How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?
Five. Since December 2025, Instagram allows up to five hashtags on a post or Reel (Instagram @creators). The limit used to be 30, and many older guides still say so.
Instagram gave a plain reason. A few targeted hashtags do more for a post than a long list of generic ones. Its creators account had already been telling people to use three to five.
So the question is no longer how many. It is which five. You do not have to use all five either. Three tags that fit beat five that half fit.
Mix big hashtags with small ones
A hashtag with 200 million posts sounds great until you see how fast the page moves. Your post sits at the top for a second and then it is gone. Smaller tags move slowly, so people still scroll past your post hours later.
| Tag size | Rough post count | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| Huge | Over 10 million | Buried almost instantly |
| Big | 1 to 10 million | A little reach, heavy competition |
| Medium | 100k to 1 million | The useful middle for most accounts |
| Small | Under 100k | You stay visible for hours |
| Niche or branded | Under 10k | Few viewers, but the right ones |
Spread your five across the rows. One big, two medium and two small is a sensible shape. Instagram shows the post count under each tag when you search it, so this takes a minute to check.
What good Instagram hashtags look like
A set that works
- Every tag describes what is in the post
- A mix of sizes, from broad to niche
- Words a real person would type into search
- A different set for each post
A set that wastes space
- #follow4follow, #likeforlike, #instagood
- Five tags that all sit in the millions
- Tags with nothing to do with the photo
- The same block pasted onto everything
Here is how that plays out on three made-up posts. The weak tags could sit on any post. The better tags say what this one is about.
| The post | Weak hashtags | Better hashtags |
|---|---|---|
| Latte art in a cafe | #reels #viral #explore | #latteart #baristalife #coffeeshop |
| Leg workout at home | #fitness #gym #motivation | #legday #homeworkout #gluteworkout |
| Wedding in Tuscany | #love #wedding #instagood | #tuscanywedding #destinationwedding #weddingphotographer |
Best hashtags for Instagram Reels
Reels follow the same rules as posts. You get five hashtags, and they go in the Reel caption. Posting the same video on TikTok? Use the TikTok hashtag generator for that one.
Describe what happens in the video. A Reel of a latte being poured should carry coffee tags. Broad tags like #reels or #viral say nothing about the topic, so they waste a slot.
Hashtags will not rescue a Reel that people skip. They help Instagram file a good Reel under the right topic. The rest is covered in how to get more views on Instagram Reels.
Should you use trending Instagram hashtags?
Only when your post is truly about the trend. If it is, give the trend one of your five slots. If it is not, skip it. People who tap a trending tag want that topic and nothing else.
This generator does not track live trends. It builds hashtags from your description. To see what is moving in your niche today, search the topic in Instagram and look at the tags on recent top posts.
Why banned and overused tags hurt
Instagram restricts some hashtags because people abused them. A few are blocked outright. Others still work, but their pages hide most recent posts, so anything you add there goes nowhere. Repeating blocked tags is also one cause of an Instagram shadowban.
Overused tags are a quieter problem. Follow-for-follow tags are full of accounts hunting for follows, not for your content. They may like your post within seconds and never look at your profile again. That kind of attention teaches Instagram nothing useful about who your post is for.
Tags that do not match the post are worse still. Fitness tags on a coffee shop photo bring people who wanted fitness, and they swipe away fast.
Where to put hashtags: caption or first comment?
Both work. Instagram picks up hashtags either way, and there is no reach penalty for putting them in a comment.
With only five tags, the caption is the simple choice. Put them at the end, after your own words. The Instagram caption generator can help with those words. Tags at the end are also easier on people who use screen readers (Hootsuite).
If you prefer the first comment, post that comment straight away. If you add it an hour later, the post has already had its first push and you have missed it. That first hour is also why the best time to post on Instagram matters.
One warning about copy and paste hashtags. Old saved blocks of 30 tags no longer work. Copy only the five you picked for this post.
How to find the best hashtags for Instagram
- 1Describe the post plainly
Write what is actually in it. "Homemade sourdough loaf" beats "food content" every time.
- 2Generate a list
Use the hashtag generator above. You get up to 10 ideas built from your description, not a generic top ten.
- 3Cut it down to five
Delete anything that does not match the photo or video. Keep the five that describe it best. Fewer is fine.
- 4Check the sizes
Search two or three of the tags in Instagram and look at the post count. Swap out anything far too big.
- Five hashtags or fewer
- Every tag matches what is in the post
- No follow-for-follow or like-for-like tags
- A mix of sizes, not all giants
- Different from the set you used last time
- Your account is public, or the tags do nothing
Hashtags are one small lever among several. Our guide on how to get more likes on Instagram covers the others. Good hashtags on a dull post will not save it. Good hashtags on a post people want to watch help the right people find it a bit sooner, and that is all they were ever meant to do. If you want likes on a post today, see our Instagram likes packages.
