How to See Likes on Twitter (X): Your Own Likes, Your Posts and Other People's

Can you still see likes on Twitter after the privacy change?

You can still see likes on Twitter in two ways: your own liked posts sit in the Likes tab on your profile, and you can view who liked your own posts. However, since X made likes private in June 2024, you can no longer open another user's likes or see who liked someone else's post.

I have managed social media accounts since 2012, and this change confused personal users and brand teams alike. So in this guide I walk through what changed, what you can still do and where the hard limits are. I also share how my team adjusted reporting for client accounts once the public likes trail disappeared.

What exactly did X change about likes?

On 12 June 2024, the X engineering team announced that likes were now private for everyone. Before that date, anyone could open a profile, tap the Likes tab and scroll through every post that person had liked. After the change, only the account owner can open that tab.

The stated reason was simple. X's engineering director said public likes pushed people toward the wrong behavior, because many users avoided liking posts out of fear of backlash. Therefore the platform turned the like into a personal signal. You can read the details and early reactions in TIME's report on the change.

On the other hand, the change did not remove like counts. The number under each post still shows for everyone. In other words, X removed the "who liked what" list, not the number itself. Keeping this distinction in mind makes the rest of this guide much easier to follow.

Where do you see your own likes on Twitter?

First of all, your own likes are still there. Open your profile and you will find the Likes tab next to Posts, Replies and Media. Tap it and your liked posts appear from newest to oldest. X may also show a short note reminding you that your likes are private and only you can see them.

The path looks almost the same on mobile and on the web. Still, the interface changes from time to time, so the tab position may shift slightly. In general, the steps look like this:

1. Open the X app and sign in to your account.
2. Tap your profile picture, then go to your profile page.
3. Tap the Likes tab next to Posts, Replies and Media.
4. Scroll down to reach older likes.

Finding an old like can take a while. The list has no search box, and scrolling through thousands of likes gets tiring fast. In that case, the data archive method I describe below offers a much faster route.

Can you see who liked your post on X?

Yes, you can still see which accounts liked your own posts. X deliberately kept this access for the post author. Open the engagement details of your own post and you reach the list of accounts that liked it.

In practice, you usually open the post and tap the like count or the engagement area. Also, the Notifications tab shows new likes one by one. As a result, you can follow who reacts whenever a post takes off.

This list is a useful source for understanding your audience. For example, by checking which industries the accounts behind a campaign post come from, you learn whether your content reaches the right people.

That said, there is one small detail: nobody else can see who liked your post. So the likes list now stays between the author and the person who liked it. If you run a brand account, this also means competitors can no longer study your engaged audience as easily as before.

Is there a way to see likes on Twitter for other accounts?

No, there is no official way. When you visit someone else's profile, you will not find a Likes tab. You also cannot list who liked another person's post; you only see the total count.

Two groups ask me this most often. The first group wants to know what a partner, an ex or a relative has liked. The second group consists of businesses that want to analyse competitors. My answer is the same for both: the platform closed this data on purpose, and no legitimate route remains.

That said, some indirect signals stay visible. For example, if someone quotes a post, replies to it or reposts it, those actions remain public. In short, the like stays hidden, but replies, quotes and reposts still leave a visible trail.

What is the difference between a like count and a likes list?

This distinction clears up most of the confusion. A like count tells you how many times people liked a post, and everyone can see it. A likes list tells you who those people are, and only the author can see it.

The table below sums up who sees what before and after the change. I also use it in client presentations, because it makes the picture clear at a glance.

As the table shows, the author did not lose any information. What changed is the ability of third parties to watch. Also, replies, quotes and reposts remain public, so do not assume your engagement has become invisible.

Does the author know when you like their post?

Yes, the author can know. Private likes do not hide you from the author. When you like a post, the author may get a notification and can see your account in that post's likes list.

So do not misread the phrase "private likes". The privacy applies to third parties. For example, if you like a brand's post, the brand account sees it; however, a friend who follows you can no longer read that like from your profile.

Whether a notification arrives depends on the author's settings. Some users filter notifications or only see interactions from people they follow. Therefore you cannot say for sure that no alert went out; the safe assumption is that the author can see your like.

This matters most with old posts. If you like something a person shared years ago, it shows up in their notifications as fresh activity. Consequently, scrolling carefully through old profiles saves you from sending signals you never meant to send.

What happens if you unlike a post?

When you unlike a post, the count drops by one and your account leaves the likes list. However, a notification sent at the moment of the like may already sit on the author's phone. There is no official way to recall it.

