Facebook has introduced a new feature that allows users to hide the number of likes and reactions on posts. This can help reduce social pressure and comparisons when using the platform. Here is a detailed guide on how to hide like and reaction counts on Facebook posts.
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Why Hide Like Counts?
There are several potential benefits to hiding like counts on Facebook:
- Reduces social pressure and comparisons with others’ posts
- Encourages more authentic posting not aimed solely at getting more likes
- Limits the spread of controversial or objectionable viral posts by removing visible like counts
- Improves mental health and wellbeing by reducing anxiety around post engagement
However, there are also some limitations. Influencers and businesses may rely on visible like counts for analytics and measuring content performance. The feature also doesn’t prevent you from seeing who has liked or reacted to your own posts.
How To Hide Like Counts on Your Posts
Hiding like counts on your own Facebook posts is simple:
On Mobile
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Tap Reaction Preferences
- Toggle on “On your posts” under Hide Number of Reactions
On Desktop
- Click the arrow icon in the top right and click Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click News Feed Preferences
- Click Reaction Preferences
- Toggle on “On your posts” under Hide Number of Reactions
Once enabled, the number of reactions on your posts will be hidden from everyone except you. Other users will still be able to react, but won’t see the total number of likes/reactions.
Hiding Like Counts on Others’ Posts
You can also hide like and reaction counts on posts from people and pages you follow:
On Mobile
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Tap Reaction Preferences
- Toggle on “On posts from others”
On Desktop
- Click the arrow icon in the top right and click Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click News Feed Preferences
- Click Reaction Preferences
- Toggle on “On posts from others”
With this enabled, you won’t see the number of reactions on any posts from people or pages you follow in your News Feed.
Hiding Page Like Counts
To hide the pages you have liked from your profile:
- Go to your profile page
- Click More below your intro section
- Select Likes
- Click the three dots beside Pages
- Choose Edit Privacy
- Adjust privacy settings as desired
You can choose to show page likes to only you, friends, or public. Just remember that adjusting this only affects page likes displayed on your profile – it doesn’t hide your page likes from Facebook.
Considerations Before Hiding Like Counts
While hiding reactions can have benefits, there are some things to keep in mind:
- You will still see who has liked or reacted to your own posts
- Analytics may be impacted for business pages and influencer accounts
- It doesn’t prevent people from liking or commenting, just hides the counts
- The feature is still in testing phase, so may change over time
As with any new Facebook feature, approach cautiously and tweak based on how it impacts your personal experience.
I hope this guide gives you a good overview of how to hide Facebook reactions and helps you take control of your News Feed. Reducing the anxiety from social media can have significant mental health benefits, so give it a try!
