How to Save Hashtags on Instagram

Finding the right hashtags for every single Instagram post is a tedious, time-consuming chore that pulls you away from creating great content. This guide will walk you through several practical methods to save and organize your hashtags, giving you a system that saves you time, keeps you consistent, and helps you post more effectively.

Why Saving Your Hashtags is a Game-Changer

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Putting a system in place for your hashtags isn't just about saving a few minutes here and there. It fundamentally changes your workflow for the better and strengthens your overall social media strategy.

1. It Saves You a Surprising Amount of Time

Think about the last time you posted on Instagram. How much of that time was spent hunting for the perfect mix of hashtags? You probably toggled between recent posts, scrolled through competitor accounts, and typed variations into the search bar. This frantic, last-minute search can easily eat up 15-20 minutes per post. If you post daily, that’s over two hours a week spent on a single task. Having pre-researched, organized lists turns that chaotic search into a simple 10-second copy-and-paste.

2. It Creates Consistency in Your Strategy

Great social media marketing is built on consistency. Your content should be categorized into a few key themes or "pillars," and your hashtags should reflect that. By creating and saving dedicated hashtag groups for each of your content pillars - like "Behind the Scenes," "Educational Tips," or "Product Spotlights" - you ensure you’re always targeting the right audience for that specific piece of content. This avoids the randomness of just grabbing whatever hashtags feel right in the moment, leading to more predictable performance over time.

3. It Drastically Reduces Errors

Typing out 20 to 30 hashtags on a small mobile keyboard is a recipe for typos. A single misspelled hashtag (like #MarketingTips instead of #MarketingTips) is completely useless, it won’t show up in any searches and does nothing for your reach. Using saved, verified lists puts an end to this risk. You do the research once, check your spelling once, and then trust that your list is ready to go every time.

4. It Makes Optimization and Testing Possible

Which hashtags are actually working for you? It's impossible to know if you're using a random mix every time. When you use saved, organized sets, you can start running simple experiments. Try "Group A" on your educational posts this week and "Group B" next week. Check your analytics to see which one delivered better reach or engagement. This systematic approach is only possible when your hashtags are structured and saved, allowing you to gradually refine your strategy based on actual data, not guesswork.

Saving Hashtags Directly in Your Phone (No Apps Needed)

You don't need fancy tools to get started. Some of the most effective methods for saving hashtags use features already built into your smartphone. These are perfect for getting started quickly and are completely free.

Method 1: The Keyboard Shortcut Hack

This is arguably the fastest way to add a block of hashtags to a post. The idea is to create a shortcut where typing a small, memorable keyphrase automatically expands into your full list of hashtags.

How to Set It Up on iPhone:

1. Go to Settings >, General >, Keyboard.
2. Tap on Text Replacement.
3. Tap the "+" icon in the top right corner.
4. In the Phrase field, paste your entire block of hashtags. (e.g., "#digitalmarketing #socialmediamarketing #contentcreator...")
5. In the Shortcut field, type your trigger phrase. Make it something you won't type by accident, like !ighashtags1 or #genmk.
6. Tap Save.

Now, whenever you're writing a caption in Instagram, just type your shortcut (!ighashtags1) and hit the spacebar. Your iPhone will automatically replace it with the full list of saved hashtags.

How to Set It Up on Android (using Gboard):

1. Open your Gboard settings (you can usually find this by opening the Gboard keyboard and tapping the settings cog).
2. Go to Dictionary >, Personal dictionary.
3. Select your language.
4. Tap the "+" icon to add a new word/phrase.
5. In the top field (the "word"), paste your entire block of hashtags.
6. In the field below (the "shortcut"), type your unique trigger phrase.
7. Tap the back arrow to save.

Pros: Incredibly fast, works across any app on your phone, not just Instagram.

Cons: Becomes hard to manage if you have more than 5-10 lists, you have to remember all your shortcut codes, editing a list means digging back into your phone settings.

Method 2: The Classic Notes App Method

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. Using a notes app (like Apple Notes, Google Keep, or Samsung Notes) provides a visual, organized home for all your hashtag research.

How to Set It Up:

1. Create a new note named "Instagram Hashtags."
2. Use headings or bold text to create categories based on your content pillars (e.g., General Marketing Tips, Reels Hashtags, Local Business NC).
3. Under each heading, paste a curated list of hashtags for that category. It’s helpful to add a count next to each list, like "(28 hashtags)."
4. Your note will act as a "command center." When you're ready to post, just open the app, find the list you need, copy it, and paste it into Instagram.

