I used to spend way too much time on hashtags. I’d research trending tags, mix in niche ones, hit exactly 30, and carefully hide them below dots so they wouldn’t clutter my caption. It felt like a science. Then I noticed something: posts where I’d forgotten to add hashtags were performing just as well. Sometimes better.
That got me curious. I started paying attention to what Instagram actually recommends now, and it turns out the whole hashtag game has changed. If you’re still using the strategies from a few years ago, you might be wasting effort on something that doesn’t work the way it used to.
So I dug into it. I looked at what Adam Mosseri has been saying, tested different approaches on my own posts, and compared notes with what we see across accounts using Viraly. What I found was surprising: the best hashtag strategy in 2026 is actually the simplest one. That’s genuinely good news.
I’m a co-founder of Viraly, where we help creators and agencies schedule content across Instagram and other platforms. We’ve tested Instagram hashtags strategies across thousands of posts, and I’ve been tracking how the platform’s approach to hashtags has evolved. What I’m sharing here isn’t theory. It’s what we’ve seen actually work.
Do Hashtags Still Work on Instagram in 2026?
Yes, but not the way they used to. Hashtags in 2026 are categorization tools, not distribution hacks. They help Instagram understand what your content is about so it can surface it in search results. They don’t directly boost your reach.
Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, has been clear about this. In a conversation with tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, he said hashtags for reach are essentially “done.” In another Q&A, he explained: “Hashtags are no longer a primary way to increase your reach on Instagram. They don’t significantly increase your reach, contrary to popular belief.”
This was honestly a relief once I understood it. All that time I spent researching the “perfect” hashtag mix? I could’ve spent it making better content. Once I stopped overthinking hashtags, I could focus on what actually matters. That’s kind of freeing when you think about it.
The December 2024 Change That Nobody Talks About
On December 13, 2024, Instagram quietly removed the ability to follow hashtags. This was a big deal that flew under the radar for most people.
Before this change, following a hashtag like #TravelPhotography meant posts using that tag could appear in your main feed. Hashtags were a distribution channel. People could discover your content just by following the right tags.
That’s gone now. Hashtags no longer push your content into feeds of people who don’t follow you. Their primary function is search: helping users find content when they actively look for a topic.
This is actually useful to understand. It means the old “spray 30 hashtags and hope for the best” strategy genuinely doesn’t work anymore. The mechanism it relied on no longer exists. Instead of chasing hashtag reach, you can focus on what actually matters: creating content people want to watch, save, and share. That’s a simpler game to play.
How Many Hashtags Should You Use on Instagram?
Instagram now recommends 3-5 highly relevant hashtags per post. This is a major shift from the old advice of using all 30 available slots.
The data backs this up. According to recent studies, posts with 3-5 relevant hashtags generate about 25% more engagement than posts stuffed with 10+ less relevant tags. Quality beats quantity, and it’s not even close.
I tested this myself. I used to carefully curate 25-30 hashtags for every post, convinced more was better. When I switched to 3-5 focused, niche hashtags, my engagement stayed the same or improved. The difference was I saved about 15 minutes per post not researching hashtags. That adds up fast when you’re posting regularly. I kind of wish I’d figured this out sooner.
Here’s the thinking behind fewer hashtags: when you use 30 generic tags, Instagram has to guess which topics your content actually belongs to. When you use 3-5 specific ones, you’re giving it a clear signal. The algorithm can match your post to the right audience more accurately. Pretty straightforward once you see it that way.
Niche Hashtags vs. Generic Hashtags
Generic hashtags like #instagood, #photooftheday, and #love have hundreds of millions of posts. Your content gets buried instantly. Within seconds of posting, hundreds of other posts push yours down the hashtag page. Nobody’s scrolling that far.
Niche hashtags with smaller but focused audiences perform much better. A hashtag like #MinimalistHomeDecor or #VeganBakingTips has fewer total posts, but the people searching for it are specifically interested in that topic. They’re more likely to engage with your content.
The sweet spot I’ve found is hashtags with 10,000 to 500,000 total posts. Big enough to have an active audience, small enough that your content stays visible for more than a few seconds. More importantly, these tags attract people who actually care about the topic. That’s the audience you want.
Think of it this way: would you rather show your cooking video to 1,000 random people, or to 100 people actively searching for recipes? The smaller, targeted audience will engage more, and that engagement is what signals quality to the algorithm.
Where to Put Your Hashtags: Caption vs. First Comment
This debate has been going on for years, and the data finally gives us a clear answer: it depends on your account size.