I see this pattern often: a user likes an old post by accident and removes the like seconds later. If the notification went out in that window, the author may have seen it. If it did not, or if the author turned notifications off, they most likely notice nothing. Nobody can give you a firm guarantee here.

That is why I advise brand teams to treat the like button with care. A post that a brand liked can travel quickly as a screenshot. If a situation like that grows, knowing the steps of handling a social media crisis helps a great deal.

How do you find old likes in bulk?

The most reliable method is to download your official X data archive. You request the archive from the account section of your settings, and X notifies you once it is ready. The downloaded file includes a record of your likes.

This method helps anyone with thousands of likes. Once you open the file on a computer, you can search the text. As a result, you find a post you liked years ago in seconds. For the official steps, see X's help page on downloading your archive.

Preparing the archive may take a few days, and the download link stays active for a limited time. Also, the file contains personal data, so do not leave it on a shared computer or in a cloud folder you do not trust. If you want to protect it with a strong passphrase, try our password generator.

Are apps that promise to see likes on Twitter safe?

Short answer: I do not trust them and I do not recommend them. Apps and sites that claim to reveal other people's likes say they can access data that X has closed. Since the platform hides this data, most of these claims are either exaggerated or simply false.

These tools usually carry three risks. First, they ask for access to your account, which can let them act on your behalf. Second, they may collect your personal data. Third, if they rely on automation that breaks X's rules, they can get your account restricted.

• Never type your X password into a third-party site.
• Do not grant account access to apps you do not know.
• If you already did, review and remove connected apps in your settings.
• Ignore ads that promise to "reveal hidden likes".

One client of mine logged in to such a site and later noticed posts on his account that he never wrote. A password change and removing the connected apps solved it. Still, the episode showed how much trouble a little curiosity can cause. The limit set by official tools is the real limit today.

Can X Premium subscribers see hidden likes?

No. Before the change, X offered Premium subscribers an option to hide their likes. Once likes became private for everyone, that option lost its purpose. Premium does not unlock anyone else's likes list, and the rule works the same for paid and free accounts.

A common myth says, "If I get the blue check, I will see more." Premium offers features such as editing posts, longer posts and some visibility perks. However, it does not let you bypass other users' privacy.

Therefore buying a subscription only to see likes wastes money. If you consider Premium, weigh it against the value it adds to your own content strategy, not as a tool for watching others.

What do notifications tell you about likes?

Notifications are the easiest way to follow likes on your own posts in real time. In the Notifications tab, you see who liked which of your posts. On posts with many likes, X may group alerts and show summaries such as "and others".

You can tune your notification settings to your needs. For example, seeing only interactions from accounts you follow cuts the noise on busy profiles. On the other hand, brand accounts are safer seeing every interaction, so they do not miss customer questions.

• Push notifications: alerts on your phone, ideal for quick reactions.
• Notifications tab: lets you review past interactions in one place.
• Filters: the quality filter and mute options reduce the noise.

Remember that notifications tell you nothing about other people's likes. They only cover interactions with your own content.

Does a bookmark work differently from a like?

Put simply, a bookmark lets you save a post to read later, and it has always been private. The author of a post you bookmark does not see that you saved it. Only a total bookmark count may appear in some views.

A like, by contrast, is a reaction the author can see. So if you only want to keep a post, bookmarking it is the better choice. That way you can return to the content later without sending a signal to the author.

This distinction also helps brand accounts, because they often watch competitors. For example, when you track competitor content or industry news, bookmarks keep your brand from sending signals it did not intend. My team keeps inspiration files this way during social listening, and we also note posts in a shared document for the whole team.

In short, a like is a reaction and a bookmark is a private notebook. Using each in the right place protects your privacy and keeps your feed tidy.

How did private likes affect businesses on X?

For teams that run brand accounts, the change cut both ways. On the positive side, the posts a brand likes no longer sit in public view. So a like that an employee leaves by mistake no longer turns into a screenshot as easily.

On the negative side, one source of competitor research closed. In the past, you could guess a rival's interests by looking at what they liked. Now you need to focus instead on their own posts, replies and quotes.

That is why my team builds reporting for brand accounts without relying on likes lists. Impressions, clicks and reply rates paint a much healthier picture. If you want to measure click performance quickly, our CTR calculator helps.

Which metrics matter more than likes?

The like is the weakest engagement signal. People give it with one tap, and it rarely shows buying intent. Most users like posts while scrolling without much thought, so a like alone does not prove anyone read or used the content. Replies and shares take far more deliberate effort.

For brand accounts, I put these metrics first:

• Profile visits and link clicks: they show whether interest turns into action.
• Replies and quotes: they measure whether content starts a conversation.
• Bookmarks: they show that people saved the content to return to it.
• Website traffic: it turns the value of social media into something concrete.

