How to Hide Likes on Facebook (Your Posts and Others')

Like counts can mess with your head. You post something you care about, it gets a handful of reactions, and suddenly you're comparing yourself with everyone else in your feed. Facebook lets you hide reaction totals, both on your own posts and on other people's. For small business owners it's also a way to stop a quiet post looking quiet to new visitors.

Facebook calls this Reaction preferences. Its help pages don't load in full outside the app, so the steps follow summaries of Facebook's help content and the setting as it's widely described. Menus vary by app version, so if you can't see it where I describe, search Settings for Reaction preferences.

Two Facebook reaction count switches, and what each one hides

Switch	What it hides	Who it affects
On posts from others	Reaction totals on other people's posts in your feed, groups and Pages	Only what you see
On your posts	Reaction totals on the posts you share on your profile	What other people see on your posts

You can turn on one, both or neither. They're independent, which is handy if you only want to stop comparing yourself with others.

Hide like counts on Facebook from the phone app

1. Tap the menu (your profile picture or the three lines, depending on your app).
2. Tap Settings and privacy, then Settings.
3. Scroll to Preferences and tap Reaction preferences.
4. Under the option to hide the number of reactions, switch on the toggle called On posts from others, the one called On your posts, or both.

Hide reaction totals on Facebook from a computer

1. Click your profile picture in the top right.
2. Choose Settings and privacy, then Settings.
3. Look for Reaction preferences, usually under Preferences in the left-hand menu.
4. Turn on the switches you want.

To show counts again, go back to the same screen and turn the switches off.

What hiding Facebook likes doesn't change

• People can still react to your posts. Only the total is hidden.
• You can still see who reacted to your own posts.
• Reaction counts may still show in some places, such as posts in groups or reels, depending on your app version.
• It doesn't change who can see your post. That's controlled by your audience setting.
• It doesn't hide comments. If those are the issue, see my guide on turning off comments on a Facebook post.

Hiding likes on a Facebook business Page

Reaction preferences is a personal setting, and the help summaries I found describe it for profiles rather than Pages. Menus vary by account and app version, so check your Page's settings, but don't count on Page posts having the same switch.

That's worth thinking through as a business owner anyway. Visible reactions act as social proof: a post with plenty of reactions looks trusted. Hiding counts takes the pressure off when you're building from scratch, but you also lose that signal when things go well. If you're worried because reactions have dropped, the setting won't fix that, and my guide on why your Facebook Page reach is dropping looks at the causes.

Hiding likes versus hiding your Facebook profile from strangers

People often search for hiding likes when what they really want is more privacy. Reaction counts are only one small piece. If you'd like strangers to see less of your profile overall, my guide to locking your Facebook profile from strangers covers the bigger privacy settings, from who sees your posts to who can look you up.

Who should hide Facebook reaction counts?

There's no right answer here, and I haven't found a source that says hiding reaction totals changes how far your posts travel, so I won't claim it does. What I can share is how it tends to suit different people:

• If you're starting a new business and your posts look quiet, hiding counts on your own posts stops a low number putting new visitors off.
• If you find yourself checking reactions every few minutes, hiding counts on other people's posts takes away the comparison.
• If you post about personal subjects such as health, grief or family, hiding totals lets the words land without a scoreboard underneath.
• If your posts already get plenty of reactions, you may prefer to leave them showing, because a busy post looks trusted.

Whichever you choose, you can change it back at any time, so it's worth trying for a few weeks and noticing how you feel about posting.

Reaction counts versus reactions you've left on Facebook

Hiding totals is about numbers, not about your own activity. When you react to someone else's post, that reaction can still be seen by people who can see the post, in line with the post's audience. Reaction preferences doesn't make your likes private. If you'd rather people didn't see you reacting to something, the only sure way is not to react, or to remove your reaction afterwards by tapping it again.

The same goes for comments you leave. They're shown according to the audience of the post you comment on, not your own privacy settings, so think about who can see a post before you join in on it.

If you can't find Reaction preferences on Facebook

• Update the app. Older versions put the setting somewhere else or don't have it.
• Use the search bar at the top of Settings and type reaction.
• Check you're signed in to your personal profile rather than switched into a Page.
• Try a computer if the phone app doesn't show it, or the other way round.
• Features roll out gradually, so you might not see every option yet.

Frequently asked questions

Can people still like my posts if I hide likes on Facebook?

Yes. Hiding the count only hides the total. People can still react.

Will I still see who liked my Facebook post?

Yes. You can still see who reacted to your own posts.

Does hiding likes on Facebook hide them everywhere?

Not always. Counts may still show in some places, such as groups or reels, depending on your app version.

Can I hide likes on just one Facebook post?

Reaction preferences works across your posts rather than one post at a time, based on the help summaries I found.

Where is Reaction preferences on Facebook?

Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Reaction preferences under Preferences. Menus vary by app version.