Most major apps do not show people when you quietly view their profile, but there are a few big exceptions and edge cases you should know about.

Super short answer

  • For most social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, etc.), simply opening someone’s profile is private and does not notify them.
  • What does show up is your visible actions : likes, comments, follows, DMs, Story views, and special features like TikTok’s Profile View History or LinkedIn’s “Who viewed your profile.”

Below is the “Quick Scoop” style breakdown you asked for.

Can people see when you view their profile on …?

Think of it like walking past someone’s house (just viewing the profile) vs. knocking on the door (liking, following, or messaging). Most platforms only notify people when you “knock.”

Instagram

Profile views

  • People cannot see who viewed their profile , and Instagram does not send notifications when you open their page.
  • Even business/creator accounts only get total visit counts and audience stats , not a list of names.

What is visible

  • Story views : The user sees exactly who watched each Story within the viewing window.
  • Reels/Posts : They see likes, comments, and sometimes total view counts, but not a list of “profile stalkers.”
  • Old-photo likes : If you scroll way back and like a very old post, that action shows up and is a pretty strong signal you were browsing.

Bottom line for Instagram :
You can open and re-open a profile as much as you want and they won’t be notified, as long as you don’t interact (and don’t watch Stories if you want to stay invisible).

Facebook

Profile views

  • Facebook does not give a feature to see who viewed your profile anymore, and you can’t get a “who visited me” list inside the app.
  • Looking someone up or opening their page does not send a notification to them.

What is visible

  • Stories : Just like Instagram, they can see who viewed their Stories.
  • Interactions : Friend requests, likes, comments, tags, and shares are all visible and often trigger notifications.

Watch out for “viewer” apps

  • Any app or extension claiming “See who viewed your Facebook profile” is unofficial, often a scam, and a security risk (data theft, spam, account compromise).

Bottom line for Facebook :
Profile viewing is silent; actions are not. If something promises to show you profile viewers, it’s not trustworthy.

TikTok

TikTok is where things get a bit more “2026-style sneaky.” Profile View History feature

  • TikTok has a Profile View History / “viewers” setting that, when enabled, lets users see who viewed their profile in the last few days.
  • You can turn this on or off in the Privacy → Viewers / Profile Views settings; when off, your profile visits won’t appear in their viewer list.

Merged viewer history

  • Recent updates combine profile view history and post view history into a single “viewer history” control in some versions, which you can toggle off to browse more silently.

Bottom line for TikTok :
Unlike Instagram and Facebook, TikTok can show profile views if both people have that setting on. If you want to lurk invisibly, you need to disable profile/post viewer history before browsing.

LinkedIn

This is the platform that is most upfront about profile views. Who viewed your profile

  • LinkedIn explicitly offers a “Who viewed your profile” section.
  • Depending on your privacy settings, people may see:
    • Your full name and headline,
    • A vague description (e.g., “Someone in the Sales industry”),
    • Or “Anonymous LinkedIn Member” if you’re in Private Mode.

Trade-off

  • If you browse in Private Mode , you stay anonymous—but you also lose the ability to see who viewed your own profile.

Bottom line for LinkedIn :
Yes, people can often see that you visited their profile, unless you switch to Private Mode (and accept losing your own viewer data).

Quick platform-by-platform snapshot (HTML table)

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Platform</th>
      <th>Can they see profile viewers?</th>
      <th>Special notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Instagram</td>
      <td>No, profile views are anonymous. [web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Story viewers are visible; likes, comments, follows are visible. [web:1][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Facebook</td>
      <td>No official way to see profile viewers. [web:1][web:3][web:4]</td>
      <td>Story viewers, likes, comments, friend requests are visible. [web:1][web:4]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>TikTok</td>
      <td>Yes, if Profile/View History is enabled. [web:8]</td>
      <td>Can disable viewer history in Privacy settings to browse quietly. [web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>LinkedIn</td>
      <td>Yes, via “Who viewed your profile.” [web:3][web:6]</td>
      <td>Private Mode hides your identity but also hides your own viewer stats. [web:6]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Most others (X, etc.)</td>
      <td>Generally no profile-view list. [web:1]</td>
      <td>Public interactions (likes, replies, reposts) remain visible.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Common myths and “stalker” apps

  • “I installed an app that shows my stalkers” → These tools are almost always fake, risky, and not supported by major platforms.
  • Apps cannot access secret “who viewed me” lists because those lists don’t exist for Instagram/Facebook and are protected on platforms like LinkedIn.
  • Risks include:
    • Giving away your login,
    • Letting apps scrape your data,
    • Spam posts and DMs sent from your account.

How to lurk more safely (in 2026)

If you really don’t want someone to know you checked them out:

  1. On Instagram
    • Avoid viewing their Stories or Highlights; those views are visible.
 * Don’t like or comment, especially on very old posts.
  1. On Facebook
    • Just viewing is fine; be careful with reactions, comments, and Story views.
  1. On TikTok
    • Go into Privacy → Viewers/Profile Views and turn off viewer history first.
  1. On LinkedIn
    • Switch to Private Mode or a more limited profile visibility before viewing people you don’t want to alert.

TL;DR (for SEO and clarity)

  • For the phrase “can people see when you view their profile on …” , the modern answer in early 2026 is:
    • Instagram & Facebook: No, profile views are private; Stories and interactions are visible.
* **TikTok** : They _can_ see if profile/post viewer history is turned on; you can disable it.

* **LinkedIn** : Yes, unless you use Private Mode.
  • Be very cautious of any third-party app that promises to show “who viewed your profile”—that’s a red flag, not a feature.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.