How to Disable Boost Counts on Your Mastodon Posts

Mastodon shows a boost count on every post you publish. This number tells you how many times other users have boosted your post to their followers. Some users find this count distracting or prefer to focus on content quality rather than popularity metrics. This article explains how to disable the display of boost counts so you see only the content and its author, not the engagement numbers.

Why Boost Counts Appear on Mastodon Posts

Mastodon displays a boost count below each post in the web interface and most mobile apps. This counter increments each time a user clicks the boost button on your post. The feature exists to give a quick sense of how widely a post has been shared across the federated network. However, the count can create social pressure or distraction for some users.

Mastodon is built on ActivityPub, a protocol that tracks interactions like boosts and favorites. The boost count is part of the post metadata that the server stores and sends to clients. When you disable the display of boost counts, you are only hiding the visual element — the server still records the boost data. Other users will still see your boost counts unless they also hide them.

Steps to Disable Boost Counts in the Mastodon Web Interface

You can disable boost counts directly in the Mastodon web interface through the Appearance settings. This method works on mastodon.social and any Mastodon instance running version 4.0 or later.

1. Open your Mastodon preferences
   Click the gear icon in the right column of the web interface. This icon is located below your profile information and above the “Log out” button. A dropdown menu appears.
2. Select Preferences from the menu
   Click the “Preferences” option. The preferences page loads with several tabs on the left side.
3. Click the Appearance tab
   In the left sidebar, click “Appearance.” The main area shows several visual settings for your account.
4. Locate the Show boosts count setting
   Scroll down to the “Show boosts count” toggle. This setting controls whether the boost count displays on posts in your home timeline and inside thread views.
5. Toggle the setting off
   Click the toggle switch so it turns gray. The interface immediately updates — you no longer see the boost count on any post in your timeline.
6. Save your changes
   Scroll to the bottom of the Appearance page and click the blue “Save changes” button. The setting persists across sessions and devices when you log into the same account on the web.

Disable Boost Counts Using Custom CSS

If the Appearance setting does not work for your instance version, you can use a custom CSS rule to hide the boost count element entirely. This method requires a browser extension like Stylus or the built-in developer tools.

1. Install the Stylus browser extension
   Go to the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons site and install the Stylus extension. This extension lets you inject custom CSS into specific websites.
2. Open Stylus and create a new style
   Click the Stylus icon in your browser toolbar. Select “Manage” from the menu, then click “Write new style.”
3. Enter the Mastodon domain
   In the “Applies to” section, enter the URL of your Mastodon instance, such as https://mastodon.social. Use the “URLs on the domain” option.
4. Paste the CSS rule
   In the code editor, paste the following rule:
   .status__action-bar-button.icon-button--with-counter[title="Boost"] { display: none; }
5. Save the style
   Click the “Save” button. The boost count disappears from all posts on your Mastodon instance when you reload the page.

Disable Boost Counts in Third-Party Mastodon Clients

Many third-party Mastodon clients offer their own settings to hide boost counts. The exact steps vary by app. Here are instructions for two popular clients.

Tusky for Android

1. Open Tusky and go to Settings
   Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Select “Settings” from the menu.
2. Tap on General
   In the Settings screen, tap “General.” Scroll down to the “Timeline” section.
3. Disable Show boosts count
   Tap the toggle next to “Show boosts count” to turn it off. The change applies immediately to your timeline.

Fedilab for Android

1. Open Fedilab and go to Settings
   Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top-left corner. Select “Settings” from the drawer.
2. Tap on Timeline
   In the Settings screen, tap “Timeline.” Scroll down to the “Show” section.
3. Disable Boost count
   Tap the toggle next to “Boost count” to turn it off. The setting hides boost counts in your home and local timelines.

What to Expect After Disabling Boost Counts

After you disable boost counts, the number no longer appears below posts in your timeline. You still see the boost button itself — you can still boost other users’ posts. The server continues to count boosts for analytics and moderation purposes. Other users still see your boost counts unless they have also disabled the display.

If you use multiple devices or apps, you must disable the boost count setting on each client separately. The web interface setting applies only to the web interface on that browser. The Tusky and Fedilab settings are local to that app and do not sync to other clients.

Boost Count Still Visible After Changing Setting

If the boost count remains visible after you toggle the setting off, clear your browser cache and reload the page. On Chrome, press Ctrl+F5. On Firefox, press Ctrl+Shift+R. If the count still shows, your Mastodon instance may be running an older version that does not support this setting. In that case, use the custom CSS method described above.

Boost Count Hidden but Still Counting

Hiding the boost count does not stop the server from recording boosts. If you want to prevent boosts entirely, you must change your post visibility to “Followers only” or “Mentioned people only.” Public and unlisted posts can still be boosted by other users.

Mastodon Boost Count Settings: Web vs Third-Party Clients

Item	Mastodon Web Interface	Tusky	Fedilab
Setting location	Preferences > Appearance	Settings > General	Settings > Timeline
Toggle name	Show boosts count	Show boosts count	Boost count
Applies to	Home and thread views	Home timeline	Home and local timelines
Syncs across devices	No	No	No
Requires instance version	4.0 or later	Any	Any

Disabling boost counts in Mastodon is a straightforward setting change that removes a common distraction from your timeline. The web interface option works on most modern instances, while the custom CSS method provides a fallback for older versions. Third-party clients like Tusky and Fedilab offer similar toggles for mobile users. After disabling the count, the boost button remains functional, so you can still engage with content without seeing the numbers. If you want to hide favorite counts as well, check your client’s Appearance settings for a similar “Show favorites count” toggle.