Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags in a caption, but Meta’s own 2026 guidance is to use three to five that describe the post, and to avoid follow-for-follow, like-for-like and other tags that have been restricted for spam. Paste your caption or hashtag list below and the checker counts your tags, flags duplicates, banned and spammy tags, mega generic tags and anything that is not a valid hashtag, then gives you a cleaned set and a score out of 100 with the reasons.
Posting to Facebook too? The free Facebook hashtag generator builds a two to three tag lead set, which is the size that works there.
How to use the checker
- Paste your whole caption or just the hashtag block into the box. Line breaks, commas and dots between tags are fine.
- Press the button. You get the count against the 30 limit and the 3 to 5 recommendation, a list of anything flagged with the reason, a cleaned set with the flagged tags removed and duplicates merged, and a score out of 100.
- Copy the cleaned set and paste it back into your caption or first comment. Nothing leaves your browser: the banned and generic lists live in this page and there is no login.
The checker
How it works
The checker splits what you paste on spaces, line breaks and punctuation, keeps every token that starts with #, and tests each one against Instagram’s rules: letters, numbers and underscores only, not numbers alone. It then lowercases the tags to find exact and mixed case duplicates, because Instagram treats #MarketingTips and #marketingtips as the same tag. Each unique tag is checked against two lists that live in this page: a hand kept list of around 80 tags that have been banned or restricted for spam or adult content over the years, including #followforfollow, #likeforlike, #tagsforlikes and their short forms, and a list of about 50 mega generic tags such as #love and #instagood that have hundreds of millions of posts and give a small account no visible reach. Banned tags are removed from the cleaned set, generic ones are kept but flagged, and if you pasted a bare list rather than a caption, words without a # are flagged too. The score starts at 100 and loses points for going over 30, for going over five, for each banned tag, each duplicate, each generic tag and each invalid token.
Instagram changes its restricted list without notice, so treat the flags as a strong warning, not a verdict. If you want to confirm a tag yourself, search it in the Instagram app: a banned tag either shows no posts or a notice that posts are hidden. If a tag you use often gets flagged here, that is worth two minutes to check. To count the caption itself against the 2,200 character limit, use the free Instagram character counter.
What Meta says about hashtags in 2026
Meta’s creator guidance now describes hashtags as a way to tell the system what a post is about, not a way to game reach, and recommends three to five that describe the content. Instagram removed the ability to follow hashtags in late 2024, which cut the reach that came from people following a tag, and the ranking now leans on the caption text, the audio, the on screen text and how the first viewers react. That is why a clean, specific set beats a wall of 30. Once your set is clean, the free Instagram caption generator can write the words to go with it, and if you want to find tags that are moving this week rather than reuse the same block, read how to find trending Instagram hashtags today. If reach is fine but reactions are low, measure it with the Instagram engagement rate calculator before you blame the tags.
Every other free tool on this site is listed on the free tools page, and every Instagram guide is on the Instagram help hub.
Frequently asked questions
How many hashtags can I use on Instagram in 2026?
Up to 30 in a caption or comment. Meta’s own guidance is three to five relevant tags. The checker counts against both numbers.
Are banned hashtags still a thing?
Yes. Instagram hides or limits posts under tags associated with spam, adult content or harassment, and the list changes without notice. Follow-for-follow and like-for-like tags and their short forms are the ones most people trip over. Search a tag in the app to confirm: no posts or a hidden notice means avoid it.
Does capitalisation matter in hashtags?
Not for matching. #MarketingTips and #marketingtips are the same tag, so using both is a duplicate. Capitalising each word does make tags easier to read and helps screen readers, so keep it for that reason.
Should hashtags go in the caption or the first comment?
Either works for discovery. The caption is simpler and is what Meta shows in its examples. Use the first comment if you want the caption to read cleanly, and keep the total across both under 30.
Does the checker send my caption anywhere?
No. The lists and the logic are inside this page and everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and there is no login.