The last item matters most. To move social engagement to your site, read my guide on driving website traffic from social media. That way you focus on real results instead of surface numbers.

How did hidden likes change user behavior?

X said its goal was to let people like posts without hesitation. After the announcement, the platform said likes had increased. However, I could not verify that increase through an independent source, so I do not quote a figure.

My own observation points in one direction: users now like posts on controversial or personal topics more freely. For brand accounts, that means like counts have become a slightly noisier signal than before. In other words, a high like count does not always mean strong interest.

So do not treat likes as your only success metric when planning content. Read the replies and look at how people frame you in quotes. Apply the same care when you choose between organic reach and paid promotion; my article on organic growth or paid ads offers guidance.

What should you watch for from a privacy point of view?

Private likes are not fully safe likes. First, the author still sees your like. In addition, security incidents can expose data unexpectedly; indeed, shortly after the change, reports appeared about X fixing a bug that could reveal private likes.

So I suggest one simple rule: assume that anything you like could become visible one day. You can relax on a personal account, but be more selective on business accounts or on accounts tied to your public identity.

Do not neglect account security either. Turn on two-factor authentication, review connected apps regularly and close old sessions. If someone takes over your account, they can open your Likes tab; privacy only means something while the account stays secure.

Why is your Likes tab empty or incomplete?

In practice, this happens now and then, and it is usually temporary. First, check your connection and app version. Then sign out and sign back in. These simple steps fix most display issues.

If the problem continues, a few explanations remain. The posts you liked may no longer exist; a deleted post also disappears from your list. Also, the author's account may have become suspended or protected, and those likes may not appear for you.

• Update the app and clear its cache.
• Check the same tab on the web version.
• See whether the account you liked is still reachable.
• If the issue persists, contact support through X's official help center.

Even if the list looks gone, your data archive keeps a record of your like history. So downloading the archive works both as a check and as a backup. Browser extensions that block ads or rewrite pages can also stop tabs from loading, so test in a private window as well.

Can you remove your likes in bulk?

X lets you remove likes one by one; it offers no official bulk delete button. You open your Likes tab and tap the like icon on each post again to remove it. For a small number of likes, that works fine.

Automated tools promise to clear thousands of likes at once. However, they ask for account access and may clash with X's automation rules, so I do not recommend them. Since other people cannot see your likes anyway, the need for bulk deletion has dropped a lot.

Still, if you plan to use an account for a new purpose, for example turning a personal profile into a brand account, reviewing old likes makes sense. In that case, clearing them by hand, starting with the most sensitive posts, remains the safest path.

How do protected accounts handle likes?

A protected account shows its posts only to approved followers. Since likes are private for everyone, likes from a protected account stay hidden too. Only the author of a public post you like can see your like, and protecting your account does not change that.

How can you run a brand account on X more professionally?

The likes debate is really a small part of a bigger question: who manages the brand's behavior on social media, and under what rules? Accounts without a clear posting and engagement policy often show wrong likes, wrong replies and an inconsistent voice.

That is why I first ask clients to write a simple engagement guide. Which accounts do we interact with, which topics do we avoid, who approves what? Once these questions have written answers, mistakes drop noticeably.

If building this process alone feels heavy, my team and I take on strategy, content calendars and reporting through our social media management service. If you look for the right partners, we also support influencer marketing. For tag ideas in your posts, try our hashtag generator.

What are the most common mistakes when people try to see likes on Twitter?

Over the years, I have watched the same mistakes repeat. The first is reading "private" as "the author cannot see it either". Next comes giving account access to third-party apps. The third is treating the like count as the only measure of success.

Another mistake is trying to find old likes by scrolling. If you have thousands of likes, downloading the archive works much faster. The fifth is letting everyone on a team like posts from the brand account, which can pull the brand into debates it never wanted.

Avoiding all of these is not hard. Knowing the official routes, setting the right expectations and caring about account security is enough. For stronger post copy, you can also get ideas from our caption generator.

What should you remember about likes on X?

In short, three things are clear when you try to see likes on Twitter today: you see your own likes, you see who liked your posts, and you cannot see anyone else's likes list. Like counts remain public, and the author can know about your like.

This framework gives you solid ground for planning both your personal privacy and your brand account. Platform rules can change, so check X's current help pages before you make an important decision.

If you want to review your brand's strategy on X and other platforms, my team and I are happy to help. We look at your accounts, content rhythm and reporting habits together and clarify where to start. Moving past small signals like likes toward real business results makes the biggest difference over time.