Can You Hide Likes on Instagram? A Complete 2025 Guide for Users and Creators

This article explains the up-to-date 2025 options for hiding like and view counts on Instagram and what those settings change for you and your audience. You’ll find step-by-step instructions for iOS and Android across photos, carousels, videos, and Reels, plus clear distinctions between hiding counts and turning off comments. Use this guide to customize your experience while preserving performance and analytics.

Can You Hide Likes on Instagram? A Complete 2025 Guide for Users and Creators

Wondering “can you hide likes on Instagram” in 2025? The short answer: yes. Instagram lets you hide like counts on your own posts and turn off like and view counts across other people’s posts you see in your feed. It’s flexible, reversible, and it doesn’t change how your content is distributed.

This guide walks you through how it works on iOS and Android for photos, videos, carousels, and Reels—plus what hiding does (and doesn’t) affect, how it differs from turning off comments, and best practices for creators and brands.

The short answer: what hiding like counts actually does

• For your own posts:
• You can hide like counts before publishing (via Advanced settings) or after publishing (via the post’s menu).
• Followers can still like your post; they just won’t see the total number.
• You can unhide at any time without losing engagement.
• For what you see across Instagram:
• You can enable a global setting to hide like and view counts on other people’s posts. This affects your viewing experience only. It doesn’t change how those posts appear to other users.
• How this differs from turning off comments:
• Hiding like counts masks the number displayed; it does not stop people from liking.
• Turning off comments disables new comments entirely for that post.

Hide like counts on your own posts (before posting)

You can choose to hide like counts before you tap Share. The steps are nearly identical on iOS and Android.

• Photos, Carousel posts, and Video posts:

1. Create a new post and tap Next (or the arrow) until you reach the caption screen.
2. Scroll down and tap Advanced settings (bottom of the screen).
3. Toggle Hide like count on this post.
4. Go back and tap Share.

• Reels:

1. Create your Reel and tap Next to reach the Share screen.
2. Tap Advanced settings.
3. Toggle Hide like count on this reel.
4. Go back and tap Share.

Notes:

• The label text may vary slightly by app version (e.g., “Hide like and view counts on this post”). Even if the label mentions views, Instagram does not hide view/play counts for Reels and most videos from other people; see the section on views below.
• The toggle applies to that single post or Reel. There isn’t a global “always hide on my posts” option as of 2025.

Hide like counts on your own posts (after posting)

Already published? You can hide the like count on any post or Reel retroactively.

• Open the post or Reel.
• Tap the three dots (…) in the upper-right corner.
• Tap Hide like count.

To unhide later:

• Tap the three dots (…) again.
• Tap Unhide like count.

Important:

• Unhiding won’t “reset” or erase your likes. The engagement keeps accruing whether the count is shown or hidden.
• You can toggle this as often as you like.

Hide like and view counts from other people’s posts in your feed

If you want to remove public counters from your browsing experience:

Settings path:

• Open your profile
• Tap the menu (≡)
• Go to Settings and privacy
• Tap Posts
• Toggle Hide like and view counts (on posts from others)

What changes:

• In feed, Explore, and profiles, you won’t see totals like “2,431 likes” or “23,000 views.”
• You may still see “Liked by [username] and others” without the numeric total.
• This setting affects only what you see. It doesn’t change how your posts appear to anyone else.

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Reels, videos, and views: what you can and can’t hide

Like counts and view/play counts are different metrics. Instagram gives you more control over likes than views.

Key points:

• You can hide the like count on your own posts, including Reels.
• You cannot hide the view or play count for video formats (including Reels) from other people. If someone views your Reel, they can typically see plays even if the like count is hidden.
• The global setting can hide other people’s like and view counts from your perspective only.

Here’s a quick 2025 snapshot:

Impact on engagement, mental health, and strategy

Benefits of hiding likes:

• Reduces social comparison: Less pressure for both creators and followers, especially on newer accounts or sensitive topics.
• Encourages quality interactions: Viewers may focus more on the content and caption instead of social proof.
• Creative freedom: Easier to test unconventional ideas without public “scoreboard” anxiety.

Potential trade-offs:

• Social proof: Public like totals can nudge casual scrollers to engage. Hiding them removes that nudge.
• Audience expectations: Communities used to public counts might ask questions if they disappear.

When creators/brands might hide counts:

• Early-stage experiments and A/B tests.
• Evergreen educational posts where depth (saves, shares, comments) matters more than vanity metrics.
• Topics where well-being and safety are priorities (mental health, body image, community care).
• During launches or rebrands to reset perceptions.

