Instagram Character Limits

Every limit is taken from the platform’s own help or developer pages, last checked on 4 October 2026. Platforms change these without notice, so if a figure looks wrong, the linked page is the one to trust.

A caption can be up to 2,200 characters: around 350 words of English, which is more than most people need. A bio is much tighter at 150 characters, about the length of two short sentences, so every word has to earn its place.

Hashtags and @ mentions are written in the caption, so their characters count towards the 2,200 as well.

For years the figure everyone quoted was 30 hashtags per post. Instagram’s Help Centre now says you can use up to 5, and that a post with more than 5 won’t post. Meta’s older developer reference still mentions 30, but the Help Centre describes what the app does today, so plan for 5.

Captions can also mention up to 20 accounts with @, according to Meta’s developer documentation.

A bio that fits in 150 characters:

Baker in Leeds. Sourdough, seasonal bakes and the occasional disaster. New recipes every Sunday. Orders via the link below.

That is 123 characters. For captions, the counter above shows how much of the 2,200 you have used, so you can see at a glance whether to trim before adding your five hashtags.

• LinkedIn
• X (Twitter)
• YouTube
• TikTok
• SMS
• UCAS personal statement

For anything else, the character counter counts with and without spaces.