

Likes remain one of many signals, but not the dominant one. Many posts with moderate likes but high saves or shares outperform posts with many likes but low secondary engagement.

Potential Indirect Benefits: Some users and businesses report IMPROVED engagement after hiding likes because followers focus on content quality rather than popularity, users feel more comfortable commenting rather than just passively liking, and content perceived as less popular (but actually valuable) receives more thoughtful engagement.

The Psychology Factor: When people see a post with low visible likes, they might skip past it assuming it’s not worth their time. When likes are hidden, they evaluate content on its own merits rather than social proof. This can level the playing field for smaller accounts and newer posts.

Testing Your Own Results: Instagram Insights provides the data to test this yourself. Try hiding likes on half your posts for a month while keeping them visible on the other half. Compare reach, engagement rates, and follower growth between the two groups. Most accounts find negligible differences or slightly improved engagement with hidden likes.

How to Unhide Likes on Instagram (Reverting Changes)

Changed your mind about hiding likes? Instagram makes reverting to visible like counts just as simple as hiding them.

Unhiding Individual Posts:

• Navigate to the specific post where you want to show likes again
• Tap the three dots (⋯) in the top right (or bottom right on Reels)
• Select “Unhide like count” or “Show like count”
• The number immediately reappears for all viewers

Changing Account-Wide Feed Settings:

• Go to Settings → Privacy → Posts
• Find “Hide like and view counts”
• Toggle this switch OFF
• Your feed immediately shows like counts on all posts again

Changing Default for Future Posts:

• When creating new posts, simply don’t enable the “Hide like and view counts” toggle in Advanced settings
• Posts will publish with visible likes by default

Important Note About Existing Posts: Changing your account-wide settings for viewing others’ feeds doesn’t automatically unhide likes on your own posts where you previously hid them. You must unhide those individually post-by-post if desired. There’s no bulk unhide option for multiple posts simultaneously.

Special Cases: Instagram Lite and Older Versions

Instagram Lite: This lightweight version of Instagram (popular in regions with limited data or older phones) supports hiding likes with the same functionality as the full app. Navigate to Settings → Privacy → Posts → Hide like and view counts. The interface looks simpler but offers the same core features.

Older Instagram Versions: If you haven’t updated Instagram recently, you might not see the hide likes options in their current locations. Instagram regularly reorganizes settings, and older app versions may use different menu structures or terminology. Update to the latest version through your device’s app store to access all current like-hiding features.

Desktop/Web Version: You can hide likes from Instagram’s desktop website at instagram.com. Log in, go to your profile, click the Settings gear icon, navigate to Privacy → Posts, and toggle hide likes settings. However, some features work better on mobile, so we recommend using the app for full functionality.

Privacy Beyond Likes: Comprehensive Instagram Privacy Settings

Hiding likes is just one aspect of Instagram privacy. Consider these additional settings for comprehensive privacy control:

Make Your Account Private: Limit who can see your posts, Stories, and profile by requiring follower approval. Learn more about making your Twitter account private for similar cross-platform privacy strategies.

Hide Your Following/Followers List: While Instagram doesn’t allow completely hiding these lists, private accounts restrict visibility to approved followers only.

Disable Activity Status: Prevent others from seeing when you were last active on Instagram. Go to Settings → Messages and story replies → Show activity status → Toggle OFF.

Limit Who Can Tag You: Control who can tag you in posts and Stories through Settings → Privacy → Tags → Allow tags from (Everyone, People You Follow, or No One).

Restrict Comments: Filter or disable comments on posts to reduce unwanted engagement. Settings → Privacy → Comments provides multiple control options including keyword filters and complete comment disabling.

Manage Story Sharing: Control whether followers can share your Stories to their own Stories or via Direct Messages. Settings → Privacy → Story → Allow sharing to Story.

Combining these privacy settings with hidden likes creates a more controlled, comfortable Instagram experience aligned with your personal comfort levels and mental health needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Instagram’s like-hiding features represent more than simple privacy controls, they’re tools for reclaiming your mental health, creativity, and authentic self-expression in an increasingly metrics-driven social media landscape. Whether you’re hiding likes to reduce comparison anxiety, eliminate social pressure, focus on content quality over popularity, or simply experiment with a different Instagram experience, the platform gives you complete control in 2026.

The process is simple: a few taps in settings or during post creation. The impact can be profound: reduced stress, increased creative freedom, more meaningful engagement, and a healthier relationship with social media.

Remember these key takeaways as you navigate Instagram’s like visibility options:

• Hiding likes doesn’t affect algorithm performance – Your reach and engagement remain determined by the same factors regardless of like visibility
• You maintain full analytics access – Instagram Insights tracks all metrics privately even when likes are hidden publicly
• Settings are reversible – You can unhide likes anytime without penalty or loss of engagement
• Different strategies serve different goals – Consider hiding likes on personal posts while showing them on business content, or vice versa
• Privacy requires multiple settings – Combine hidden likes with private accounts, restricted users, and other privacy controls for comprehensive protection

As you implement these privacy changes, pay attention to how they affect your Instagram experience. Many users report feeling lighter, less anxious, and more creative after hiding likes. Others prefer the motivation and feedback that visible metrics provide. There’s no universal right answer, only what works for your mental health and goals.

Instagram will continue evolving its privacy features throughout 2026 and beyond. Stay updated on changes through the app’s official announcements and settings menus. As social media platforms increasingly recognize their impact on mental health, expect more tools empowering users to customize their experiences.

The power to hide likes is ultimately the power to define what success means on your terms. Instead of chasing numbers that may not reflect true connection or impact, you can focus on creating content that matters to you, engaging authentically with your community, and using Instagram as the creative, connective tool it was meant to be.

Start small if you’re uncertain. Hide likes on your next post and observe how it feels. Check if followers engage differently. Notice whether you feel less pressured or anxious. Experiment with hiding likes across your feed for a week and see if scrolling feels healthier.

The goal isn’t to hide from feedback or avoid accountability, it’s to free yourself from the tyranny of metrics that distort your relationship with creativity and self-expression. In 2026, Instagram gives you the tools. The choice is yours.

For more Instagram strategies, explore how to grow Instagram followers organically and discover best Instagram bio ideas to optimize your profile beyond just like counts.