When you might show counts:

• User-generated content (UGC) with strong social proof.
• Announcements with broad appeal or influencer collaborations where visible traction helps spread.

Algorithm, analytics, and partnerships

• Reach and ranking: Hiding likes does not change how Instagram’s algorithm ranks your content. The platform still considers engagement signals (likes, comments, saves, watch time, etc.). Your reach is unaffected by whether the number is displayed.
• Insights remain available: As the account owner, you still see total likes, plays, reach, and other analytics in Insights—even when the public like count is hidden.
• Notifications: You continue to receive notifications for new likes as usual.
• Reporting to sponsors: If you hide like counts publicly, share analytics via:
• Screenshots from post Insights
• Exported metrics (if you use third-party reporting)
• Agreed reporting windows (24 hours, 7 days, 30 days)
• Paid partnerships: Sponsored tags and branded content tools work the same. Make sure your contract clarifies whether public counts must be visible and what performance metrics you’ll deliver privately.

Troubleshooting common issues

Not seeing the option to hide like counts:

• Update the app: Go to the App Store or Google Play and install the latest Instagram version.
• Check the path: Settings and privacy > Posts > Hide like and view counts (for your feed). For your own post’s toggle, look under Advanced settings on the final Share screen, or the post’s (…) menu after publishing.
• Region or rollout delays: Features can roll out gradually. If one account has it and another doesn’t, wait a few days and update again.
• Account type: Personal, Creator, and Business accounts should all have this feature in 2025. If it’s missing, try switching to a Creator account temporarily to refresh features, then switch back if needed.
• Mobile vs. web: The most reliable controls are on the mobile app. Some toggles may not appear on desktop web.
• UI hiccups:
• Force-quit and relaunch the app.
• Log out and back in.
• Clear cache (Android) or reinstall the app if needed.

Issues with Reels:

• You can hide the like count, but plays remain visible to others. This is expected behavior.

FAQs and best practices

• Can followers still like my post if I hide the count?
• Yes. Hiding the count doesn’t disable likes.
• Will followers be notified if I hide or unhide like counts?
• No. There’s no notification sent when you toggle visibility.
• Can I hide likes on some posts only?
• Yes. It’s per-post and fully customizable. You can hide on certain posts and show on others.
• Does hiding work retroactively?
• Yes. You can hide like counts on older posts at any time. The displayed number disappears for viewers, but your analytics remain intact.
• Can I hide view or play counts?
• You can hide what you see from others via the global setting. You cannot hide view/play counts on your own video or Reel from other people. Plays/views typically remain visible.
• Is there a global default to hide likes on all my future posts?
• As of 2025, no. You must toggle it per post (either before or after publishing).
• Does hiding like counts reduce my reach?
• No. It doesn’t change ranking or distribution. Likes still count as engagement signals behind the scenes.
• Can I still see my own like totals?
• Yes. You’ll see them in Insights, and often by tapping into the liker list on your own post.
• Does this affect ads or boosted posts?
• Hiding applies to the organic post’s public like display. For paid campaigns, performance reporting is provided through Ads Manager or Insights; confirm deliverables and visibility requirements with partners.

Best practices for testing

• A/B test for 4–6 weeks:
• Week 1–2: Hide counts on half of your posts.
• Week 3–4: Swap which posts hide/show.
• Compare saves, shares, comments, watch time, CTR, and follower growth (not just likes).
• Contextual strategy:
• Hide counts for educational, nuanced, or experimental content.
• Show counts for social-proof-heavy announcements or UGC.
• Communicate with partners:
• If you hide counts, proactively share Insights with sponsors on a schedule you agree on.
• Focus on deeper metrics:
• For Reels: plays, average watch time, completions, shares.
• For posts: saves, profile visits, link clicks, comments sentiment.

Quick step-by-step recap

• Hide like counts before posting:
• New post/Reel > Advanced settings > Toggle Hide like count > Share.
• Hide after posting:
• Post/Reel > (…) > Hide like count. Toggle back to unhide anytime.
• Hide what you see from others:
• Profile > ≡ > Settings and privacy > Posts > Hide like and view counts.

Summary

Instagram lets you hide like counts on your own posts and remove like/view totals from others’ posts in your feed without affecting reach, distribution, or your private analytics. You can toggle visibility per post (before or after publishing), while video play counts generally remain public to viewers. Use hiding strategically to reduce comparison pressure, run cleaner experiments, and focus on deeper engagement metrics.