For smaller accounts (under 100K followers), hashtags in the caption boost reach by about 36% compared to no hashtags. For larger accounts, putting hashtags in the first comment performs slightly better, with a 15.9% increase.
Why the difference? Smaller accounts benefit from the immediate categorization that caption hashtags provide. Instagram processes your caption first, so hashtags there help it understand your content right away. Larger accounts already have strong engagement signals from their audience, so keeping the caption clean and moving hashtags to the first comment creates a better reading experience without losing reach. Good to know, right?
With Viraly’s Instagram post scheduler, we built a first comment feature specifically because so many creators asked for it. You can schedule your post with a clean caption and have hashtags automatically posted as the first comment the moment your content goes live. No need to sit there waiting to add them manually.
How Hashtags Work on Instagram in 2026
Understanding how Instagram hashtags actually work now helps you use them more effectively. Here’s the current reality:
1. Hashtags help Instagram categorize your content. When you add #WeddingPhotography to a post, Instagram knows to index it under that topic. If someone searches for wedding photography content, your post can appear in results.
2. Hashtags don’t push your content to new audiences on their own. The old model where hashtag followers would see your posts in their feed is gone. Discovery now happens through search, Explore (which uses different signals), and the recommendation algorithm.
3. Using irrelevant hashtags can hurt you. If you tag #Fitness on a recipe video, Instagram gets confused about who to show it to. Stick to hashtags that accurately describe your content.
4. Keyword-rich captions now matter more than hashtags. Instagram’s search has evolved. It can understand natural language in your caption and on-screen text. A caption that says “easy weeknight dinner recipe for busy parents” helps Instagram understand your content just as much as hashtags do, sometimes more.
Studies show that keyword-rich captions generate about 30% more reach and twice as many likes compared to hashtag-heavy posts. This was eye-opening when I first saw the data. It means writing a good, descriptive caption is often more valuable than crafting the perfect hashtag mix. I spent years doing it backwards.
What Hashtags to Use on Instagram
The best hashtags are the ones that accurately describe your specific content. Generic tags don’t help. Specific ones do.
Here’s how I approach it now:
Start with your content. What is this post actually about? If it’s a photo of homemade pasta, the relevant tags are #HomemadePasta, #PastaFromScratch, #ItalianCooking. Not #food, #yummy, #delicious.
Think about who would search for this. Someone looking for pasta-making tips will search for specific terms. Match your hashtags to what your ideal audience is actually typing into search.
Check the hashtag size. Look at how many posts use that tag. Under 10,000 might be too small. Over 5 million is probably too competitive. That middle range of 10K-500K is usually the sweet spot.
Use 3-5, not 30. Pick your most relevant tags. If you’re struggling to choose, that usually means some of them aren’t really relevant to the specific post. Cut them.
I stopped using generic tags like #instagood entirely. They did nothing for my reach and made my posts look spammy. The posts where I used only 3-4 niche hashtags actually performed better and looked cleaner. Wish someone had told me that earlier.
How to Follow Hashtags on Instagram (You Can’t Anymore)
If you’re searching for how to follow hashtags on Instagram, I have news: you can’t. Instagram removed this feature in December 2024.
Previously, you could tap “Follow” on any hashtag page and see posts using that tag in your main feed. That feature is gone. The Follow button no longer exists on hashtag pages.
This change is permanent, and Instagram hasn’t indicated any plans to bring it back. If you relied on hashtag following for discovery, you’ll need to adapt. Searching for hashtags still works. You can still browse hashtag pages manually. But the passive “posts appear in my feed” experience is over.
For content creators, this means hashtags are now purely a search and categorization tool. Your posts won’t reach people through hashtag following anymore. The algorithm’s Explore page and recommendations are now the main discovery mechanisms.
5 Hashtag Myths That Waste Your Time
There’s a lot of outdated advice still floating around. Here’s what you can stop worrying about.
Myth 1: More hashtags = more reach
Using all 30 hashtag slots doesn’t give you 6x the reach of using 5. In fact, posts without any hashtags have been shown to reach 23% more people than posts packed with them in some studies. The algorithm cares about engagement signals, not hashtag count. I tested this myself and was surprised how little difference 30 vs. 5 made.
Myth 2: You need to rotate hashtags to avoid shadowbanning
The idea that using the same hashtags repeatedly gets you “shadowbanned” has never been confirmed by Instagram. What actually matters is whether your hashtags are relevant to your content. Using the same accurate tags on similar content is fine. One less thing to stress about.
