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Hashtags Without the MythsLesson 2 of 5

How many tags to use

The end of the “wall of tags” era

Instagram used to let you hang up to 30 hashtags — and people really did. Now the max is 5. Period. The platform simply won’t take more.

That’s actually helpful: you can’t dump a wall of “just in case” tags anymore. You have to pick only what fits.

Working guidelines by platform

2026 standards
Instagram
max 5

Use 3–5 relevant ones; filling all 5 “for the sake of it” isn’t required

TikTok
3–5

Niche + topic; skip a pile of empty #fyp

Shorts
2–5

Title and description carry more weight

How to think about Instagram’s five

  1. 15 is a ceiling, not a duty
  2. 2Better 3 precise tags than 5 where two are “eh, whatever”
  3. 3At most one slot for a broad tag; the rest mid and niche (next lesson)

Why quality beats “fill the limit”

  • An extra irrelevant tag takes a slot a useful one could have used
  • Easier to accidentally grab a restricted or junk tag
  • The same set of 5 under every post is still a bad idea (lesson 4)

Simple practice for creators

  1. 1. Write the post/clip without tags — in normal language, with keywords.
  2. 2. Add 3–5 tags that actually describe the content.
  3. 3. If you can’t fill an honest five — leave it at 3. Empty slots beat junk.
One-hand rule

if you can’t explain why this tag belongs under this post — drop it.

Check yourself

What’s a solid approach for Instagram tags right now?

  1. Always exactly 5 — if there’s a limit, fill it
  2. Up to 5 relevant ones (often 3–5 is enough; don’t pad with junk)
  3. Like before — 30, just in a comment
  4. The more platforms in the post, the more tags in a row
Explanation: Instagram’s limit is 5. That’s a ceiling, not a quota you must fill. Use as many as honestly describe the post — usually 3–5.