Hide like counts, or what you liked

Prepare the post as usual. On the last screen, before you tap Share, tap More options at the bottom and switch on Hide like counts on this post. On instagram.com the same switch sits under Advanced settings and is called Hide like and view counts on this post.

Instagram's Help Center article, read on 12 October 2026, says this decides whether others can see the like and view counts on a post you share. You can still see the total number of likes on your own post.

The switch belongs to one post. Instagram's article describes it post by post and lists no setting that applies to everything you share, so you make the choice each time.

Open the post, tap Options in the top right, then tap Hide like count to others. To reverse it, the same spot reads Unhide like count to others. You can still see your own total.

Instagram's article gives these steps for posts shared to Feed. The article does not write out a separate path for hiding the count on your own reel, so if the menu on a reel looks different, follow what your app shows.

This setting changes what you see, not what anyone else sees. Go to your profile, tap Menu, and below What you see tap Like and share counts. Switch on Hide like and share counts. Instagram says it applies to the posts and reels that appear to you, and as the name says, it hides share counts too. On instagram.com, go to More, then Settings, then Like and share counts below What you see.

The setting is yours alone. Other people's posts keep whatever counts their owners chose to show, and your own posts keep what you chose in steps 1 and 2.

A separate setting controls who can see the posts and reels you have liked. Go to your profile, tap Menu, and tap Likes you've made. Instagram's Help Center article lists four choices:

• Allow everyone to see likes. Everyone can see what you like.
• Allow people you follow to see likes. Only people you follow can.
• Allow close friends to see likes. Only your Close Friends can.
• Don't allow anyone to see likes. Nobody can.

One exception applies whichever you choose: the account that posted something can see that you liked it. You can always see your own likes, on posts and reels and in Your activity.

To unlike many posts at once, go to Menu, tap Your activity below How you use Instagram, then tap Likes below Interactions. Tap Select in the top right, tap the posts you want to unlike, then tap Unlike and confirm.

Instagram lets you sort from newest to oldest and filter by date range or by account first, which helps if you are clearing a particular stretch of time or one creator. The steps are in Instagram's Remove your likes article, which also notes that a post its owner has deleted no longer appears in the list.

Hiding counts changes what is displayed, and a few claims about it deserve care.

Hidden counts are still your counts. Instagram says you can still see the total number of likes on your own posts, so hiding is a display choice for other people.

We found no official word on reach. Instagram's Help Center describes these settings as controls over what people can see. The Help Center says nothing about how a post is ranked once its count is hidden, and Instagram's ranking explainer, dated 31 May 2023, names how many people like a post and how fast among its popularity signals. Treat any article that says hiding likes raises or lowers your reach as unsourced.

The poster always sees your like. However you set Likes you've made, the account whose post you liked can see it.

Threads is separate. Threads has its own like settings in separate Help Center articles, and this guide covers Instagram only.

Menu names change. These paths come from Instagram's Help Center as read on 12 October 2026. If a label differs in your app, the article called Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels is the one to check. Comments have their own controls, covered in our guide to hiding comments.

If you hide likes because the number feels like the wrong scoreboard, a keyword offer gives you a better one. A comment-to-DM automation in inDM shows how many people asked for something and how many received it, on every plan.