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Instagram Hashtag Limit: Now 5 per Post

Instagram now allows up to 5 hashtags on a post or Reel. It announced the cut from 30 in December 2025 and rolled it out gradually; its help page now says 5. Below: the dated history of the rule, what counts toward it, and the limits on Threads, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and X.

Checked against each platform's help pages on .

The short answer

Instagram post or Reel
5 hashtags (was 30)
Since
December 2025, rolled out gradually
Threads
1 topic tag, up to 50 characters
YouTube
Over 60 and all are ignored
TikTok, LinkedIn, X
No set number

Instagram's limit is 5 hashtags per post or Reel

Instagram's help page says you can use up to 5 tags on a post, and that if you include more than 5 on a single photo or video, your comment won't post. The limit used to be 30. Many guides and scheduling tools still say 30, or 3 from a test in late 2025; both are out of date.

Instagram announced the change through its @creators account on Threads in December 2025, saying it would “gradually update” the number of hashtags in a caption for a reel or post to 5. So for a few weeks some accounts could still add more than others.

Count your hashtags and keep your best 5Count, dedupe and sort a caption's hashtags, catch banned or broken ones, and save sets to reuse.

Changelog: how the limit changed

Instagram tested lower limits on some accounts before it changed the rule for everyone. Dates are when each change was reported or announced.

Changes to Instagram's hashtag limit
DateWhat happenedSource
Until December 2025Instagram's help page gave a limit of 30 hashtags per post.Instagram Help, as reported by PiunikaWeb
13 February 2024Some users were stopped at 5 hashtags. Two days later Instagram said it was a glitch and not something it was exploring.Social Media Today
21 November 2025Some users saw “You can only add 3 hashtags to your caption”, mostly in the app. Instagram didn't comment.PiunikaWeb
18–19 December 2025Instagram's @creators account announced on Threads that it would gradually cut the limit to 5 hashtags per post or Reel.Social Media Today, Business Today
5 November 2026Instagram's help page says you can use up to 5 tags on a post.Instagram Help (checked)
The December 2025 announcement was dated 18 December in US coverage and 19 December in Indian coverage. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

What counts toward the 5

Instagram's help page says you can add hashtags in the caption or in comments on your post, and that a comment that takes a post over 5 tags won't post. It doesn't spell out how tags in the caption and in your own comments add up, and creators' reports differ. The safe reading is 5 in total, across caption and comments.

The December 2025 announcement covered posts and Reels. It said nothing about Stories, and Instagram hasn't published a separate figure for them.

  • #Travel and #travel are the same tag, so repeats don't help: they still take up a place.
  • A tag broken by punctuation, like #self-care, only links #self.
  • Tags in a private account's posts don't appear on public hashtag pages.

Hashtag limits on every platform

Only three apps set a hard number. Threads allows 1 topic tag per post, up to 50 characters, and if you type several only the first becomes a topic. YouTube ignores every hashtag on a video with more than 60. TikTok, LinkedIn and X set no number. For caption and post lengths, see social media character limits.

Hashtags per post on each platform
PlatformLimit per postNotes
Instagram55 per post or Reel since December 2025 (was 30).
Threads1One topic tag per post, up to 50 characters.
YouTube60Over 60 and YouTube ignores them all. Up to 3 show by the title.
TikTokNo set numberNo set number; they count toward the caption limit.
LinkedInNo set numberNo set number; LinkedIn's own advice is no more than 3.
XNo set numberNo set number; X advises no more than 2.
These are the limits the Hashtag Organizer checks. Sources: each platform's help pages; LinkedIn's figure is advice from its blog for nonprofits, not a limit.
See which platforms' limits your caption breaksCount, dedupe and sort a caption's hashtags, catch banned or broken ones, and save sets to reuse.

How to cut 30 hashtags down to 5

  • Paste your caption into the hashtag counter: repeats are merged, so you see how many different tags you really have.
  • Remove tags flagged as restricted or as engagement bait, such as #followforfollow.
  • Keep tags that describe this post specifically over broad ones that millions of posts share.
  • Move your best 5 to the top and press “Keep the first 5”, then copy the caption with the tags at the end.
  • Save the rest as a set, so you can swap tags in on your next post.

Old advice to ignore

  • “Use all 30 hashtags.” The limit is 5, so the extra tags won't post.
  • “Put the hashtags in the first comment to get round the limit.” Instagram's help page says a comment that takes a post over 5 won't post.
  • “Instagram only allows 3 hashtags.” That was a test on some accounts in November 2025, before the change to 5.

Frequently asked questions

How many hashtags can I use on Instagram in 2026?

5 per post or Reel. Instagram cut the limit from 30 in December 2025, and its help page now says up to 5.

Can I put more hashtags in the comments?

No. Instagram's help page says a comment that takes a post over 5 tags won't post. It doesn't say exactly how caption and comment tags add up, so keep to 5 in total.

Does the 5-hashtag limit apply to Stories?

Instagram's announcement covered posts and Reels only, and it hasn't published a limit for Stories.

Why could I still add more than 5 hashtags?

Instagram said it would roll the change out gradually, so for a while some accounts kept the old limit. Its help page now gives 5 for everyone.

How many hashtags can I use on Threads?

1. Threads calls it a topic tag: one per post, up to 50 characters, and it can include spaces.

Tools for this

Sources