How To See Who Likes What on Instagram in a Few Easy Steps

You’re not nosy for wanting to know how to see who likes what on Instagram. Liking something on Instagram is a public declaration of interest in a particular topic. Why did they double-tap if they didn’t want anyone to know they liked it? 

They could’ve made a mental note and kept scrolling. Instead, they wanted everyone to know that they liked something. Therefore, some snooping to find out who made this public declaration is fair.

We don’t plan to tell you about a third-party user activity tracking tool. Generally speaking, external apps may not be the best option when using social media platforms. It’s best to keep your snooping within the app. 

Fortunately, it’s not that hard to do. This article will show you how to find out who liked what on Instagram. So, read on to learn more!

3 Reasons Why People Look At Likes on Instagram 

People have been obsessing over this feature since the dawn of Instagram. A notification saying that someone liked your post gave an instant dopamine rush. 

Over time, we all became obsessed with the feeling. Whether conscious of it or not, we pay attention to Instagram likes. It’s second nature by now.

There are practical reasons that people want to know who liked a post on Instagram. It’s not that they’re being shallow. It could be of genuine importance to them.

1. ​​They Want To Find a Particular Name

You may know someone who has no business liking a particular post. The post may be extremely political or controversial. Liking that post would indicate agreement or endorsement of the post. Sometimes, you need to know where people stand. Liking the post would suggest that they feel the same way.

Maybe you are considering using a particular Instagram influencer for your brand. Your brand stands for specific values, and the influencer ambassador must share these values. You don’t want controversy to pop up later on. 

Seeing what this influencer likes on Instagram is part of your due diligence. This is enough to push someone to search through the lights on a post.

2. It’s How To Decide if They Like It Too

Social proof on Instagram is a very real phenomenon. People look at the support that something already gets to decide whether they should also support it. This happens when someone looks at how many followers an Instagram user has. If they’re popular, that person may follow that user as well. 

This type of thinking also happens with a post’s like count. Some people check the likes before deciding if they should also like it. Yes, people do things like this on social media. If someone they know or trust likes the post, some people may also like it.

3. They Are Looking for New Followers

You might be in the market for some new Instagram followers. Who isn’t? Growth is the name of the game. How do you know who the potential followers could be? Well, look at who likes content similar to yours. 

Maybe another creator produces identical content. They have a much higher following and like count as well. You want to see who supports what they post. This is where knowing how to view liked posts on Instagram is useful.

Why People Hide Their Like Count

You might know you can hide your like count from everyone. It may not be clear why someone would want to do this. Let’s discuss two potential scenarios when someone would turn off this feature.

They Don’t Want People To See It

Your like count is one way people judge you on Instagram. They have to use some metric to gauge whether your content is good. Not having a high like count is embarrassing to some content creators. They don’t want to discourage others from liking their content, so they hide it completely from viewers. 

They make it so that they are the only people who can see how many likes they have. You might be thinking that it’s not that serious. Part of social media is understanding the culture of the platform. A double tap is important on Instagram. Hiding a like count could mean protecting your brand.

They Don’t Want To Obsess Over It

Sometimes, hiding your likes is about your mental health. The number of people who double-tap your post is important. Engagement on your brand’s posts pays off in the short and long term. But it’s possible to care too much about it. 

Sometimes, it negatively impacts how you approach the social media platform. You get crippling anxiety before you share a post. You want to ensure that it drops at a time when many people will like it. 

You wait to post when you think you’ll get the most likes. Instead of living in the moment and having fun on Instagram, you do this, which dampens the overall experience. Sometimes, creators need to take a drastic step. That could mean hiding the like count.

How To See What Someone Likes on Instagram: Back in the Day

There was a time when people easily knew how to see who liked what on Instagram. Instagram was very transparent before 2020. There used to be a Following tab. If a user tapped on it, they would see the activity status of the people they followed. 

This list included full transparency about the posts that people liked. As you can imagine, this caused a lot of drama. People could not peacefully like what they wanted to on Instagram. Screenshots would fly everywhere, and people would get in trouble. 

This feature is no longer available. You cannot go to an Instagram account and see its activity on the platform. If you think this is an option, you might be thinking of Twitter (now X). 

Now, how to see on Instagram who liked what is more difficult. This does not mean it is impossible. You must put in a little extra effort to find the necessary information.

How To See Someone’s Likes on Instagram Using a Cell Phone 

We all know that a cell phone is the best device for using Instagram. The creators optimized the platform for cell phone usage. So, this process shouldn’t be difficult if you have a cell phone. 

Just follow the seven simple steps below to learn how to see someone’s likes on Instagram:

1. Launch Instagram on your cell phone. 
2. Sign into your account. 
3. Go to the page of the user you want to research. You can manually search this using the search bar. Or, look through your following list if you already follow them.
4. While on their Instagram page, go to their following list. 
5. Select the account that piques your interest. While on that page, sift through the Instagram posts.
6. Find the post you want to know if the user liked. Instagram may show you the total number of likes on the post. It may also show that someone you follow also liked it. 
7. Tap on the word Others. Now you see a complete list of everyone that liked the post. Search this list to find out if the person on your mind also liked the post.

With the old method, you would only see recent interactions on a public post. With this method, it doesn’t matter when the person likes the post. You will access the list easily.

Maybe we had to give up the transparency of the former Instagram. But at least now we can see a comprehensive list of everyone that likes a post. This is a very useful tool to have.

How To Check Someone’s Likes on Instagram Using a Laptop

Of course, some people prefer using their laptops to scroll on Instagram. It’s a much bigger screen, and easier to read the words. Right now, you want to see who liked a particular post. 

Fortunately, you can do that on your laptop or desktop. This is how to check someone’s likes on Instagram:

1. Open your favorite web browser and go to Instagram’s website. 
2. Use the search engine to look up the IG page in question. 
3. Find the piece of content that you are interested in.
4. Look at the video or picture. Tap on the likes. 
5. Instagram will show you a full list of everyone who liked the post. You can use your computer’s search functions to search for a specific Instagram handle. Now, you can view liked posts on Instagram.

You can repeat these steps on all individual posts you want to know about. Remember to use the search shortcuts so you don’t have to sift through thousands of users. It’s not an activity tab, but it does get the job done.

Knowing How To See Who Likes What on Instagram Is Not Enough

Likes will always be a very important metric on Instagram. If you want to increase your engagement rate, increasing likes is part of that. Getting the attention of the Instagram algorithm could mean a huge boost to your brand. You could end up on the explore page and extend your reach to new followers.

This way, you are on your way to more growth. However, you may not experience growth at the rate you want. You may need some professional intervention to pick up the pace.

Plixi can help you reach the growth goals you have in mind. Now, you know how to see who likes what on Instagram. Pretty soon, people will like you. We have an in-house platform for Instagram influencers. They get great support from our AI technology. You can get that support as well. 

Are you ready to grow your following on Instagram? Sign up with us today!