Can You See Who Watched Your Reels on Instagram?

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Oct 30, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Reels on Instagram are one of the most attractive features on the app. They have a way of capturing attention and expressing the creator’s opinion. Many content creators even use the view count on their reels to weigh their popularity and influence. And let’s face it, we’re all creatures of curiosity and may often wonder: “Can you see who watched your reels?”

Seeing the usernames of people who watched your reel can help you understand your loyal audiences. Some creators use this to reward and target loyal followers. Understanding who views your reels provides valuable insights. Read this article to help you uncover how to see who viewed your reel on Instagram!

 A picture of an Instagram profile displayed on the screen of a white smartphone.

Why Are Reels So Important?

Instagram reels are short multi-clip videos which users create to gain more attention. These videos undergo a lot of creative edits, audio, and effects. Reels create opportunities for users to express themselves and connect with people in a fun way. You can share reels on your IG feed, profile’s reels tab, and the explore page reels section. 

When you create reels on Instagram, you can access several editing tools to create captivating content. After all this effort, it’s only natural that you’d want a response. It can be very satisfying to see who viewed your reel!

A picture of an illustration of the Instagram logo on a pink background.

Can You See Who Watched Your Reels on IG?

It’s normal to want to know who watched your reels on Instagram. This question is mostly about whether people viewing reels are the right audience. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t provide an option to see individual viewers. Reels can have thousands of views, so knowing each person is impossible. You may also wonder if you can see who viewed your Instagram videos.

While individual identification is impossible, Instagram insights provide data on your engagement rate and about people interacting with your content. This feature lets you see the total number of views on your reels. You can, however, see the list of users who liked or commented on these reels.

The data doesn’t directly mention the number of original viewers. It only gives you information about the actual view count. This means that if one user views your reels multiple times, the system will count them as multiple views. The aggregate view count doesn’t give accurate information about the number of people who have seen your content.

Why Can’t I See Who Views My Instagram Reels?

Although social media connects everyone, privacy is still essential. Instagram has made it a priority to keep Reels viewers’ identities anonymous. Their commitment to user privacy creates a safe and inclusive space for everyone. So let’s explore why you can’t see who viewed your reel:

Protecting User Privacy

Protecting user privacy is the major reason for this anonymity. This makes how to see views on reels tricky. Keeping viewers’ identities anonymous allows everyone to create and view content without fear of criticism. This allows the platform to manage a more open environment with a high degree of freedom of expression.

A Safe Space

In addition, viewer anonymity provides a healthy environment for Instagram users. Revealing viewer identities could expose them to potential harassment and targeting. It could also attract unwanted attention and exposure to triggers or controversies. Fortunately, anonymity creates a safer space for viewers to view content without feeling vulnerable.

Authenticity

In another way, Instagram users’ anonymity discourages content creators from targeting specific individuals for attention or popularity. This allows them to be more authentic when creating content. Instead, content creators focus on creating high-quality and captivating content that resonates with a wider audience.

Quality Content Over Popularity

Moreover, keeping Instagram Reels views anonymous prevents comparison and judgment among content creators. It also prevents content creators from targeting specific individuals or obsessing over their number of viewers. This makes content creation a priority instead of focusing on popularity contests. Additionally, Instagram prioritizes data privacy and protection. Hiding viewer identities helps safeguard users’ data. This encourages users to trust the platform.

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How To See Data On Who Viewed Your Instagram Reels

As mentioned, Instagram Insight is a built-in feature that helps you see your reel view count. However, you need a professional account to access this feature. This means you can either have an Instagram creator or a business account. If you have a personal account, switching before checking your insights is best. Switching is quite straightforward for everyone.

Here is how to switch Instagram accounts in five steps:

  1. Log into your account on the Instagram app.
  2. Tap the profile menu at the bottom-right corner.
  3. Tap the three-line menu icon at the top-right corner.
  4. Select “Settings”, then tap “Account.”
  5. Next, tap “Switch to Professional/Creator Account.” 

This will successfully switch your account into a business or creator account. After switching to a professional account, you can check your insights.

Here is how to do it in five steps:

  1. Go to your Instagram account. 
  2. Select the reel icon from the bottom tab. It looks like a clapboard with a play icon. This will take you to all your reels.
  3. Select the reel you want to see insights for. The reel video will begin playing on a new page.
  4. Tap the three-dot icon at the bottom-right corner of the video to see the Insights page.
  5. Tap the “View Insights” option to see the username of accounts that publicly interacted with your Reel video.

You can see your aggregate likes, view counts, comments, and shares here.

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How To Check Who Viewed Your Reels on Facebook

Although Facebook doesn’t provide insight on reels, you can weigh your visibility with some tricks. Understanding the technical difficulties requires some skill and experience. The easiest method is checking the number of likes, views, comments, and shares on your reels. This will give you an idea of the number of people that view your content. 

Here is how to check metrics for your views in four steps:

  • Go to your Facebook account and navigate to your profile.
  • Search for reels you have posted on your account.
  • Check the number of likes, comments, shares, or views on these reels.
  • Based on the figures, you can use them as a metric to estimate your number of reel viewers.

Facebook and Instagram reels help you to gain more audience and followers. By questioning “Can you see who watched your reels?” you can assess and revisit the relevance of your content. Instagram is one of the most challenging platforms to grow as a content creator.

Over the past decade, Path Social has built a free platform of Instagram influencers and advanced AI targeting algorithms. This has helped us to target organic users who are genuinely interested in engaging your account. This is why our reputation for building a long-lasting Instagram community is so strong. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers with Path Social today!

FAQs

Does Instagram notify when someone views your Reel?

No, Instagram does not send out a notification when someone views your Reel. The platform only notifies you regarding likes, comments, and shares.

Do private accounts have different Reel visibility features?

If your account is set to private, only your approved viewers can watch your reels. Nevertheless, having a private account doesn’t enable you to see who viewed your Instagram live.

Are there third-party apps that let me see who watched my Reels?

It’s true, there are third-party apps that claim to offer insights into who watched your reels. However, they are unreliable and could put your account at risk. It is best not to use these services.