The ultimate throwback: Here’s how to see liked posts on Instagram

Everyone’s been there: you’re mid-conversation with friends, scrambling to find a post about a mouthwatering recipe, hilarious meme, or rad outfit. It puts a damper on an otherwise lively conversation when you can't immediately dig up the reference.

Enter your new favorite Instagram hack: locating liked photos instantly. Instead of frantically scrolling in awkward silence, all you’d have to do is search the list of posts you’ve liked for the one you want to show. Pretty handy, right?

What about another common problem everyone has experienced: that awkward moment when you realize you may have liked some social media content from someone you no longer vibe with. Once again, this IG hack can come to the rescue. Reviewing the list of what you’ve liked before also allows you to see what no longer interests you so you can easily unlike that content.

That’s enough talk about how great this trick is. It’s time to use it. Read on to learn how to see liked posts on Instagram.

How to see what posts I liked on Instagram

Stop interrupting conversations to look for liked Instagram posts – just get out your mobile device and use the following steps to view the last 300 posts you’ve liked. (If you want to know how to see liked posts on Instagram PC, the web app, unfortunately, does not offer this feature.)

iOS

1. Open the Instagram app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on your profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of your Instagram account.
4. Select Your activity.
5. Select Interactions.
6. Select Likes. You can now see your previously liked posts.

Android

1. Open the Instagram mobile app on your Android device.
2. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of your Instagram profile page.
3. Select Your Activity.
4. Select Interactions.
5. Select Likes.

What if you want to remove your Instagram likes?

If your finger accidentally tapped the like button a few times or you want to remove your like on a photo for any other reason, you can easily do so by clicking on the little red heart under the image. Just keep in mind that after you unlike a photo, you will no longer be able to see this post in the list of ones you’ve liked.

So you can remove your likes, but you may be wondering how to make it so people can't see what posts you liked on Instagram without actually removing your likes. Unfortunately, the app won’t allow you to hide your name in the Likes list, so make sure only to hit like on content you actually like and withdraw your likes as needed.

How to see posts someone has liked on Instagram

Now that you know how to scroll through the posts you’ve liked before, the next natural question is whether you can also see what other people have liked. Just imagine if you could tap into an archive of all the recipe posts your favorite celebrity chef has liked, for example.

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t currently offer this feature. You can only see your own past interactions.

That said, you can do a bit of reverse engineering and digging to find out who liked what. Bring up any post to see who liked it in a list under the photo. This section of the post appears right below the like button and lists how many likes the post has received. Tap on this line of text, and you’ll see the entire list of Instagram users who have liked the post. Use the search bar at the top of the list (only on mobile) to find a particular username quickly.

What other interactions can I see?

If this hack seems useful, you may also be pleased to learn that Instagram lets you explore some of your other past interactions. You can check out comments you’ve left on posts and even filter for the author, as well as a range of dates.

If you wish to remove a comment you left on a post, you can do so by going into the comments section under that photo and swiping left on your comment. A red button with a trash can icon will appear. Tap on it to delete your comment.

You can also view your replies to Stories – that is, the responses you’ve left on questions and polls. Finally, you can see any reviews you’ve left.

One last tip

Exploring your past interactions is a nice trip down memory lane, but if you want to make sure you never lose a post again, bookmark it.

To bookmark a post, click on the little flag icon under the lower right-hand corner of the photo. You will then see the option to add it to an existing bookmark folder or create a new one by clicking on the little plus sign in the upper right-hand corner of the pop-up.

The advantage of bookmarking posts is that you can sort them exactly where you’d like, making them easier to find later. Save all your recipes to one folder, all your favorite looks to another, and posts recommending new podcasts and content creators elsewhere.