How to Use the Instagram Auto Liker

Before you start

• Awareness of safe usage:
  • Instagram is strict with automation. We recommend liking no more than 1 post per hour and a maximum of 12 posts per profile.
  • Spread your launches during daytime hours to stay safe.
• If you want to both like and unlike posts, you’ll need to duplicate this Phantom and run one version for each action.

Step 1: Connect your Instagram account

To let the Phantom act on your behalf:

1. Install the PhantomBuster browser extension and connect your Instagram session in one click.
2. If you’re not using Chrome or Firefox, you can retrieve your session cookie manually (see our cookie guide).

Step 2: Provide profile or post inputs

You can run the Phantom on either Instagram profile URLs (to like posts from a user) or on specific post URLs.

Choose one of these formats:

1. Paste a single Instagram profile or post URL.
2. Provide a Google Sheet with Instagram profile or post URLs (make sure it’s shared with “Anyone with the link”).
3. Upload a CSV file with Instagram profile or post URLs (make sure it’s publicly accessible, and note that CSV upload is only available on paid plans).

→ If you’re using a spreadsheet, the Phantom defaults to the first column (A). To use a different column, enter the column’s header name in the field “Name of column containing profile or post URLs.”

Step 3: Configure how many likes to perform

Here’s where you control the scope of each launch:

• Number of spreadsheet rows to process per launch (optional):
  • Default = 1.
  • If left empty, the Phantom will process 5 inputs per launch (this is the maximum it can handle).
  • Instagram’s safety rules mean you should keep this very low, ideally 1 row per launch.

Advanced settings (dropdown in setup)

1. Number of posts to like per profile (optional):
   • Default = 1 post per profile.
   • The Phantom can process up to 12 posts per profile, but we recommend staying moderate.
2. Like/unlike action (optional):
   • Choose whether to Like or Unlike the posts.
   • Default = Like.

Result file settings (dropdown in setup)

1. Name your results file (optional)

   • You can customize the file name.

     If you rename the file between launches, the Phantom will create a new results file and start processing inputs from scratch.

2. Fields to keep (optional)
   • Export only the fields you care about by listing them (comma-separated).
     Example: profileUrl, postUrl, username.
   • This generates a second CSV file with just those fields.
   • Learn more in our guide: Customize how your Phantom results files are saved.

Step 4: Select launch frequency

Choose how often the Phantom should run:

1. Launch manually: Start the Phantom yourself whenever you need.
2. Launch once at a specific time: schedule a one-time run at a set date and time.
3. Launch repeatedly: schedule regular runs (e.g. once per day, several times during working hours).
4. Launch after another Phantom: chain automations together so this Phantom starts right after another finishes.
5. Advanced scheduling: customize the exact minutes, hours, days, or months when the Phantom should run.

→ For a complete walkthrough of scheduling options, see our guide to scheduling Phantoms automatically.

Step 5 (Optional): Advanced settings

Advanced settings are available if you want to fine-tune how your Phantom runs, but by default they’re already optimized for most use cases.

We recommend leaving them as they are unless a guide specifically instructs you to change something.

→ For a detailed overview of all advanced options (like execution limits, retries, email notifications, proxies, webhooks, and file management), see our Advanced settings guide.

Launch and results

When you’re ready:

1. Click Launch to start your Phantom.
2. Once it finishes, open the Results tab in the Phantom console to see the data collected.
3. Download your results as a CSV or JSON file.

→ To learn how to export your data to Google Sheets, integrate with other tools, or reuse it in more automations, check our Access and Export your Phantom Results guide.

Export and input limits on the Free plan
If you’re on the Free plan or Free trial, some features are limited:
- CSV exports include only the first 10 rows of results.
- CSV download links (for dynamic viewing in Google Sheets or integrations) are not available.
- JSON exports are not available.
- CSV upload as an input method is not supported.
To unlock all features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

What you give (Input) and What you get (Output)

This section gives you a detailed breakdown of everything you need to provide to run this Phantom, and everything you’ll receive once it completes.

What you give (Input)

What you get (Output)

Tips and troubleshooting

Common pitfalls

• Using a private spreadsheet (make sure it’s set to “Anyone with the link”).
• Trying to like too many posts at once → Instagram is strict with automation. Stick to 1 like per hour and spread launches.
• Not all posts are liked → Phantom processes only the number you set (default = 1, max = 12).
• Mixing profile and post URLs in one run → For clean results, use one type of input per run.

If you run into errors or account issues

• Check how to troubleshoot your phantom using Logs.
• Browse the Fix Issues & Troubleshoot Errors section for solutions to common problems.
• Review our Automation Rate Limits by Platform guide.
• Check our Best Practices for Social Media Automation guide.

Suggested automations

• Instagram Profile Scraper → Enrich the profiles you liked with bios, websites, and follower counts.
• Instagram Auto Commenter → Add engagement by commenting on the same posts you just liked.
• Instagram Follower Collector → Gather follower lists from target accounts to build an audience you can later like and follow.