How To See What Someone Else Likes On Instagram
Instagram documents no list of everything someone else likes. A post's likes and the Friends tab in Reels can show some, and each person picks who sees them.
Short answer: none of the Instagram and Meta pages cited below describes a way to see everything someone else has liked. They describe three places where likes can show: a post's likes, which you can find below it; the usernames of some people you follow who liked a photo; and the Friends tab in Reels, which shows public content your friends have interacted with. Each person also controls who can see their likes. If they choose Don't allow anyone to see likes, Instagram says no one can see what they like, though the account that posted a post or reel they liked can still see their like. The labels here are the ones on those pages, and your app may show them differently.
Where you may see someone's likes
- Below a post. Instagram's Help Center says that, in general, you can find a post's likes below it. For a video, it says to tap the view count below the video first; from there you can see the number of likes and who has liked it.
- Under a photo, from people you follow. Another Help Center article says that after 4 likes, a photo shows the number of likes along with the usernames of some people you follow who have liked it.
- In the Friends tab in Reels. Meta's announcement says to tap Friends at the top of Reels, and Reels to go back to your usual Reels feed. It describes the tab as showing public content your friends have liked, created, reposted or commented on, or recommendations from Blends you've started, so not everything in it is something a friend liked.
Meta announced the Friends tab on 6 August 2025, saying it had started rolling it out earlier that year and was now launching it globally. The announcement describes the tab as it was then; it doesn't say every account sees the same thing. The Help Center article about usernames under a photo doesn't mention the likes setting described next, so a photo may not show you a like from everyone you follow.
What decides whether you see them
Instagram lets each person control who can see their likes on other people's posts and reels. The setting has four options:
- Allow everyone to see likes: everyone can see what they like.
- Allow people you follow to see likes: only the people they follow can see what they like.
- Allow close friends to see likes: only their close friends can see what they like.
- Don't allow anyone to see likes: no one can see what they like.
Whatever they choose, the account that posted a post or reel can see that they liked it. So on your own posts and reels you can see who liked them; on anyone else's, whether you see a particular person's like depends on that person's setting.
Like counts can be hidden as well. The person who shares a post can choose whether others see its like and view counts, and you can choose whether you see the total number of likes on posts and reels. Instagram's article on this describes counts; it doesn't say whether hiding them also hides who liked a post.
What Instagram doesn't provide
- A list of everything someone has liked. You can see your own likes in Your Activity; none of the cited pages describes the same for anyone else's.
- A way past someone's setting. The cited pages describe none.
- Posts on a private account that hasn't approved you. Instagram says only a private account's approved followers can see its posts, including the likes and comments on them.
- A complete record in the Friends tab. Meta describes it as public content your friends have interacted with, not a history of everything they liked.
Apps and websites that claim to show you what someone has liked aren't Instagram features, and this guide doesn't recommend any.
Seeing who watched your reels is a different question, covered in can you see who views your Instagram reels.
Who can see your own likes
The same setting decides who can see what you like. Instagram's Help Center gives these steps in the Instagram app:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture at the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu at the top right.
- Tap Likes you've made.
- Choose who can see what you like.
Whatever you choose, the account that posted something can still see that you liked it, and you can always see your own likes on posts, reels and in Your Activity.
When Meta announced the Friends tab, it also said it was rolling out controls for what's shown there, including the ability to hide your own likes and comments on reels and to mute activity bubbles from specific people you follow. The announcement doesn't give steps for them.
Sources
Instagram Help Center: Manage who can see your likes on content on Instagram, See a post's likes on Instagram, Who can see when you've liked a photo, or when someone's liked your photo on Instagram and Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels, accessed 18 October 2026.
Meta: New Instagram Features to Help You Connect, 6 August 2025, accessed 18 October 2026.