Instagram has made a big change to how hashtags work. From now on, users can only add up to 5 hashtags on a post or Reel. Earlier, the limit was 30.
The update was announced through Instagram’s official Creators account. It marks a clear shift in how the platform wants people to share content.
The main goal is to stop hashtag stuffing. This is when users add many random or popular hashtags to boost reach. Instagram says this practice hurts content quality and user experience. The platform has also said that broad hashtags like explore or reels no longer help. In some cases, they may even reduce how well a post performs.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri has repeated that hashtags are no longer a major factor for reach. The app now relies more on AI. It looks at caption words, text shown in the video, and what the content visually shows. By limiting hashtags to 5, Instagram wants creators to be more thoughtful. Hashtags should now be used only to clearly describe the content or niche.
This means smaller and more specific hashtags will matter more. Community focused tags are expected to perform better than generic ones.
Some users had already seen lower limits during testing. A few were restricted to just 3 hashtags. This confirms the change was planned. For creators and brands, this means a strategy update is needed. Long hashtag lists are no longer useful.
Instagram is moving toward quality over quantity. This also brings it closer to how other platforms work, where content is discovered based on interest, not hashtag overload.
The era of using dozens of hashtags is officially over.
Comments are closed.