Instagram Limits Hashtags to Five Per Post in New Update

Instagram has announced a new restriction on hashtag usage, limiting the number of hashtags allowed in a post or reel caption to five. The change is part of the platform’s ongoing efforts to study user behaviour, reduce spam and scams, and refine how content is discovered on the app. The update will be rolled out gradually and will apply universally across Instagram.

Why Instagram Is Making This Change

Instagram has repeatedly stated that hashtags no longer play the same role in content discovery as they once did. With AI-driven recommendation systems now prioritising relevance and user interest, hashtags have become less critical in determining reach.

However, Instagram maintains that hashtags can still help organise content and guide users towards related topics. By limiting them to five, the platform aims to encourage creators to use more targeted and relevant tags instead of long lists of generic ones.

According to Instagram, using fewer but more precise hashtags can improve both content performance and the overall user experience.

Testing and Final Decision

Over the past year, Instagram has tested various hashtag limits. In the most recent experiments, some users were restricted to using just three hashtags per post.

Following these tests, Instagram has now settled on five hashtags as the final limit, which will become the standard across the app.

Instagram’s Long-Standing View on Hashtags

Instagram’s position on hashtags has remained consistent for several years. The company has repeatedly indicated that hashtags are not a reliable way to increase reach.

This stance is also reflected in Meta’s other platform, Threads, where users are limited to a single tag per post. Threads instead uses topic tags to help users join conversations, rather than relying on traditional hashtags.

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Adam Mosseri’s Repeated Statements

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has publicly downplayed the effectiveness of hashtags on multiple occasions.

• In October 2023, he said hashtags would not meaningfully impact the growth of Threads. Later that month, Threads introduced topic tags to make conversations easier to find.
• In January 2024, Mosseri said hashtags might be useful to build features but would not noticeably grow Threads usage.
• In February 2025, he stated that hashtags do not work to increase reach on Instagram.
• In March, Threads added topic tags on user profiles to signal content focus.
• In May, Mosseri reiterated that hashtags do not improve visibility but can help explain what a post is about and connect related content.

These statements underline Instagram’s broader shift away from hashtags as a discovery tool.

What This Means for Creators

With the new rule in place, creators will need to be more selective with hashtag use. Instead of relying on large sets of trending tags, Instagram is encouraging creators to focus on a small number of relevant hashtags that clearly describe the content.

The platform’s message is clear: hashtags still have a role, but only in moderation. For creators, five or fewer well-chosen tags will now be the maximum allowed, making each one count more than before.