Best Hashtags for TikTok and Reels (2026)
Instagram now allows only 5 hashtags per post. What TikTok and Instagram say hashtags do, how to pick your five, and example sets for 13 niches.
The best hashtags for TikTok and Instagram Reels are a few specific ones that describe your video, not a copied "viral" list. On Instagram the limit is fixed now: up to 5 hashtags per post or reel (Instagram Help, since December 2025). On TikTok, keep to 3 to 5 as well. TikTok uses hashtags as one of several pieces of "content information" when it recommends videos, and it weighs how people interact with a video more heavily (TikTok Support). Pick one tag for the topic, one or two narrower ones, and one for the audience. Below are the current platform rules (checked September 2026), a way to choose tags, and example sets by niche.
What the platforms actually say
| TikTok | Instagram Reels | |
|---|---|---|
| Hashtag limit | No limit documented in TikTok's Help Center. Since August 2025 many accounts have reported an in-app cap of five per caption (Social Media Today). | Up to 5 per post or reel. Include more than 5 and "your comment won't post" (Instagram Help). |
| Where to add them | Add them to the post description when you post (TikTok Support) | In the caption or in a comment on your post |
| Role in recommendations | Hashtags are listed alongside sounds, view counts and the country the video was posted in as "content information." For most users, interactions such as watch time are "generally weighted more heavily" (TikTok Support). | Instagram announced the 5-tag limit on December 18, 2025 (@creators on Threads), pushing creators toward fewer, more targeted tags. |
| Role in search | Search results depend mostly on how well content matches the search term. Hashtags and sounds are part of that match. | Posts from public accounts appear on the matching hashtag page. Posts from private accounts don't (Instagram Help). |
In short, hashtags tell each platform what your video is about. They don't push a weak video into feeds. The first seconds of the video and how long people watch matter more.
Why "viral hashtag lists" don't help
Lists that show view counts next to #fyp, #funny or #viral are measuring how many videos use a tag, not whether the tag helps a new video. Neither TikTok nor Instagram publishes a ranking of "best" hashtags. A giant tag like #funny is shared by an enormous number of other videos, so it tells the recommendation system almost nothing about yours. #fyp and #foryou describe no topic at all. TikTok's recommendation page doesn't mention them.
Five slots on Instagram (and a practical five on TikTok) make this simple: each slot should say something true and specific about the video.
How to pick your five
- Write the topic as a phrase. "Sourdough starter for beginners" is better than "baking."
- Search it in the app. On TikTok, type the phrase into Search and look at the suggested searches and hashtags. On Instagram, open the hashtag page and check that recent posts there look like yours.
- Fill the slots in this order: one topic tag (
#sourdough), one or two narrower tags (#sourdoughstarter,#sourdoughforbeginners), one audience or format tag (#bakingtips), and optionally one branded or series tag (#yourshowname). - Put keywords in the caption and on screen too. TikTok's search ranks mostly on how well content matches the search term, so the words people type should appear in your caption text and on-screen text as well as in hashtags.
- Review after a few weeks. TikTok Studio and Instagram Insights both show where views came from. If search or hashtag traffic is near zero, change the topic words, not just the number of tags.
Example hashtag sets by niche
These are examples to adapt, not a verified "top" list and not view-count rankings. Check each tag in the app before you use it.
| Niche | Example set (5 tags) |
|---|---|
| Home cooking | #easyrecipes #airfryer #airfryerrecipes #weeknightdinner #cooking |
| Baking | #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #baking #bread #bakingtips |
| Fitness | #homeworkout #coreworkout #fitnesstips #beginnerworkout #fitness |
| Skincare | #skincare #skincareroutine #sensitiveskin #spf #skincaretips |
| Fashion | #ootd #capsulewardrobe #styletips #thriftflip #fashion |
| Gaming | #minecraft #minecraftbuilds #gaming #minecrafttutorial #survival |
| Tech | #techtok #iphonetips #productivity #techreview #gadgets |
| Personal finance | #personalfinance #budgeting #savingmoney #debtfree #moneytips |
| Study and education | #studytok #studytips #learnontiktok #exam #studywithme |
| Travel | #japantravel #tokyo #traveltips #budgettravel #travel |
| Pets | #dogsoftiktok #goldenretriever #dogtraining #puppy #pets |
| Small business | #smallbusiness #packingorders #handmade #smallbusinesscheck #entrepreneur |
| Podcast clips | #podcast #podcastclips the show name, the guest's name, and the topic |
Swap TikTok-specific tags (#techtok, #studytok, #learnontiktok, #dogsoftiktok) for platform-neutral ones when you post the same video as a Reel.
Posting the same video to TikTok and Reels
- Remove the other app's watermark. Instagram says it may make reels less visible when they are watermarked, low resolution, muted, bordered, mostly text, or already posted on Instagram (Instagram). Export a clean file rather than re-uploading a downloaded TikTok.
- Rewrite the hashtags for each app. Keep the topic tags and change the community tags.
- Add captions. They help people watching without sound, and the on-screen words match what people search for.
If you cut clips from longer videos, Exemplary AI (our product) can find the moments, reframe them to vertical and add captions with the TikTok clip maker or Instagram Reel maker. It can also suggest hashtags based on your content with the hashtag generator. Review the suggestions against the five-slot method above before posting.
Get hashtag ideas from your video
Suggests hashtags based on your content. Keep the specific ones, drop the rest.
For the rest of the growth picture (hooks, watch time, posting rhythm), see how to get more views on TikTok.
FAQ
How many hashtags should I use on TikTok?
Use 3 to 5. TikTok doesn't publish a limit in its Help Center, but many accounts have reported an in-app cap of five per caption since August 2025, and more tags don't help anyway.
How many hashtags can you use on Instagram Reels?
Up to 5 per post or reel. Instagram's Help Center says that if you include more than 5 on a single photo or video, your comment won't post. Instagram announced the change on December 18, 2025. The previous limit was 30.
Does #fyp help you get on the For You page?
There is no evidence it does. TikTok's explanation of For You recommendations lists hashtags as content information but never mentions #fyp. The tag describes no topic, so it gives the system nothing useful.
Should hashtags go in the caption or a comment?
On Instagram, either works: Instagram Help says you can add hashtags in the caption or the comments, and you can add them later by editing the caption. On TikTok, add them to the description when you post.
Where can I find trending hashtags?
On TikTok, use Search and the trending content in TikTok Studio, which you can filter by region and topic. On Instagram, check hashtag pages for recent posts. Use a trending tag only if your video actually fits it.