Myth 3: Hiding hashtags with dots makes them more effective
Whether you hide hashtags under a line of dots or put them right after your caption, the algorithm processes them the same way. The only reason to hide them is aesthetics. It doesn’t affect reach.
Myth 4: There’s a “best time” to add hashtags
Some guides claim you should add hashtags exactly 3 minutes after posting, or edit them in later for better reach. This hasn’t held up in testing. Instagram processes your hashtags whenever you add them. Just include them when you post and move on. I used to time this stuff carefully. Complete waste of effort.
Myth 5: Hashtag research tools are essential
You don’t need a subscription to find good hashtags. Instagram’s own search bar shows related tags and how many posts use them. Type in a keyword, check the suggestions, look at the post counts. That’s all you need. Save your money for something that actually moves the needle.
What Actually Matters More Than Hashtags
Since hashtags have become less important for reach, here’s where to focus your energy instead.
Watch time. How long people watch your video is the strongest signal for the algorithm. Hook viewers in the first second, give them a reason to keep watching, and your content will be pushed further.
Shares and saves. When someone shares your post via DM or saves it for later, Instagram sees that as a strong indicator of quality. Create content people want to reference again or show to friends.
Keyword-rich captions. Instead of relying on hashtags, write captions that describe your content naturally. “5-minute morning stretches for desk workers” tells Instagram exactly who might want to see this.
Consistency. Posting regularly trains the algorithm to show your content to your audience. Sporadic posting means Instagram has to relearn who’s interested each time.
On-screen text in Reels. Instagram’s AI reads text that appears in your videos. Using relevant keywords as on-screen text helps with categorization and search, just like hashtags used to.
A Simple Hashtag Strategy That Works
Here’s the approach I use now, and it takes about 2 minutes per post:
- Look at the post I’m about to publish
- Ask: what 3-5 words would someone search to find this?
- Check if those hashtags exist and have reasonable post counts (10K-500K)
- Add them to the caption or schedule them as the first comment
- Move on and focus on the next post
That’s it. No spreadsheets, no rotation schedules, no hashtag research tools. The time I used to spend on hashtag strategy now goes into making better content. It’s honestly a better use of energy.
At Viraly, our first comment feature handles the timing automatically. Schedule your post, add your hashtags to the first comment field, and they post the moment your content goes live. Clean caption, properly timed hashtags, no manual work.
The Bottom Line on Instagram Hashtags
Instagram hashtags aren’t dead, but they’re not the growth hack they used to be. In 2026, they serve one main purpose: helping Instagram understand and categorize your content for search.
Use 3-5 relevant hashtags that accurately describe your post. Skip the generic tags. Don’t overthink it. The time you save on hashtag research is better spent making content worth watching.
The algorithm has moved on, and honestly, that’s freeing. You don’t need to game the hashtag system anymore. Just create good content, describe it clearly, post consistently, and let the algorithm do its job. That’s the strategy that works now, and once you embrace it, you’ll wonder why you ever spent so much time on hashtags in the first place.
FAQ
How many hashtags should I use on Instagram in 2026?
Instagram recommends 3-5 highly relevant hashtags. Posts with this number generate about 25% more engagement than posts with 10+ tags. Quality matters more than quantity.
Do hashtags still work on Instagram?
Yes, but differently than before. Hashtags now help with search and categorization, not direct reach. They help Instagram understand your content so it appears in relevant search results. They don’t push your posts into feeds of people who don’t follow you.
How do I use hashtags on Instagram?
Add 3-5 relevant hashtags that describe your specific content. You can put them at the end of your caption or in the first comment. Use niche hashtags (10K-500K posts) rather than generic ones like #instagood. Focus on tags your target audience would actually search for.
Why can’t I follow hashtags on Instagram anymore?
Instagram removed the hashtag following feature on December 13, 2024. This was a permanent change. You can still search for and browse hashtag pages, but posts won’t appear in your main feed from followed hashtags.
Should I put hashtags in the caption or first comment?
For accounts under 100K followers, hashtags in the caption boost reach by about 36%. For larger accounts, the first comment performs slightly better. Either works. Pick based on whether you want a cleaner caption aesthetic.
What hashtags should I use on Instagram?
Use hashtags that specifically describe your content. Avoid generic tags like #instagood. Look for niche hashtags with 10,000-500,000 total posts. Think about what your ideal audience would search for and match your tags to those terms.