How many hashtags in 2026? Instagram’s 5-hashtag limit
Since December 2025, Instagram allows 5 hashtags at most per post (Instagram Help). Many guides still say 30. More wouldn’t help anyway: according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, hashtags don’t increase reach, and a few relevant ones are enough.
As of October 13, 2026
The rules come from the help pages of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and from the trade press. Changes: October 13, 2026 – first version. Next review: January 2027.
Which hashtag rules apply on which platform?
| Platform | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 5 hashtags at most per post, in the caption of posts and Reels. According to the help page, a comment with more than 5 hashtags is not posted. The limit was announced on December 18, 2025 and rolled out gradually. | Instagram Help; Social Media Today, December 18, 2025 | |
| No official limit found. LinkedIn News writes that a hashtag here and there is fine but does not decide reach. In an interview with Buffer, LinkedIn calls hashtags a nice extra but not a must. | LinkedIn News (2025); Buffer, December 19, 2025 | |
| TikTok | No official limit found. Hashtags are part of the caption. In its help, TikTok lists hashtags as one of the content factors for the “For You” feed, alongside sounds and view count. | TikTok Support, retrieved October 13, 2026 |
| YouTube (Shorts) | If there are more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores all of them. Up to 3 appear above the title. | YouTube Help, retrieved October 13, 2026 |
| No official limit found. Use few. | – |
Many German guides and hashtag generators still give 30 hashtags for Instagram. That number has been outdated since December 2025.
Why have hashtags become less important?
Mosseri had already said before the change that hashtags do not increase reach (according to Social Media Today). When the limit was introduced, Social Media Today reported that a few targeted hashtags improved performance and user experience, many general ones did not (Social Media Today, December 18, 2025).
The signals from Instagram algorithm 2026 matter more: watch time, likes and shares. And the text itself: in the caption, say in plain words what you offer and where, for example “Balayage in Cologne-Ehrenfeld”. Since July 10, 2025, public posts from professional accounts can also appear in Google and Bing (according to Storyboard18, secondary source only).
The 5-hashtag formula for small businesses
Here is how to spread five hashtags: 1–2 local, 1–2 from your niche and 1 brand hashtag. That is our recommendation, not a platform rule. The examples are made up and use German hashtags for German businesses; check on Instagram whether a hashtag fits your business.
| Business | Local (1–2) | Niche (1–2) | Brand (1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trades (roofer in Münster) | #DachdeckerMünster, #Münsterland | #Dachsanierung, #Flachdach | #DachbauSchulze |
| Hair salon in Cologne | #FriseurKöln, #KölnEhrenfeld | #Balayage, #Herrenschnitt | #SalonMeier |
| Hospitality (restaurant in Leipzig) | #LeipzigEssen, #MittagstischLeipzig | #Hausmannskost | #GasthausLinde |
| Building cleaning (B2B in Hamburg) | #GebäudereinigungHamburg | #Büroreinigung, #Glasreinigung | #SauberSchmidt |
| Retail (flower shop in Bremen) | #BlumenladenBremen, #BremenShopping | #Trockenblumen | #BlumenKaiser |
Which hashtag myths persist?
- Moving hashtags into the first comment does not lift the limit. The same applies to comments: with more than 5 hashtags, the comment is not posted, according to Instagram Help.
- 30-hashtag lists from hashtag generators are outdated. They date from before the limit.
- More hashtags bring more reach. According to Mosseri, hashtags do not increase reach.
How do you write accessible hashtags?
Capital letters at the start of each word
Write several words in one hashtag with capital initial letters: #HairSalonMunich instead of #hairsalonmunich. That way screen readers can read the words out one by one, and people also find the hashtag easier to read.
With companycore
The hashtag counter in the editor of Schedule a post shows how many hashtags your text has and gives a recommended number for each platform: Instagram 5, TikTok 5, LinkedIn 3, YouTube 3, Facebook 2. In the chat with core in the Post Generator, you can say “add two local hashtags” or, permanently, “remember: three hashtags at most”.
Frequently asked questions
How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?
5 at most per post. Since December 2025, that applies to the caption of posts and Reels.
What happens with more than 5 hashtags?
According to Instagram Help, a comment with more than 5 hashtags is not posted. How Instagram reacts to captions with more than 5 is not clearly described in the help. So stick to 5.
Does the limit apply to Stories too?
Instagram Help and the reports on the limit mention posts and Reels. We found no separate statement for Stories.
How many hashtags on TikTok?
We found no official limit. TikTok’s help lists hashtags as one of several content factors for the “For You” feed. Use a few that fit the video.
How many hashtags on LinkedIn?
Here, too, there is no official limit. LinkedIn News writes that a hashtag here and there is fine but not decisive for reach.
Sources
- Instagram Help: Use hashtags on Instagram, retrieved October 13, 2026 (primary source)
- YouTube Help: Hashtags, retrieved October 13, 2026 (primary source)
- TikTok Support: How TikTok recommends content, retrieved October 13, 2026 (primary source)
- LinkedIn News: 3 keys to keep your post from flopping, 2025 (primary source, date approximate)
- Buffer: How LinkedIn’s algorithm works, according to the LinkedIn team, December 19, 2025 (interview with LinkedIn staff)
- Social Media Today: Instagram implements new limits on hashtag use, December 18, 2025 (trade press)
- Storyboard18: Instagram to make public posts searchable on Google and Bing, July 2025 (secondary source)
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