How to See Previously Liked Photo and Video Posts on Instagram

It's not as intuitive as you think

by Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire and previously About.com, since 2011.
Updated November 08, 2019

Most major social networks make it pretty easy for users to find which posts they've liked. Instagram doesn't.

On Instagram, it feels like when you hit that heart button on any photo or video post it gets lost forever—unless you copy the post URL and send it to yourself. Your previously liked posts actually don't get lost, however, and there's a hidden place within the app where you can find them.

Person using a smartphone to access Instagram's Account page
 Lifewire / Theresa Chiechi

Where to Look for Your Most Recently Liked Instagram Posts

To find your recently liked posts on Instagram, follow these steps:

The instructions below apply only to the mobile versions of Instagram. There's currently no way to view posts you've liked on the web.

  1. Sign in to your Instagram account and navigate to your profile by tapping the user icon.

  2. Tap the gear icon in the top right corner of your profile to access your settings.

  3. Scroll down a bit and tap the Posts You've Liked option under the Account section.

    Screenshots depicting how to find posts you've liked in Instagram

  4. View all of your most recent Instagram likes in a thumbnail/grid layout or in a full/feed layout.

Being able to access posts you've previously liked is good for a lot of things. Go back to view what you've already liked so you can:

  • Find new accounts to follow from posts you've liked on the Explore tab.
  • Read a post's long caption that you didn't have time to read when you liked it.
  • Read more comments that are added to follow along with a discussion on a particular post as additional people see it in their feeds.
  • Leave a comment of your own on a post that you liked but didn't have time to type something out at the moment.
  • Revisit useful information that you want to check out in detail later—like a product, a service, a contest, a workout routine, a recipe, a makeup tutorial or something else.

What you like on Instagram isn't just a friendly gesture to let the poster know that you approve of their post. It's an incredibly helpful way to bookmark things that are interesting and valuable enough to look at again.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind About Revisiting Liked Posts

According to Instagram, you'll only be able to see the 300 most recent posts (photos and videos) that you've liked. That's still a lot, but if you're an Instagram power user who likes hundreds of posts a day, or if you feel the need to look for something you liked several weeks ago, you may be out of luck.

Liked posts are only displayed if you liked them using the Instagram mobile app. If you liked any posts on the web, they won't show up here. It's unclear if any posts you liked through a third-party Instagram app like Iconosquare show up, but if it doesn't work for Instagram's own web platform, it's likely that it won't work for third-party apps either.

Lastly, if you commented on a photo or video but didn't also like it, there's no way to find it again if you lose it. You'll only be able to see posts you've liked by tapping the heart button (or double-tapping the post) in the "Posts You've Liked" section of your profile settings—not posts you've commented on only. So if you want to be able to revisit a post later, make sure you hit that heart button, even if your main intention is to leave a comment.