How to hide likes on Instagram

Content Marketer and Writer
Updated 15 May, 2024
Julia Moore
Content Marketer and Writer
The desire to obtain a huge number of likes and despondency when a new photo hasn't got many "red hearts" may negatively influence the mental health of users. To depressurize the user experience, Instagram launched a new feature to hide like count. Since the spring of 2021, people see the username of one person who liked these posts and the word "others" instead of a certain number under photos or videos. If you're caught by this feature, continue to read our article further!
Reading time — 5 minutes

How to hide like count on Instagram

So, how can you hide the count of likes on Instagram? Below, we offer a complete step-by-step guide for those who wish to disable them on their new or old posts. You will also learn how to stop Instagram showing likes on the posts of other users.

How to turn off Instagram likes when you are posting

If you don't want to see the number of likes under your posts anymore, you can turn them off in the Instagram settings. 

01. Add a post and before tapping Share scroll down till you find Advanced settings.

Tapping Advanced settings in the Instagram posting menu

02. Move the slider to the right next to Hide like and view counts on this post.

Activating the Hide like and view counts on this post in the Instagram app

03. Tap the Back icon in the top-left corner for sharing a post.

Exiting advanced settings when posting on Instagram

04. Then, hit Share.

Sharing a post on Instagram in the app

Done! Don't worry! The likes that you obtain won't disappear anywhere. Their total number will be kept.

Please note: you can unhide like count on Instagram whenever you want. When you want to see the number again, tap the three dots in the top-right corner and choose Unhide like count.

Opening the three-dot menu of an Instagram postChoosing Unhide like count in the Instagram post menuHighlighted like count under an Instagram post

If you remove likes in a business Instagram account, you still can know the count if you want. You can track the numbers in the Insights. Just tap View Insights under the post to check how users love your post.

Highlighted View Insights button under an Instagram postHighlighted like count in the Instagram Post Insights

By the way, if you're about to add a photo to the Instagram Feed, then first study at what time it's better to post it so that as many people as possible see it.

How to remove likes on your existing Instagram post

If some of your photos or videos in the Feed have gained not so many red hearts, or you merely want to run an account where they don't play an important role, you can turn off likes in this Instagram profile in a couple of steps.

01. Select the post where you want to hide likes and tap the three dots in the top-right corner.

Opening the three-dot menu of an Instagram post

02. Hit Hide like count.

Choosing Hide like count in the Instagram post menu

That's it! The like count is turned off on this Instagram post, and neither you nor others will see them.

Highlighted text under an Instagram post that is displayed instead of the like count
Please note: there is no feature on Instagram that's able to hide likes on all posts at once. So, you need to work with each publication separately.

How to turn off like count on other users' Instagram posts

You can hide likes not only on your Instagram posts, but also on other users' publications too. In other words, if you use this feature, your Instagram Feed will look like this:

Highlighted text under an Instagram post that appear when the like count display is off

6 steps for removing likes in other's accounts

If you are sure that you don't want Instagram to show likes under posts of other users, follow the steps:

01. Tap your profile photo in the lower-right corner.

Tapping the profile page tab in the Instagram app on an iPhone

02. Then, find the three dots in the top-right corner.

Tapping the hamburger menu on an Instagram profile page

03. Move to Settings.

Choosing Settings on the list of options in the Instagram app

04. Choose Privacy.

Choosing Privacy in the Instagram settings

05. Select Posts.

Choosing Post in the Privacy settings on Instagram

06. Move the slider to the right next to Hide Like and View Counts.

Activating the Hide Like and View Counts feature

Done! You deleted likes under your Instagram post. Now you will see Liked by [username] and others instead of them.

Highlighted text under a post that appear after hiding likes on Instagram

If you want to know who exactly liked an Instagram photo or video, just tap Others to get the full list of users.

In case you wish to know the full number of likes on the contrary, then do all the steps above, but at the end move the slider to the left next to Hide Like and View Counts.

Disabling the Hide Like and View Counts feature

Can I hide like counts on Instagram from a computer?

No, you can't hide likes on Instagram from a computer. This feature isn't available on the desktop version.

But when you turn likes off in the Instagram app, you don't see them from the desktop website too.

By the way, if you want to draw followers' attention to your Instagram post that you consider as must-to-read, you can place its link on your Taplink page. What's more, you can add other links on it, as well as photos, videos, music, and so on. 

Use page templates to create your page quickly. Here are examples:

Business analyst’s Taplink page with social links revealing the experience and skills Link in bio page made on Taplink for selling honey on through social mediaTaplink page with a macaron catalog and buy buttons

Follow the links to get the templates after a sign-up:

Let’s recap

You can hide the number of likes on your existing or new Instagram posts, as well as on other users' publications.

This feature was added by the developers to decrease the unfortunate consequences on the mental health after using the social network. Instagram is trying to remind us that it's crucial what we add to the Instagram Feed, not the number of likes we get.

If you want to turn off the like count on Instagram, then it may be interesting for you to read another article about how you can hide your Instagram list of followers.