Instagram lets you hide like and share counts on content you see and hide like or view counts on individual posts you publish. The Activity Status setting controls whether people can see when you were active; it does not hide likes.
Why Hide Likes on Instagram?
There are several reasons why you might want to hide likes on Instagram. For one, likes can be a source of validation for many people. It's easy to get caught up in the number of likes you're getting and start to feel like your self-worth is tied to the number of likes on your posts. Additionally, likes can be a source of stress and anxiety, especially if you're constantly comparing yourself to others. Hiding likes on Instagram can help you enjoy the platform without feeling pressure to constantly get more likes.
How to Hide Likes on Instagram
Hide counts on posts and Reels you see
- Open Instagram's settings.
- Under What you see, choose Like and share counts.
- Turn on Hide like & share counts.
Hide counts before publishing your post
- Prepare the post and continue to the final sharing screen.
- Open Advanced settings.
- Turn on Hide like and view counts on this post.
For an existing post, open its menu and choose the option to hide the like count. You can reverse the setting later. Instagram's official like-count instructions cover the available app and web controls.
Conclusion
Hiding a count changes its display, not the underlying engagement. You can still review performance on your own content and see posts you have liked; those actions remain in the activity history.