Paste your caption below. You will see how many hashtags it holds, whether that fits the limit, which ones you use twice and which are so generic that Instagram discourages them itself.
Hashtags found
What stands out
What Instagram says about it
- Hashtags do not add reach: they help with search and categorisation (Adam Mosseri, May 2025).
- Put them in the caption, not in a comment: the caption text is the most important search signal.
- Pick five hashtags that really describe your post, not five that everyone uses.
Limit and rules: Instagram (@creators, 18-12-2025) and the Help Center, read 22-09-2026. The limit of 5 on TikTok comes from the app itself; TikTok has said nothing official about it. Everything happens in your own browser: we do not send or keep anything.
How many hashtags can you use?
On Instagram five, on a post as well as on a reel. Instagram announced that on 18 December 2025 through @creators, and it has been in the Help Center since: put more than five under a photo or video and your comment will not post. Before that the limit was thirty.
On TikTok the app shows the message “Maximum 5 hashtags”. Several outlets reported it in August 2025, but TikTok has said nothing official about it. So we call it what it is: what the app shows, not a rule TikTok has confirmed.
Do hashtags give you more reach?
No, and Instagram says so itself. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said in May 2025 that contrary to popular belief hashtags are not a way to get more reach: they help with search and with categorising your post. So do not expect views from them. What they do is make you findable for someone searching for exactly that.
Put them in your caption, not in a separate comment. According to Instagram’s own explainer on search, the caption text is by far the most important signal. More about this in how many hashtags on Instagram, and which ones still work.
Why does the checker flag some hashtags?
- Duplicate: the same hashtag twice still counts twice towards the limit. A waste of one of your five slots.
- Very generic: tags like #reels, #explore and #fyp. Instagram named exactly this kind of broad tag as its reason for the limit of five: specific hashtags work better than general ones.
- Will not work: a hashtag can only hold letters, numbers and an underscore. A space, full stop or hyphen cuts it off, so #sun-and-sea becomes just #sun.
- Very long: nobody searches for a hashtag of more than thirty characters.
More likes on your post?
Hashtags make you findable, but they do not fill your post. Bought likes and views count towards your numbers, not as real engagement: they come from profiles that do nothing else. What they do is make a new post look fuller to the first visitors.
Frequently asked questions about hashtags
How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?
Five, on a post and on a reel. Instagram announced this on 18 December 2025. Use more under a photo or video and your comment will not post.
Can you put hashtags in a comment?
You can, but Instagram itself writes that you should put keywords and hashtags in the caption: the caption text weighs heaviest in search.
Do hashtags help you go viral?
There is no evidence for that, and Instagram contradicts it itself. Hashtags help people find you when they search; your reach comes mostly from recommendations.
Is the hashtag checker free?
Yes, without an account. Everything happens in your own browser: your caption is not sent anywhere and not kept.
