You Can Now Add Only 5 Hashtags to Instagram Posts and Reels
Instagram has imposed a new restriction capping the number of hashtags at 5 for each post and reel you post on the platform.
The move comes after the platform tested various limits over the past year, including a brief reduction to three hashtags for some users and its strict limits on hashtags on the Threads app.
The company settled on five as the maximum to encourage more targeted use of tags and discourage the addition of numerous generic ones that clutter feeds and often result in spam posting.
The platform explained the adjustment in a post on Threads:
"Instagram will gradually update the number of hashtags that you can include in a caption for a reel or post to five. We find that using fewer (up to 5) more targeted hashtags, rather than many generic ones, can improve both your content’s performance and people’s experience on Instagram."
The update aims to prevent misuse by spammers who overload captions with irrelevant tags like #reels or #explore, which the company says fail to aid discovery in areas like the Explore page and can diminish a post's visibility.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, addressed the change in a post on his Instagram advice channel:
"While I know it can be tempting to use more, a few specific tags actually perform better than a long list of generic ones. Quality over quantity is key."
Mosseri added that hashtags assist with search results but do not expand a post's overall reach.
He urged creators to prioritize content that aligns with audience preferences, rather than relying on tags for broader exposure.
The restriction reflects shifts in how content surfaces on the app, where algorithms and AI now play larger roles in recommendations than hashtags did in the past.
Users have reported seeing alerts when attempting to add more than five tags, confirming the enforcement has begun for some accounts.
The cap aligns with similar policies on Threads, where posts remain limited to one tag to emphasize community building over engagement tactics.