Pros: Easy to see and manage all your lists in one place, free and straightforward, simple to edit on the fly.

Cons: Requires switching between apps during the posting process, can get messy and disorganized if you don't maintain it well.

Building a Smart Hashtag System That Actually Works

Saving your hashtags is the first step. The next is to organize them into a strategic system that helps you grow. This means moving beyond random lists and creating intentional groups that align with your content goals.

Step 1: Define Your Content Pillars

Content pillars are the 3-5 core topics you consistently talk about on your account. They are the foundation of your content strategy and give your audience a reason to follow you. A clear definition of your pillars is essential before you can research relevant hashtags.

• Example for a real estate agent: Listings, Market Updates, Homebuying Tips, Local Community.
• Example for a coffee shop: New Drinks, Behind the Scenes, Customer Features, Latte Art.
• Example for a SaaS company: Product Features, Industry News, User Case Studies, Company Culture.

Step 2: Create Hashtag "Pyramids" for Each Pillar

For each content pillar, you should create a list of around 20-30 hashtags that has a mix of sizes. A good hashtag strategy doesn’t just chase giant, popular hashtags, it targets communities of different scales. This is often called a hashtag pyramid or ladder.

• Broad/High-Volume Hashtags (2-4): These have millions of posts (e.g., #fitness, #graphicdesign, #food). They're hard to rank for, but they tell the algorithm what your content is about in broad terms.
• Specific/Medium-Volume Hashtags (10-15): These are more descriptive and have anywhere from 50k to 500k posts (e.g., #logodesigner, #womeninbusiness, #veganmealprep). This is where you have a better chance of being discovered.
• Niche/Low-Volume Hashtags (5-10): These target a very specific community, often with under 10k-50k posts (e.g., #chicagorealtor, #fujixt4photography, #sourdoughbakingforbeginners). This is where your most engaged audience lives.
• Branded Hashtags (1-2): These are unique to your business (e.g., #YourBrandName, #YourCampaignSlogan).

Step 3: Organize Your Groups in a Spreadsheet

As you build out these hashtag groups, a notes app starts to feel limited. A simple spreadsheet (like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel) becomes a far more powerful tool for organization.

Create a sheet with columns like:

| Content Pillar | Hashtag Group | Hashtag Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homebuying Tips | #firsttimehomebuyer #mortgagetips #realestatetips... | 28 | Good for carousel posts |
| Market Updates | #housingmarket #interestrates #realestatenews... | 25 | Use for monthly report Reels |
| Local Community | #chicagolocal #explorechicago #chicagoneighborhoods...| 30 | For posts about local businesses|

This layout lets you see everything at a glance, making it much easier to manage, update, and grab the right group for each post.

A Word of Caution: Don’t Just Copy and Paste Blindly

Having saved lists is powerful, but there's one mistake many people make: they use the exact same block of 30 hashtags on every single post. Instagram has noted that this behavior can be seen as spammy and may reduce the reach of your posts over time. Your saved groups should be a foundation, not a final stamp.

Here’s a smarter workflow:

1. Select a pillar group: Choose the saved hashtag group that best matches the content of your post.
2. Copy and Paste: Add it to your caption or the first comment.
3. Customize with post-specific tags: Add 3-5 unique, hyper-specific hashtags that describe what's in that specific photo or video. If your post is about a 'home staging tip for small bathrooms,' add tags like #smallbathroomideas or #bathroomstaging.
4. Trim the excess: To keep your total count around 25-30, you can now remove a few of the more generic tags from your foundational list.

This small extra step ensures that every post feels tailored and tells the algorithm exactly what your content is about, giving you the benefit of speed without the penalty of being repetitive.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, saving your hashtags is about creating a deliberate, systematic approach to your Instagram strategy. Moving away from last-minute scrambling and toward organized, pre-researched lists saves you hours of work while delivering more consistent results. Once you have your keywords organized, the next natural step is optimizing your entire posting process. Personally, managing sets of hashtags in separate apps still created friction for our team. We built hashtag management right into Postbase to solve this. You can create saved "First Comments" filled with your different hashtag groups, allowing you to add the perfect set to any scheduled post with a single click from the calendar. It's a small shortcut that helps us reclaim creative time every single day.