How to See Someone's Liked Reels on Instagram in 2025

Instagram has become one of the most engaging social media platforms in the world, and Reels are now at the center of its content strategy. Short, entertaining, and highly discoverable, Reels have taken over as the fastest-growing format, helping creators, brands, and everyday users reach new audiences. One common curiosity among Instagram users is whether they can see the Reels someone else has liked. For example, you might wonder: Can I check which Reels my friends, favorite influencers, or even competitors have interacted with?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down exactly what Instagram allows you to see, what it doesn’t, why privacy plays a role, and alteative strategies to understand someone’s activity on the platform.

Can You See Someone’s Liked Reels on Instagram?

The short answer is: No, Instagram does not currently allow users to directly see which Reels another person has liked.

This is due to Instagram’s privacy updates that rolled out in 2019 and beyond. Prior to that, Instagram had an “Activity” or “Following” tab where you could see the recent activity of the people you followed, including the posts they liked or commented on. However, this feature was permanently removed, partly to improve user privacy and also to reduce pressure from social comparisons.

So, as of 2025, there is no official way within the Instagram app to browse another person’s liked Reels. Instagram deliberately hides this data to protect user privacy and encourage more authentic engagement.

What You Can Still See About Others’ Activity

Even though you can’t directly see a user’s liked Reels, you can still observe public engagement signals, such as:

1. Comments on Reels

   • If someone comments on a Reel, it is visible to anyone who has access to that Reel. Comments are public unless the account is private and you don’t follow them.

2. Tagged Content

   • If a user is tagged in a Reel, you will see their name.

3. Shared Reels on Stories

   • If someone reshared a Reel they liked to their Instagram Story, you can see it (if their Stories are visible to you).

4. Following & Followers

   • While you can’t see liked Reels, you can still check who a user follows and who follows them, which often hints at their content preferences.

Why Instagram Doesn’t Allow This

There are a few reasons why Instagram limits access to “liked” data:

• Privacy Conces: Many users felt uncomfortable when their activity was publicly visible. Removing this feature has allowed for more personal and private browsing.

• Authentic Engagement: Instagram wants people to like or comment without worrying about others tracking their every move.

• Data Protection: Social networks face stricter regulations regarding user data and privacy, especially in regions with GDPR laws.

What You Can Do Instead

Even though you cannot directly view a person’s liked Reels, there are still methods to indirectly figure out what type of Reels they enjoy:

1. Observe Their Reels Engagement

Look at the Reels they post, comment on, or share. People usually interact with content similar to what they create or promote.

2. Check Their Following List

By checking which creators, influencers, or meme pages they follow, you can infer the type of Reels that appear in their feed.

3. Look at Story Shares

When someone likes a Reel a lot, they might share it on their Story. Keeping an eye on their Stories is a useful way to see what kind of content they enjoy.

4. Use Close Friend Circles

If you are close to someone, they may include you in their Close Friends list on Instagram. In this case, you’ll see more of the content they reshare or interact with.

5. Third-Party Apps? (Waing)

Some third-party apps claim to let you track likes and engagement of others. However, these tools are unsafe and often violate Instagram’s terms of service. Using them can risk your account being suspended or hacked. For security, it’s best to avoid them.

Can You See Your Own Liked Reels?

Yes — while you cannot see someone else’s likes, you can see all the Reels you’ve personally liked:

1. Open the Instagram app.

2. Go to your profile.

3. Tap the three-line menu (hamburger icon) in the top right.

4. Select Your Activity → Interactions → Likes.

5. You’ll see all the posts and Reels you’ve liked in reverse chronological order.

This is a great way to revisit your favorite content or organize ideas for future posts.

What About Business Accounts?

For business and creator accounts, Instagram Insights can provide aggregated engagement statistics, such as:

• How many likes Reels received.

• How many people viewed them.

• Audience demographics.

However, you still cannot see which individual users liked your Reels, unless you manually check the like list under your own post.

Will Instagram Ever Bring This Feature Back?

It’s unlikely. Instagram has shifted focus toward privacy-first experiences and algorithm-driven discovery. Bringing back the ability to see another user’s liked posts or Reels would contradict this strategy. Instead, the platform is investing in personalized recommendations, AI-powered feeds, and new creative tools.

So, if your goal is to monitor what others like, you’ll need to rely on indirect signals (comments, follows, reposts) instead of expecting Instagram to reintroduce a “liked Reels” section.

Final Thoughts

To summarize:

• You cannot directly see someone else’s liked Reels on Instagram.

• Instagram removed this feature years ago for privacy and user comfort.

• You can still get clues by watching their comments, shares, or following list.

• Be wary of third-party tools claiming to track activity — most are unsafe.

• You can always access your own liked Reels from your profile settings.

While this might feel limiting, Instagram’s focus on privacy ensures that likes remain a personal engagement tool rather than a public performance metric. Instead of trying to track what others like, focus on building authentic engagement with your own content, since that’s what ultimately drives visibility and growth on the platform.