How to Hide Likes on Facebook

Facebook is constantly rolling out new updates to improve user experience. Many of their new features — from Stories to Facebook Live — have been a hit with users. In fact, more than 1 billion people are now using Stories.

Marketers must constantly stay abreast of these updates in order to fully utilize the platform’s potential and keep up with the competition.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at one of the latest features–the option to hide likes on Facebook. We’ll explain why you might want to hide likes on Facebook and walk you through how to do it.

Why you should hide likes on Facebook

As much as we try to deny it, it’s easy to let these engagement numbers get to you. But with Facebook’s Hide Likes feature, you can now keep those metrics private. Let’s see a few more reasons why you should hide likes on Facebook.

1. You don’t need to create content just for likes

Many social media users use the number of likes on their posts to validate themselves and the content they create. The more likes they get, the better they think their content is. So before they create or post anything, they ask themselves, “Will people like this?” As a result, they don’t create or post the type of content they want to create.

2. Few likes may send negative signal to your audience

It’s not just the Facebook algorithm that counts likes to rank posts on the platform. Social media users also use these numbers to gauge content quality and popularity. When they see that a post has a lot of likes, they immediately decide that it resonates well with other users.

So instead of looking at the actual quality and content of the post, they let these numbers decide what content they like, share, or interact with. In other words, there is a chance that the number of likes will affect your Facebook engagement.

3. Creates a more positive environment

Facebook developed hide likes option to make users focus more on the photos and videos than the likes. This could lead to a healthier, more positive environment where users have the freedom to express themselves. As a result, we may be able to see creativity thrive when creators find the courage to experiment and show their originality.

4. Benefits for brands just getting started with Facebook

For many brands, disabling the like count on Facebook is a great way to encourage your audience to judge content objectively. This is especially helpful for brands that are just starting to grow their presence on the platform.

National Geographic doesn’t hide likes, but here’s a look at what this post would look like if they did:

5. Improves mental health

Unfortunately, the number of likes affects not only the content creation process, but also people’s mental health. Experts have found that self-esteem in teens can drop when they get fewer social media likes.

The lack of validation could lead to increased negative thoughts about yourself. This can even increase symptoms of depression and anxiety over time. So, one of the most obvious benefits of hiding likes on Facebook is the ability to improve users’ mental health.

Why you don’t want to hide likes on Facebook

On the other hand, hiding likes on Facebook may not always have positive results. For example, influential users may not be able to demonstrate their content performance. As a result, they may have a harder time scoring brand partnerships.

For brands, not showing your Facebook likes can be perceived as misleading or questionable. In a world where transparency has become key to building consumer trust, it could hurt your relationship with the audience.

How to Hide Likes on Facebook: Your Posts

Have you decided to try this new feature? If so, it’s super easy to set up. Here are three easy steps to hide the number of likes on your Facebook posts:

Step 1: Go to your brand’s Facebook page and click the profile icon in the top right corner of the screen. From the drop down menu select “Settings & Privacy‘ and then select ‘settings.” You can follow the same steps for your personal profile if you want to try it for your personal Facebook account.

Step 2: From your Settings dashboard, clickprivacy” button on the left side of the screen. This will open all of your privacy-related settings. From here you can change settings for your page info, tagging actions, blocks, and messages.

Step 3: In the left pane, select “Response Preferences” at the bottom. Then turn on the option to hide the number of reactions to your posts.

That’s it – your posts will no longer show the number of likes you’ve received. Once you’re ready to show the number of likes again, all you have to do is follow the same steps as above and then turn off that option.

How to Hide Likes on Facebook: Pages You Liked

If everyone can see the pages you’ve liked, your information can easily be compromised. By default, anyone can get a sense of your interests and values ​​from the pages you’ve liked.

Malicious users could manipulate the information to their advantage. These can be sophisticated scams with targeted messages. They may even be able to use the information to impersonate your brand, which could damage your brand’s reputation.

So, hiding the pages you liked is a great way to avoid being overexposed on the platform. This allows you to maintain some of your privacy and greatly reduce the chances of your account being compromised.

In addition, brands may also want to hide the other pages they’ve liked in order to streamline the information they display on their page. When people come to your Facebook page, they’ll find more information about your business there. They may want to see your photos and videos, or get involved in your community.

However, they’re not necessarily interested in finding out what movies, sports teams, or TV shows your brand likes. So if you hide them on your site, it will be easier for people to find the information they really need.

For example, Califia Farms chooses to display sections about their events, reviews, photos, and videos. Additionally, they choose to include sections about their brand and community. This keeps the page minimal while only showing the most important information.

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to hide the pages you liked on Facebook:

Step 1: Go to profile and click “Morebutton. This can be found in the toolbar below your cover photo. The same option is available on your Brand Page if you want to hide the pages your brand has liked on Facebook.

Step 2: Choose “likes” option from the drop-down menu. This will open your Likes dashboard, showing all the Pages you’ve liked on Facebook.

Step 3: Click on that ellipses button in the upper right corner of the screen. This opens a drop-down menu with two options. Click on the “Hide section‘ to immediately hide all the pages you liked. Choose “Edit the privacy of your likes‘ to manually edit privacy for different categories.

Step 4: Now you can see a list of all page categories available on Facebook. You can manually change the privacy of your likes for each category. Click on that globe button next to the category you want to edit, then select “Just me.”

Note that this option is only available for personal accounts. So you don’t have the ability to change the audience settings for separate categories for your Brand Page. The only option is to hide all your likes. To do this, simply follow the instructions above i.e. click “Hide section” button.

bonus step: You can further edit the sections you want to display on your page to keep it clean and minimal. To do this, click on the “More” button and select “manage sections‘ from the drop-down menu. Then uncheck any sections you want to hide on your page.

We recommend keeping only the most important details about your business. This includes your About Me section and your photos and videos. In addition, you should allow your audience to view your groups, communities, events, and live videos.

Consider whether hiding likes on Facebook is right for your brand

Hiding your like counts on Facebook allows users to focus on the content of the post. That way, they can objectively assess the post and decide how to deal with it. As a result, brands that are just starting to grow their presence on the platform could use it strategically.

If you choose to hide your Facebook likes from the public, you should still use engagement data internally. Check out our full guide to Facebook analytics to inform your strategy.