❘ Published: 2022-05-15T17:03:33
❘ Updated: 2022-05-15T17:03:07
Instagram has a lot of settings dedicated to user privacy, including likes. Here’s a guide on how to hide likes on Instagram in the settings of the app.
Instagram has been a social media mainstay since its debut back in 2010, allowing users to post photos, videos, and keep up with their friends.
Over the 10 years since the app has come out, it has been acquired by Facebook and has adapted to incorporate all-new features, many centered around user privacy.
Here’s a guide on how to hide how many likes your photos/videos get to others, as well as how to hide them on other people’s posts.
How to hide likes on Instagram
Unsplash: Claudio Schwarz
Instagram gives users tons of options to personalize their experience on the app.
Turning off visibility for likes on Instagram is simple, and can be easily done from inside the app on your smartphone.
To hide all like counts on posts, do the following steps:
- Go to your Instagram profile and click on the three lines in the top right.
- Click Settings on the menu that pops up.
- In the Search bar at the top, type in the word “posts” and select the first option that appears. It should just read “Posts.”
- Click the slider on the first option, “Hide Likes and View Counts.” This will make it so posts on Instagram no longer show like counts underneath them!
How to make likes on your own Instagram posts hidden
Unsplash: NeONBRAND
Have a post that you’d rather not show the number of likes on? Well, you’re in luck.
If you’d simply prefer that no one be able to see the number of likes on your own posts, the process is simple. Just follow these short steps:
- Click on the post you’d like to hide the number of likes on
- Click the three dots in the top right of your screen, just above the photo
- One option should read “Hide Like Count.” Click that, and your likes on that post will not appear to others.
From here, you can also do things like turn off commenting or edit your post, making it easy to make a quick adjustment or block out any unwanted noise.
- Read More: How to add music to Instagram posts & stories
And there you have it! All the steps you’ll need to take to properly hide like counts from posts all around Instagram, including your own.
If you want to know more about how to use Instagram, you can check out our other guides here:
How to link your Instagram account to TikTok | How to see your first-liked Instagram post | How to switch Instagram feed to chronological order | How to re-share a post to your Story on Instagram | How to make money on Instagram | How to hide likes on Instagram
Most people have experienced that moment where you upload a post to Instagram that you think will blow up, then you check back and you've only had a few likes. Now, it is possible to hide the amount of likes a post has had, thus putting more of a focus on the content itself rather than how popular it is.
Instagram have been trialling this over the last few months to see what users think of the change, and now you can change it in your feed.
"Starting today, we're giving you the option to hide like counts on all posts in your feed. You'll also have the option to hide like counts on your own posts, so others can't see how many likes your posts get," Instagram revealed in a blog post.
"This way, if you like, you can focus on the photos and videos being shared, instead of how many likes posts get.
"We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people's experience on Instagram. What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some and annoying to others."
How to hide likes on Instagram
So, what do you need to do to hide likes on Instagram? We will explain below.
First, go onto your Instagram profile. From there, select the three black lines in the top right corner of the screen.
That should bring up a menu, where you will see 'Settings' at the top. This will take you to a new area.
At the top you should see a 'Search' bar. Click on that and type the word 'posts'. When you see the option pop up, click on it.
Finally, you can turn on 'Hide like and view counts' - it is the first option at the top of the screen.
How to hide likes on your Instagram posts
If you do not want people to see how many likes your post has, you have to follow a slightly different process.
First, go to the post you want to hide likes on. Then, tap the three dots in the top right, just above the photo. That will bring up a series of options - select 'Hide like count'. That's it.