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Can I get Instagram like counts when likes are hidden?

No. When an account hides like counts, Instagram does not show the number to anyone but the owner. Openhandle reads only what a logged-out visitor can see, so metrics.likes is null for that post. Not zero. Not an estimate.

Any tool that returns a like count for a hidden post is guessing. A guess in a spreadsheet looks like a fact. A null does not.

Checked September 2026 · request and response run against the API · no affiliate links

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GET /v1/instagram/posts/{id}
curl "https://api.openhandle.dev/v1/instagram/posts/910100000002" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENHANDLE_API_KEY"
TypeScript SDK
import { OpenHandle } from '@openhandle/sdk';

const openhandle = new OpenHandle({ apiKey: process.env.OPENHANDLE_API_KEY! });
const response = await openhandle.instagram.post('910100000002').get();

console.log(response.data.metrics.likes); // null when hidden
200 OK
{
  "platform": "instagram",
  "resource": "post",
  "capturedAt": "2026-09-18T10:18:22Z",
  "source": "live",
  "data": {
    "id": "910100000002",
    "createdAt": "2026-08-08T15:30:00Z",
    "author": { "id": "910000000001", "handle": "northstar_forge_test" },
    "metrics": {
      "likes": null,
      "comments": 5,
      "views": 12700
    }
  }
}

Trimmed to the metrics. The example is a Test post with an intentionally unavailable like count, so you can see the null on a free Test key.

What you still get

  • —Comments. Comment counts stay visible when likes are hidden. So do the comments themselves.
  • —Views on reels. Play counts on reels are separate from likes and usually stay visible.
  • —Follower count. Hiding likes does not hide the profile metrics.
  • —Likers on visible posts. When likes are shown, GET /v1/instagram/posts/{id}/likers lists who liked.

Why null and not zero

An engagement rate divides likes by followers. A zero in that column drags every average down and looks real. A null skips the row. Every Openhandle metric follows the same rule: a number the platform hid is null, a measured zero is 0. See metric semantics.

When this does not work

A hidden number is not an error. These are.

SituationStatusCode
The post is deleted or never existed404POST_NOT_FOUND
The account is private403PROFILE_PRIVATE
The identifier is malformed400INVALID_IDENTIFIER
404 Not Found
{
  "error": {
    "code": "POST_NOT_FOUND",
    "message": "This post was not found.",
    "requestId": "req_01j8…",
    "retryable": false
  }
}

A post with hidden likes answers with HTTP 200 and bills like any answered request. The null is part of the answer.

Read next

Metric semanticsWhat a view, a like, and a share mean on each platform.ReadHow do I get comments on an Instagram post that is not mine?Comments stay readable when likes are hidden.ReadPublic data noticeWhat Openhandle reads and what it never does.Read

More Instagram questions

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