Social media is evolving at a rapid pace. What once started as a digital popularity contest, where likes were the ultimate currency, has shifted into something much bigger. In 2025, the real value of platforms like Instagram comes from conversations, conversions, and community impact.
Likes are still visible by default, and they can influence the way people perceive your content. When numbers are on display, people may judge a post by how many hearts it has, instead of engaging with the actual story or message.
For brands, influencers, and even everyday users, this creates unnecessary pressure. Maybe you want to test a bold new content production style without worrying about public reactions. Maybe you want your community to focus on storytelling instead of comparisons. Or maybe you’re simply prioritizing mental health and don’t want to see likes at all.
Whatever your reason, Instagram now gives you options. In this guide, we’ll break down step by step how to hide likes on Instagram, explain why it matters, and share what it means for brands building a stronger social presence.
Instagram makes it possible to hide like counts in three different ways: before posting, on existing posts, and across your entire feed. If you’ve been asking, “How to hide my likes on Instagram?”, here’s the exact process.
Once it’s published, viewers won’t see the total number of likes or views. They’ll still be able to engage, but the running tally won’t appear.
This change is immediate, and you can reverse it at any time by selecting Unhide Like Count.
This feature works across static posts and how to hide likes on Instagram Reels, so you get a distraction-free scroll.
The option to hide likes was first tested in 2019 and rolled out globally a few years later. Since then, adoption has grown steadily. At Spark Social, we’ve seen a clear trend: both individuals and brands are embracing hidden likes as part of a healthier and more strategic approach to social media. Here’s why it’s catching on:
With likes hidden, creators feel freer to experiment with content. No one sees a “low-performing” post, so there’s less risk in testing something new.
Comments, shares, saves, and direct messages are stronger indicators of connection than likes. Hidden counts encourage brands to measure success by real engagement instead of vanity metrics.
For users, hiding likes minimizes the mental load of comparing numbers. For brands, it shifts attention back to the story behind the content.
The absence of visible likes doesn’t mean a lack of data. Instagram still shows metrics privately to account owners, so you can track results without broadcasting them to the world.
Hidden likes change the dynamics of engagement. People are more likely to leave meaningful comments when public counts do not subconsciously influence them.
The question isn’t just “how to hide your likes on Instagram?”, it’s “why would a brand choose to do so?”. At Spark Social, we help clients view hidden likes not as a loss, but as an opportunity. Here’s what we’ve observed:
When brands launch campaigns or new content production approaches, the spotlight on public metrics can be intimidating. Hidden likes let teams experiment with visuals, messaging, and formats without outside judgment.
When the “popularity contest” is removed, audiences are more likely to comment, share, and save. These are the behaviors that strengthen relationships and boost visibility in Instagram’s algorithm.
Hiding likes helps reframe success around meaningful KPIs like website clicks, conversions, and brand lift, rather than chasing surface-level approval.
Many companies want to model positive digital habits. Choosing to hide likes can signal to your audience that your brand values authenticity and well-being over vanity metrics.
If you’re ready to downplay likes, the next step is deciding what metrics really matter. For most brands, that means focusing on:
Likes are nice, but they don’t always move the needle. At Spark Social, we emphasize metrics that connect directly to business outcomes.
Learning how to hide likes on Instagram is simple. The bigger challenge is deciding how that choice fits into your overall brand strategy. At Spark Social, we believe social media management works best when it sparks meaningful conversations, not when it chases empty numbers. That’s why we’re seeing more brands embrace hidden likes as part of a bigger picture strategy.
As a boutique agency focused entirely on social, we help brands cut through the noise with custom strategies, transparent reporting, and creative content production that stops the scroll. Our campaigns are designed to make an impact where it counts: building trust, driving engagement, and delivering ROI.
So, try it out and experiment with hidden likes. Pay attention to the conversations and connections that follow. Because at the end of the day, the real value isn’t in the number of hearts under your post—it’s in the relationships you build around it.
Spark Social, an award-winning boutique social media agency, continues to be recognized as an industry leader by several prestigious awards, including the Hermes Creative, Shorty Awards, MarCom, dotComm, NYX, and TITAN Health.
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