Instagram used to be a numbers game. You’d post a photo of your sourdough bread or a sunset in Maui and then spend the next six hours refreshing your notifications, watching that little red heart counter climb. It was addictive. It was also, for a lot of us, kind of exhausting. Social media anxiety isn't just a buzzword; it’s that low-level dread you feel when a post "flops." Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, realized this a few years back. The platform started experimenting with hiding like counts to "depressurize" the experience.
But can you hide likes on Instagram right now, or did they scrap that?
The short answer is yes. You absolutely can. But the way you do it is actually split into two different paths: hiding likes on other people’s posts so you don’t have to see them, and hiding the counts on your own posts so others can’t see yours. Most people think it’s a global "off" switch. It isn't. It’s a bit more surgical than that.
The Great Like Count Experiment
Back in 2019, Instagram started testing this in Canada and Australia before rolling it out globally. The idea was to move the focus away from popularity and back toward, you know, actual content. Some influencers hated it. They argued that public like counts were their "social proof"—the digital currency they used to land brand deals. If a brand couldn't see that a post had 50,000 likes at a glance, would they still pay?
Surprisingly, the data showed that hiding likes didn't really kill engagement. It just changed the vibe. Now, in 2026, the feature is a standard part of the interface, though it's tucked away in a menu that honestly feels like it was designed to be overlooked.
How to Hide Likes on Your Own New Posts
If you're about to drop a photo and you don't want the pressure of the public counter, you have to catch it during the upload process. Most users miss this because it's buried at the very bottom of the final sharing screen.
- Start your post as usual.
- Get to the "New Post" screen where you write your caption.
- Scroll all the way down. See that tiny Advanced Settings button? Tap that.
- Toggle on the switch that says Hide Like and View Counts on This Post.
That’s it. Now, instead of a number, people will just see "Liked by [Username] and others." You can still see your own count by tapping that "others" link, but the rest of the world is left in the dark. It’s private. It’s clean. It’s a lot less stressful.
What about the posts you’ve already uploaded?
You don't have to delete your old photos to hide the evidence of a low-engagement Tuesday from three years ago. You can go back and change this retroactively. Find the post in your grid. Tap the three dots in the top right corner. You’ll see an option that says Hide like count. You can toggle this on and off as many times as you want. There’s no limit, and Instagram doesn't notify anyone when you change it. It’s a quiet edit.
Stopping the Noise: Hiding Likes on Other People's Posts
Maybe your problem isn't your own ego. Maybe you're just tired of seeing everyone else’s curated popularity. Comparing your life to a stranger's viral post is a fast track to a bad mood. Instagram lets you turn off the like counts for every single post in your feed.
Go to your profile.
Hit the three lines (the hamburger menu) in the top right.
Go to Settings and activity.
Look for a section called What you see.
Inside, tap Like and view counts.
Flip the switch.
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Suddenly, your feed looks different. It feels like 2010 again. You’re looking at photos because they’re interesting, not because they have 100k likes. It’s a subtle psychological shift, but for heavy users, it’s a game changer for mental health.
Why "Can You Hide Likes on Instagram" is Still a Top Question
You'd think by now everyone would know how to do this. But Instagram updates its UI more often than most people change their oil. Features move. Menus get renamed. What was under "Privacy" last year might be under "Content Preferences" this year.
There's also the "Influencer Effect." Professional creators often keep their likes public because they use those metrics for "Media Kits." If you're trying to prove to a sneaker brand that your audience is hyper-engaged, you want those numbers front and center. But for the average person just trying to share a photo of their cat? Public likes are increasingly seen as a bit "extra."
The Hidden Data
Even if you hide your likes, the Algorithm still sees them. This is a common misconception. Hiding likes doesn't mean the post won't be ranked. Instagram’s AI still tracks every tap, every save, and every second spent hovering over your image. Hiding the count is purely a visual choice for the human eye; the robots still know exactly how popular you are.
Does Hiding Likes Affect Your Reach?
This is the million-dollar question. Does the algorithm punish you for being private?
Honestly, no.
There is zero evidence from reputable social media researchers like those at Later or Hootsuite that suggests hiding your likes lowers your visibility in the Explore tab. The algorithm cares about Engagement Rate, which is a mathematical ratio. Whether or not that ratio is visible to the public doesn't change the math. In fact, some users report that they feel more "authentic" when they hide likes, which leads to better captions, which actually increases engagement.
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It's about the "piling on" effect. Sometimes, people see a post with 10,000 likes and they like it just because everyone else did. That’s social proof. On the flip side, some people are hesitant to be the first person to like a post with zero likes. By hiding the count, you eliminate both of these biases. You get "cleaner" likes from people who actually enjoy the content.
The Nuance of Business Accounts
If you run a business account or a creator profile, you might notice things look a little different. You still have the same privacy options, but your Insights panel will always show you the raw data. You need this. You need to know if that $500 ad spend actually resulted in people liking the creative.
Brands you work with might also ask for screenshots of your internal insights if you’ve hidden your likes publicly. Transparency is still the rule in the professional world. If you're a "micro-influencer" (anyone with 1,000 to 50,000 followers), keeping likes public is generally recommended for growth. It makes you look established. But once you hit a certain level of fame—or if you’re just a private citizen—hiding them is the ultimate power move. It says, "I don't care if you like this or not."
A Quick Reality Check on Verification
There was a rumor floating around TikTok a while back that hiding likes could help you get verified (the blue checkmark). That’s total nonsense. Instagram’s verification process is based on "notability, authenticity, and uniqueness." It has nothing to do with whether your like count is visible. Don't fall for "growth hacks" that claim changing your privacy settings will trick the system.
Actionable Steps for a Cleaner Feed
If you're feeling burnt out by the app, try this "Digital Detox" setup for a week. It changes how you interact with the world:
- Turn off your own like counts for the next three posts. See if you feel less anxious about how they perform.
- Disable likes on your feed (the global setting). Notice if you spend less time scrolling or if you start "liking" different types of content.
- Check your 'Muted' list. Sometimes it’s not the likes that are the problem; it’s the people.
The goal of Instagram in 2026 is supposed to be connection, not competition. Whether or not you decide to hide your likes, the power is in the settings. You aren't stuck with the default experience. Take five minutes, dig into those "Advanced Settings," and make the app work for your brain, not against it.
The most important thing to remember is that you can't "break" your account by toggling these features. Instagram built them specifically to keep people from leaving the platform entirely. They’d rather have you browsing with hidden likes than not browsing at all. If you hate it, you can just flip the switch back. No harm, no foul.
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Go to your most recent post right now. Tap those three dots. Hit "Hide like count." Take a deep breath. The world didn't end, and your photo is still just as good as it was two minutes ago.