Key takeaways
- Instagram limits posts and Reels to five hashtags, down from 30, announced by Adam Mosseri on 19 December 2025.
- Instagram said the change would roll out gradually, so some accounts saw it later than others.
- Five specific tags that describe the post beat broad, crowded tags.
- Old captions with long hashtag blocks need trimming before you reuse them.
On this page
How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?
Five, on both feed posts and Reels. Mosseri announced the limit on 19 December 2025, and Instagram said it would update the number of hashtags gradually, so the cap reached accounts over several weeks. Hashtags are part of the caption, which can be up to 2,200 characters.
| Rule | Now | Before December 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Hashtags per feed post | 5 | 30 |
| Hashtags per Reel | 5 | 30 |
| Caption length | 2,200 characters, tags included | The same |
| Threads, for comparison | 1 topic tag per post | 1 |
Why did Instagram cut hashtags from 30 to five?
To end hashtag stuffing. Mosseri’s explanation was that a few specific tags work better than many, and that people find content through search, keywords and recommendations more than through hashtag pages. A long block of loosely related tags now does nothing a short, precise set cannot.
How do you choose your five Instagram hashtags?
The Instagram hashtag generator suggests specific tags from a topic, and the banned hashtag checker flags tags worth avoiding.
Describe the post
Write down what the post is about in a few words: the topic, the format and who it is for.
Find specific tags
Search Instagram for tags that match those words and look at the posts already under each.
Keep five
Pick the five that describe this post most precisely; drop broad tags with millions of unrelated posts.
Check before you post
Count every tag in the caption, including any carried over from an old post.
Should Instagram hashtags go in the caption or the first comment?
Put them in the caption. That is where Instagram reads them with the rest of the post, and the five-tag limit applies to the post either way, so moving tags to a comment no longer gets around it. Keep them at the end of the caption so the first lines carry your hook.
How do you schedule Instagram posts that fit the limit?
Trim each caption to five tags before you schedule it. SkedCast checks the caption against Instagram’s 2,200-character limit as you type and lets you plan posts and Reels on one calendar; for a batch, edit the captions in the spreadsheet before you bulk schedule Instagram posts. The Instagram scheduler page covers every format.
Sources
FAQ
- How many hashtags can I use on an Instagram post?
- Five, on feed posts and Reels, since Instagram’s December 2025 change. The limit was 30 before.
- Does the five-hashtag limit apply to Reels?
- Yes. Posts and Reels share the same five-tag limit.
- Do hashtags in the first comment count?
- Use the caption: the limit applies to the post, so hashtags in a comment do not add to it, and the caption is where Instagram reads them.
- Are hashtags still worth using on Instagram?
- Yes, a few specific ones. They help describe the post, but search keywords in the caption and the content itself matter as much.