Platforms & Reach
Popular Hashtags
Most popular #popular hashtags for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Select any tags and copy them.
Quick answer: Popular hashtags such as #love, #photooftheday, #fashion and #travel are the biggest, most-used tags on Instagram. They are so crowded that a post from a small account is buried within minutes. Use at most one popular tag per post, then spend the rest of your 5 slots on narrower sub-topic tags.
All #popular hashtags
| Select | # | Hashtag | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broad | ||
| 2 | Mid-size | ||
| 3 | Niche | ||
| 4 | Niche | ||
| 5 | Niche | ||
| 6 | Broad | ||
| 7 | Broad | ||
| 8 | Broad | ||
| 9 | Broad | ||
| 10 | Broad | ||
| 11 | Broad | ||
| 12 | Broad | ||
| 13 | Broad | ||
| 14 | Broad | ||
| 15 | Broad | ||
| 16 | Broad | ||
| 17 | Mid-size | ||
| 18 | Mid-size | ||
| 19 | Mid-size | ||
| 20 | Mid-size | ||
| 21 | Mid-size | ||
| 22 | Mid-size | ||
| 23 | Mid-size | ||
| 24 | Mid-size | ||
| 25 | Mid-size | ||
| 26 | Mid-size | ||
| 27 | Mid-size | ||
| 28 | Mid-size | ||
| 29 | Mid-size | ||
| 30 | Mid-size | ||
| 31 | Mid-size | ||
| 32 | Niche | ||
| 33 | Niche | ||
| 34 | Niche | ||
| 35 | Niche | ||
| 36 | Niche | ||
| 37 | Niche | ||
| 38 | Niche | ||
| 39 | Niche | ||
| 40 | Niche | ||
| 41 | Niche | ||
| 42 | Niche | ||
| 43 | Niche | ||
| 44 | Niche | ||
| 45 | Niche | ||
| 46 | Niche | ||
| 47 | Top pick | ||
| 48 | Top pick | ||
| 49 | Top pick | ||
| 50 | Top pick | ||
| 51 | Top pick | ||
| 52 | Top pick |
Hashtags Selected (5)
Tick as many as you like. Instagram counts 5 per post; TikTok and YouTube allow more.
Pre-selected: our best 5-tag Instagram set.
Instagram hashtag sets (5 tags each)
Instagram counts a maximum of 5 hashtags per post or Reel. Each set below is complete: pick the one that matches your post and paste it into your caption. Why 5?
TikTok, YouTube Shorts and other platforms
About #popular content
This page is a reference for the large, evergreen tags: the ones that have been widely used for years across almost every category. Knowing them is useful for one reason: so you can decide deliberately whether a post deserves one.
Popular tags work best as a category label. #food tells Instagram the broad subject; #sourdoughbaking tells it exactly who will care. An account with a strong following can get some mileage from a big tag because early engagement keeps the post visible longer. A new account usually cannot, which is why the sets below always keep the popular tag to a single slot.
The sets are organized by the most common post categories. Replace the niche tags with your exact subject each time.
Tips for tagging Popular posts
- Use the popular tag as the category, not the strategy. One broad tag plus four specific ones is a solid default under the 5-tag cap; our hashtag limit guide explains the rule.
- Tap into a popular tag in Instagram search and look at the Top posts. If they come from accounts far larger than yours, that tag is unlikely to surface your post; move to the sub-topic tags you see in their captions.
- Popular does not mean safe. Some widely used words have been reported as restricted at times, so run new tags through the banned hashtag checker.
- Looking for the category tags themselves? Start with travel, food or fashion and use the pools there to find mid and niche options.
Hashtags to avoid
| Hashtag | Why skip it |
|---|---|
#popularpage | Promises exposure it cannot deliver and mostly collects repost and shoutout accounts. |
#followforfollow | Engagement-bait tag; popular in use but brings bots and unfollowers. |
#tbt | Very popular but only fits genuine throwback posts; using it on new content is misleading and wastes a slot. |
Check any tag with the free banned hashtag checker.
Caption ideas to pair with these tags
Small moment, big mood.
This is your sign to try it this week.
Three things I would do again.
Saving this as a reminder for next time.
Which one would you pick?
A simple one, but it gets me every time.
Tell me I am not the only one.
Captions count toward Instagram's character limit. Check yours with the caption counter.
#popular hashtag FAQs
What are the most popular hashtags on Instagram?
Long-running general tags like #love, #instagood, #photooftheday, #fashion, #travel and #food are consistently among the most used. Instagram does not publish an official ranking, and counts shown in the app change, so treat any exact list as approximate.
Should small accounts use popular hashtags?
Sparingly. A popular tag gets a constant flood of new posts, so yours scrolls out of view fast. One broad tag for categorization is fine; the other four should be specific.
Is a popular hashtag the same as a trending one?
No. Popular tags are big all the time. Trending tags spike around an event or format and then fade, which is why we cover them separately on the trending hashtags page.