How to use hashtags on Instagram

Georgina Smith
Instagram logo on pink background

Adding hashtags to a post on Instagram can be one of the best ways to boost your posts and reach more users on the app. Here’s how to use hashtags on Instagram.

Instagram is still one of the most popular apps to share pictures and videos, whether that’s users sharing snaps from their lives with family and friends, or influencers and celebrities keeping their fans up to date.

When trying to build a following and get more engagement on Instagram, one of the best ways to get more attention and become more involved with certain communities, is hashtags.

You might see hashtags used as a cluster underneath a post’s caption, or integrated into the caption itself, and clicking on one will allow you to see a range of content related to that topic.

How to use hashtags on Instagram

Adding hashtags to a post is a pretty straightforward process, and the more you do it, the more of a habit it will become, particularly if you are using similar hashtags each time.

  1. Click the new post button at the top of the app to create a new post.
  2. Pick the image you want to upload, then ‘Next.’
  3. Make any edits, then click ‘Next’ again.
  4. Tap the caption box. To add a hashtag, type the ‘#’ symbol, and type a word to search it.
  5. Select a hashtag from the drop-down list.

There are so many hashtags to choose from, but if you want to start with some of the most popular tags for each category, you can check out our list here.

Some users choose to put hashtags in the main caption, but others choose to put them in a comment under the post, it just depends on how you want to lay out your content.

Many users also choose to come up with their own unique hashtags that make it easier for followers to track their content, but this is by no means necessary.

If you want to know more about how to use Instagram, you can check out our other guides here:

How to link your Instagram account to TikTokHow to see your first-liked Instagram postHow to switch Instagram feed to chronological orderHow to re-share a post to your Story on InstagramHow to make money on InstagramHow to hide likes on Instagram

About The Author

Georgina was formerly an entertainment writer for Dexerto. She covered all aspects of influencer culture on TikTok and more, including creators such as Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. She also wrote about hit reality shows such as Love Island and Below Deck.