How to read your result
How to choose your five
With five places, every tag has to earn its spot. The tool fills them in a fixed mix and you change any of them under "Swap a tag". The mix is a starting point, not a rule of the platform.
One broad tag, so the post is filed
A broad tag such as #skincare tells the platform what kind of post this is. It almost never gets you found on its own, because thousands of posts land on it every hour, so one is enough.
Two from the working band, where you can be found
These are the tags with a real audience but not an endless stream of new posts. An account of ordinary size can surface here, which is why two of your five come from this tier.
One specific tag about this post
Describe what is actually in the picture or the video. If you typed your own word, it goes here. A set that describes the post rather than the account changes from post to post, which is what you want.
One local tag, if you serve a place
Someone searching a tag with your town in it has already filtered themselves for relevance. If you sell across the country, the local slot falls back to a second specific tag.
The 2026 rules, platform by platform
| Platform | The rule | What you get here | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five hashtags in the caption of a post or Reel | Five: one broad, two working band, one specific, one local | Social Media Today | |
| TikTok | Three to five in the caption is the usual advice | Up to five, led by one of TikTok's own community tags | Metricool |
| Threads | One topic tag per post, spaces allowed, added in the composer | One topic, written as words: "Small batch food" | Social Media Today |
| Hashtag following removed in 2024; two or three tags advised | Three in a professional register, no slang | Website Builder Expert | |
| YouTube | Up to three shown above the title; more than 60 and all are ignored | Three for the description | YouTube Help |
| Keywords in the title and description drive discovery | Five search phrases, no hashtags | Tailwind |
The counts for TikTok, LinkedIn and Pinterest are guidance, not limits the apps enforce. The tool uses them as its stopping point and says so.
For creators, the rest of your profile, free
Tags help a brand find your posts. The bio generator writes the profile they land on, the UGC rate calculator tells you what to charge, and the engagement rate calculator benchmarks you against creators rather than brands.
When to post it: the best time to post tool opens on the same industry.
When a tag comes back flagged
What the caption checker looks for
Most people already have a caption. The checker reads it the way the platform will and marks each problem with a reason and, where it can, a one tap swap.
- Over the limit. On Instagram a sixth tag, on Threads a second, on TikTok and LinkedIn more than the guidance.
- Repeated. The same tag twice, whatever its capitals.
- The wrong platform. A -tok tag on Instagram, an Instagram tag on TikTok, either one anywhere else.
- On the restricted list. Tags widely reported as limited, or tags that ask for follows and likes, which Instagram's Community Guidelines ask people not to collect artificially.
- Broken. A hyphen ends a hashtag early, and a tag of numbers alone does not link.
- Too long or hard to read. Over 30 characters, or long and all in lower case. Capitals at each word read better, including for screen readers (University of Glasgow guidance).
- YouTube's 60. More than 60 hashtags on a video and YouTube ignores all of them.
How we worked it out
Five tags, not thirty, and each one built for the platform it is going to
The previous version of this page offered up to thirty tags on Instagram, gave TikTok the Instagram set, and built some local tags backwards. All of that is fixed, and each fix is listed here so you can see what changed.
- Instagram's limit is fiveInstagram said it "will gradually update the number of hashtags that you can include in a caption for a reel or post to five" (Social Media Today, 18 December 2025). The tool now stops at five, and the checker flags a sixth.
- TikTok gets its own setTikTok's community tags, such as #beautytok or #mumsoftiktok, are written out in full and offered only on TikTok. Nothing is made by adding "tok" to a word, so no tag comes out as #carsoftiktoktok.
- Platform tags stay on their platform#carsofinstagram appears on Instagram, #carsoftiktok on TikTok, and neither on LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads or Pinterest.
- Local tags the right way round#madeinbristol, not #bristolmadein. #londonpersonaltrainer, not #londonpt. UK wide never produces #ukgarage, which is the name of a music genre.
- Threads, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest each follow their own rulesOne topic tag with spaces on Threads, three that can show above the title on YouTube, two or three on LinkedIn, and search phrases instead of hashtags on Pinterest.
- An honest restricted listNo platform publishes a list of restricted tags. The short list here is of tags widely reported as limited at some point, it is dated, and it is used as a caution rather than a ruling.
Methodology, and what this tool cannot see
What it is. A library of tags written by hand as phrases, for 26 industries, in five tiers: broad, TikTok's own, working band, specific and local. Platform rules are applied on top, and local tags are built from patterns with the place in its proper position. No outside service, no live post counts, nothing sent.
