How to Tag More Than 20 People on an Instagram Story

Running into Instagram’s 20-person tagging limit on a Story can feel like hitting a wall, especially when you have a whole team, list of collaborators, or event attendees to shout out. You have someone important to credit, but the app is telling you no more. This guide cuts right to the chase, showing you a few simple but effective methods to tag everyone you need to, going well beyond that official 20-mention cap.

Why Does Instagram Limit Story Tags to 20?

Before jumping into the workarounds, it’s helpful to understand why the limit exists in the first place. Instagram hasn’t released an official, detailed statement, but the cap on mentions is likely in place for several practical reasons:

• To Prevent Spam: The most obvious reason is to curb spammy behavior. If there were no limits, accounts could tag hundreds of random, high-profile users in every Story, hoping to get their attention or gain visibility. This would clutter notifications and create a negative experience for everyone.
• To Ensure a Good User Experience: A Story jam-packed with 50+ visible tags would be almost unreadable. The visual focus would be lost, and the content itself would be buried under a mountain of usernames. The limit helps keep Stories visually clean and easy to watch.
• For App Performance: Every interactive element in a Story, whether it’s a sticker, poll, or mention, adds a small amount of data. Capping these elements helps ensure the app runs smoothly without lag or glitches, both for the creator and the viewer.

So, while the limit can be frustrating, it serves a purpose. Luckily, the methods below work within Instagram's rules while still letting you achieve your goal of crediting a larger group.

Method 1: The Simple Multi-Slide Strategy

The most straightforward and reliable way to tag more than 20 people is to simply use multiple Story slides. Don’t overthink it, this method is effective because it’s simple. When you have 40 people to thank, create two engaging Story slides. Have 60? Make it three. Each new slide provides a fresh batch of 20 mentions.

The key is to keep the experience seamless for your viewers so it feels like a single, coherent message rather than disconnected posts.

How to Do It Step-by-Step:

1. Prepare Your Content: Start with the image or video you want to use as the background for your Story series.
2. Create the First Slide: Upload your media to the Instagram Story editor. Use either the "@mention" sticker or the text tool to start tagging people. Tag your first group of up to 20 accounts.
3. Add Context: To let viewers know what’s happening, consider adding a small text element like "Team Shout-out (1/3)" or "Event Crew - Part 1" at the corner of the screen. This manages expectations and encourages them to tap through to see the rest.
4. Post Slide One: Once the first 20 people are tagged, publish your Story.
5. Create the Second Slide: Immediately reopen the Story editor and upload the exact same image or video. This visual continuity makes the sequence flow naturally.
6. Tag the Next Group: Now, tag the next 20 people on this new slide. If you’re numbering your slides, update it to "(2/3)".
7. Repeat as Needed: Continue this process - upload the same media, tag a new group of 20, and update any indicator text - until you’ve tagged everyone.

Viewers will tap through a smooth sequence, and everyone you tagged will receive a notification and the opportunity to reshare your Story to their audience.

Method 2: Use "Invisible" Tags to Keep Your Story Clean

What if you need to tag many people but don't want their usernames cluttering your beautiful photo or video? This is where the "invisible" tag method comes in. The tags are still active, and tagged users will still get notified. But visually, they’ll be so tiny and out of the way that no one will notice them.

This approach is perfect for:

• Event photographers crediting a long list of vendors.
• Brands tagging numerous user-generated content creators or contest participants.
• Production teams thanking the entire cast and crew behind a project.

Just like the first method, you're still limited to 20 mentions per slide. The magic lies in combining the invisible technique with the multi-slide strategy to tag dozens of people without sacrificing your Story’s aesthetic.

How to Hide Your Tags:

1. Tag a User: In your Story editor, use the text tool to type "@username." Once the profile appears and you select it, the username becomes a clickable tag.
2. Shrink It Down: Use two fingers to pinch and zoom inward on the tag. Keep shrinking until it’s nearly a pixel in size. You’ll be surprised how small you can make it.
3. Hide It: Drag this tiny, shrunken tag to a discreet corner where it blends with the background. You can also hide it behind visual elements like a GIF, question sticker, or logo.
4. Repeat: Do this for all 20 tags, stacking them in a corner or lining them along the edge of the screen.
5. Combine with Multiple Slides: Post your first slide with these tiny hidden tags. Then, start a new slide with the same background and add your next batch of 20 invisible tags.

Method 3: The Layered "Copy and Paste" Text Trick

This is a time-saving variation, especially useful when you have a long list of usernames. Instead of typing each one directly into Instagram, prepare your list beforehand and paste them into the story in batches.

This technique uses the text tool, which can be more flexible than the "@mention" sticker when layering multiple elements. By pasting small groups of names, you can stay organized and avoid missing anyone.

Optimizing Your Workflow:

1. Prepare Your List: Open a notes app on your phone and type out all usernames, each preceded by "@". Double-check the spelling. Organize them into groups of 10-15.
2. Copy the First Batch: Select and copy the first group of usernames from your notes app.
3. Paste into Your Story: Open the text tool (the "Aa" icon) and paste the batch. Instagram should recognize the usernames as tappable tags.
4. Resize and Position: Move the text box where you want it. You can style the text or shrink the entire box down for invisibility, similar to Method 2. This way, 10 names are contained within one text box instead of multiple stickers.
5. Repeat with New Batches: Create a new text box, copy the next batch of usernames, and paste. While the total tags per slide are capped at 20, layering multiple text boxes is faster and helps keep you organized.

Best Practices: How to Tag Many People Without Spamming

Just because you can tag over 20 people doesn’t mean you should. Power has responsibility. Mass tagging, if misused, can seem spammy and harm your reputation. Here’s how to do it thoughtfully.

1. Keep It Relevant

Tag only accounts directly related to your Story's content. Are you highlighting contest winners? Tag them. Thanking contributors? Tag the photographer, models, or stylist. Celebrating a milestone? Tag your team members. Tagging 40 random influencers on a product photo is spam and will be ignored or reported.

2. Add Context in Your Story

Don’t just post a photo with dozens of hidden tags and no explanation. Say something like, "A huge thank you to the community members featured here!" or "Excited to welcome our new ambassadors!" Adding context makes the tags meaningful and appreciated.

3. Prioritize Visuals

Your main goal is to share a visually engaging Story. Don’t let your tags overpower the visual content. Shrink visible tags, align them neatly along the bottom, and choose a text color that’s easy to read yet complements the background.

4. Double-Check Usernames

Nothing is worse than mistyping a username, such as @johnsmith123 instead of @johnsmyth123. Ensure all usernames are correct before tagging. Mistyped tags won’t notify the user and lose the chance for amplification if they re-share.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram’s 20-tag limit serves a purpose, it doesn’t have to stop you. By using a multi-slide approach and hiding tags to keep your aesthetic, you can effectively credit large groups within Instagram’s framework.

Mastering these in-app tricks is helpful, but managing multiple Stories, Reels, and TikToks can get complicated over time. At Postbase, we built a simple, visual social media content calendar designed for today’s digital landscape. Our tool is video-first, helping you plan your entire strategy in one organized space - so you can focus less on juggling platforms and more on creating content that truly connects with your audience.