How Many Hashtags Should You Use on Instagram Reels in 2026?

How many hashtags to use on Instagram Reels in 2026: Instagram's five-hashtag limit, which hashtags still help, how to choose your five, where to put them and what to use instead for reach.

Quick answer: use three to five specific hashtags. Instagram now caps posts and Reels at five hashtags, so the old "30 hashtags" advice is gone. Choose tags that describe exactly what the Reel is about, and put searchable keywords in your caption and on-screen text.

Instagram's hashtag limit in 2026

In December 2025, Instagram announced through its @Creators account that posts and Reels would be limited to five hashtags, down from the previous 30. Instagram has also discouraged generic hashtags like #reels or #explore, saying they don't help content reach the right people. The change follows years of Instagram leaders saying hashtags play a small role in distribution.

Do hashtags still help Reels?

A little. Hashtags help Instagram and viewers understand what a Reel is about, and people can still tap or search a hashtag. But they aren't what makes a Reel spread. Instagram has said it looks at signals like watch time, likes, shares and visits to the audio page. So treat hashtags as labels, and put your effort into the hook and content. See how the Reels algorithm works.

How to choose your five hashtags

Slot Type Example for a vegan bakery
1 Exact topic #veganbrownies
2 Niche #veganbaking
3 Audience or use #plantbaseddessert
4 Location (if local) #londonbakery
5 Brand or series #yourbrandname

You don't have to fill all five. Three precise tags beat five vague ones.

Hashtags to avoid

  • Generic tags: #reels, #explore, #viral, #fyp. Instagram discourages them.
  • Irrelevant trending tags: they confuse what the Reel is about.
  • Banned or restricted tags: search a tag first; if recent posts are hidden, skip it.
  • Long strings of near-duplicates: one good variant is enough.

Example hashtag sets by industry

Business Reel topic Possible hashtags
Skincare brand Morning routine for oily skin #oilyskincare #skincareroutine #morningskincare
Fitness studio 10-minute core workout #coreworkout #homeworkout #pilatesathome
Café How we make oat flat whites #flatwhite #oatmilk #specialtycoffee #yourcity
SaaS tool Three shortcuts in your app #productivitytips #saas #worksmarter
Fashion label Three ways to style one blazer #blazeroutfit #capsulewardrobe #styletips

Notice the pattern: each tag describes the Reel itself. None of them is #reels or #viral.

Hashtag myths that won't die

  • "More hashtags means more reach." The limit is now five, and Instagram's leaders have long said hashtags matter little for distribution.
  • "Hidden hashtags work better." There's no evidence that hiding tags in dots or comments helps.
  • "You need the same tags every time." Tags should match each Reel's topic.
  • "Niche tags are pointless." Specific tags describe your content better than broad ones.

Where to put hashtags

Put them at the end of your caption. Adding them in a comment is no longer necessary for neatness with only five. Keep the first line of the caption for your hook, not for tags. See Reels caption examples.

What to do instead of more hashtags

  1. Use keywords in your caption. Write the words people would search for, in natural sentences.
  2. Add on-screen text that names the topic in the first frame.
  3. Turn on captions so spoken words are understood. See how to add captions.
  4. Tag a location for local businesses.
  5. Make a strong hook. See Reels hooks.
  6. Make Reels worth sharing, because sends spread Reels further.

Hashtags on TikTok and YouTube Shorts

If you cross-post, check each platform's own rules and habits. TikTok and YouTube both use hashtags and captions for discovery, so adapt the text per platform rather than pasting the same caption everywhere. See repurposing between TikTok and Reels and TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts.

Building a hashtag set for your brand

  1. List 10 to 15 specific tags for your niche, products and audience.
  2. Group them by topic, for example "recipes", "behind the scenes", "launches".
  3. For each Reel, pick the three to five that best describe it.
  4. Add one branded tag for a recurring series if you have one.
  5. Review every month: drop tags that never appear with your best Reels.

Common mistakes

  • Copying the same five tags onto every Reel regardless of topic.
  • Using only huge tags where your Reel is lost among millions of posts.
  • Expecting hashtags to fix low views. If a Reel isn't getting views, look at the hook and watch time first. See why Reels don't get views.
  • Stuffing keywords into the caption so it reads like a list.

FAQ

What happens if I add more than five hashtags?

Instagram's limit means you can't use more than five; reports suggest extra tags aren't accepted or are ignored.

Should I use hashtags at all?

Yes, a few relevant ones. They help label your content and cost nothing.

Do hashtags in comments work?

Hashtags in the caption are the standard approach; with only five, there's little reason to move them to comments.

Are branded hashtags worth it?

They're useful for campaigns, UGC and recurring series, less so for reach. See UGC Reels for brands.

How many hashtags should a small business use?

The same as anyone else: three to five specific tags, including a location tag if you serve a local area. Spend the time you save on a better hook and a clearer caption.

Can I use the same hashtags on carousels?

The five-hashtag limit applies to posts and Reels alike, so choose tags per post in the same way.

Do hashtags help Reels show in search?

They can help, along with caption keywords and on-screen text that describe the topic clearly.

More Reels questions, answered

This guide is part of our Reels question hub. Start with the Reels best practices checklist, then jump to the question you need:

Make Reels faster

beREEL is an AI Reels studio for brands: paste your website and Brand DNA picks up your fonts, colours and tone, then generate, edit and schedule Reels to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Facebook and Snapchat (scheduling on Pro). The free plan includes starter credits and the studio for one channel, no card needed.

All articles