The rules. Each platform's limit comes from the source named in the table above. Where a platform enforces no number, the tool uses the published guidance as its stopping point and says that it is guidance.
How it was checked. Every combination of industry, platform and place was built and tested for tags in the wrong order (such as a place before "made in"), TikTok tags off TikTok, Instagram tags off Instagram, doubled endings, tags repeated across tiers, sets over the platform's limit, empty sets and restricted tags reaching the output. The caption checker was tested on captions with each kind of fault.
The restricted list. No platform publishes one. Ours holds tags widely reported as limited, and tags that ask for follows or likes. It was last reviewed in October 2026 and will always trail the platforms.
What it cannot see. Your account, which tags have worked for you, live post counts, or a tag restricted last week. The tiers describe relative volume, which is the part that stays true.
Nothing here is transmitted. The set and the caption check both run in your browser. There is no sign up, and a link you send carries your answers after the # mark, which browsers never send to a server.
Questions people ask
How many hashtags can I use on Instagram now?
Five. Instagram said it would "gradually update the number of hashtags that you can include in a caption for a reel or post to five" (Social Media Today, 18 December 2025). Because it rolls out gradually, some accounts may still accept more for a while. Build to five anyway: the set will keep working when the limit reaches you.
Can I put extra hashtags in the first comment instead?
The limit Instagram announced is for the caption, and it has said nothing about comments. We put tags in the caption, because they index straight away and there is nothing to forget. A comment full of tags to get round a limit is the kind of habit platforms tend to close, so we would not build a routine on it.
How do Threads topic tags work?
Each post can carry one topic tag, it can contain spaces, and you add it in the composer. Copying and pasting a post does not carry the tag over (Social Media Today). That is why the tool gives Threads one topic written as words, such as "Small batch food", rather than a hashtag.
How many hashtags should I use on TikTok?
Three to five in the caption is the usual advice (Metricool). TikTok does not enforce that number, so the tool stops at five and leads with one of TikTok's own community tags, which only make sense there.
Do hashtags still matter on LinkedIn?
Less than they did. LinkedIn removed the option to follow hashtags in 2024, and the advice now is two or three relevant tags per post (Website Builder Expert). Tags there mostly describe the post. The tool gives three, in a professional register.
How do hashtags work on YouTube?
You can put hashtags in the title or the description. YouTube shows up to three of them above the title, chosen by YouTube, and ignores every hashtag on a video that has more than 60. Hashtags cannot contain spaces (YouTube Help).
Should I use hashtags on Pinterest?
Keywords in the pin's title and description do more for discovery than hashtags (Tailwind), so the tool gives Pinterest search phrases instead, and the checker offers to turn a hashtag into a phrase.
What is a banned or restricted hashtag?
A tag that a platform has limited in search, usually because it attracted spam. No platform publishes a list, so every list online, ours included, is gathered from reports. Ours is short, dated and used as a caution. If a post stops appearing under its tags, take them out one at a time before you decide the content was the problem.
What does the caption checker flag?
Tags over the platform's limit, repeated tags, tags from another platform, tags on the restricted list or asking for follows, tags broken by a hyphen or made only of numbers, tags over 30 characters, and long tags all in lower case. Each flag says why, and most have a one tap swap.
Why does the tool ask where I trade?
Because a local tag is often the most useful one a UK business has. The person searching a tag with your town in it is the person who can visit you. The tool builds the local tags from the place you choose, with the place where it belongs: #madeinmanchester, #leedsfoodie, #thingstodoinbrighton.
Should I use the same hashtags every time?
Keep the local tag and your broad tag fairly steady, because they describe who and where you are. Change the working band and the specific tag to match each post. A set that never changes describes your account rather than your content.
Is anything sent to you when I use this?
No. The tool runs in your browser with no sign up. The caption you paste never leaves your device. "Copy link" makes a link that carries your answers after the # mark, which browsers do not send to any server, and the download is made on your device too. Nothing reaches us unless you ask us to email you the result.
Can I use these for clients?
Yes. Run it for each client with their industry and place, send yourself the link, and there is nothing to credit and no limit.
Who built this
If you would rather watch than read
Travel, food and influencer content from our founders, and the channel where the long form work lives.
The agency channel. UGC (user generated content) examples, client work and finished campaign videos.
