Hiding like counts on Instagram: what it changes and whether you scroll less (iPhone, 2026)
Instagram lets you hide like and share counts on other people's posts and reels: go to your profile, tap Menu, then Like and share counts below What you see, and turn on Hide like & share counts. You can also hide the like count on your own posts so others can't see it. The setting only hides numbers. Instagram's help does not say it changes what appears in your feed, Reels or Explore, and Meta's own test found hidden counts helped some people and annoyed others. If Reels and suggested posts are what keep you scrolling, hiding those is the change that removes them, and minulo does that for free.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about Instagram come from the sources listed below, checked on 2026-10-25. Menu names can change with app updates.
| Method | What it does | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Hide like & share counts | Hides like and share counts on posts and reels from other people. | Same posts, same Reels, same Explore. Only the numbers go. |
| Hide like counts on this post | Hides the like count on a post you are about to share. You still see the total yourself. | Set per post. |
| Hide like count to others | Hides the like count on a post you already shared. | Set per post. |
| minulo (free) | Opens Instagram with the Reels and Explore tabs and suggested posts hidden. DMs keep working. | No like count setting of its own. The official app does not change. |
Hide like counts on other people's posts
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below What you see, tap Like and share counts.
- Turn on Hide like & share counts. Turn it off to see the numbers again.
Hide the like count on your own posts
Before you share a post, tap More options at the bottom and turn on Hide like counts on this post. For a post you have already shared, tap Options in the top right of the post and tap Hide like count to others. Tap Unhide like count to others to show it again. Instagram says you can still see the total number of likes on your own posts.
Does hiding likes make you scroll less?
Instagram does not claim that. Its help page describes the setting as a choice about whether you see the total number of likes, nothing more. When Meta made the option available to everyone in May 2021, it said it had tested hiding like counts to see whether it might take some pressure off, and that people were split: some found it helpful, and others found it annoying because they use like counts to see what is popular.
So the honest answer is that hiding likes changes how posts look, not how many of them there are. The feed, the Reels tab and Explore keep going exactly as before. If you want to scroll less, the setting to look at is the part of the app you get lost in. For many people that is Reels and the suggested posts mixed into the feed.
Remove the parts that keep you scrolling with minulo
minulo opens Instagram's official website inside the app. Tap the gear next to Instagram and turn on what to hide: Reels and Explore tabs, Suggested posts, Stories, or Every tab but DMs. Messages, Feed and My posts open straight from the minulo home screen. minulo has no like count setting of its own, so to hide counts use Instagram's setting above.
Hiding is free. minulo can also lock the official Instagram app with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block. While it is locked, its notifications don't arrive, and minulo does not send any in their place. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, blocks over 2 hours, Hard Mode and multiple block lists. minulo is for iPhone only.
How do I hide like counts on Instagram?
Go to your profile, tap Menu in the top right, then Like and share counts below What you see, and turn on Hide like & share counts. This hides the counts on other people's posts and reels.
Can I hide likes on my own Instagram posts?
Yes. Before sharing, tap More options and turn on Hide like counts on this post. For a post already shared, tap Options in its top right and choose Hide like count to others. You can still see the total yourself.
Does hiding like counts reduce time on Instagram?
Instagram does not say it does. The setting only hides numbers, and the feed, Reels and Explore stay the same. Meta said in 2021 that hidden counts helped some people and annoyed others.
If I hide like counts, can others still see my likes?
The Hide like & share counts setting changes what you see on other people's posts. To stop others seeing the count on your own post, turn on Hide like counts on this post before sharing, or Hide like count to others afterwards.
Can minulo hide like counts?
No. minulo has no like count setting. It hides the Reels and Explore tabs, suggested posts or Stories on Instagram for free while DMs keep working.
Sources
