Instagram is testing a limit of three hashtags per post
Multiple users on Reddit have reported that Instagram is limiting the number of hashtags they can add to their posts. When trying to add more than three hashtags in the description of a new post, the app shows an error message.
Instagram’s hashtag limit error message. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Instagram hasn’t officially announced the limitation, and it doesn’t apply to all accounts. The Instagram account of PhoneArena has the limit, but my personal account doesn’t.
Meta is likely testing the change on a limited number of accounts before making a decision to introduce it to everyone. It is also possible that the “feature” is slowly rolling out, like Instagram’s recent redesign.
Instagram in a new era
Many users can still use Instagram’s old design. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Instagram first introduced hashtags in 2011, and since then, they have been one of the best ways to find posts on certain topics. In fact, for years, hashtags were critical if you wanted to reach anyone outside your followers. Instagram had a cap of 30 hashtags per post.
While that change may feel like a blow to content creators, hashtags are not as important as they were in the past. Instagram’s Explore page surfaces posts and reels based on their content, description, and various other factors. Even Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has said multiple times that hashtags don’t help increase the reach of a post and serve more as a categorization tool.
Millennials, welcome to the Gen Z era
I think choosing the correct hashtags for an Instagram post was a core skill for many millennials in the mid-2010s. Now, hashtags make the person who uses them look like they’re stuck in 2015 or are trying too hard. Regardless, I think this change is an unnecessary attack against millennials. If hashtags don’t affect the reach of a post, why change them, Instagram?
