How to Upload More Than 10 Photos on Instagram Story

Ever tried creating that perfect behind-the-scenes photo dump for your Instagram Story, only to bump into the app's frustrating 10-photo limit? You're not alone. While Instagram officially caps your multi-select tool at ten pieces of media, there are several clever workarounds that let you share as much of your story as you want. This guide will walk you through three simple methods to upload more than 10 photos to your Instagram Story, from creating massive photo collages to batching your content for a seamless experience.

First, Let's Understand Instagram's 10-Photo Limit

Before we break the rules, let's clarify what they are. When you open your Instagram camera, swipe up to access your photo library, and tap the "Select" button in the top-right corner, Instagram allows you to choose up to ten photos and videos. When you proceed, each piece of media becomes its own individual Story slide.

This is great for creating a quick sequence, but limiting for longer events, detailed tutorials, or epic "day in the life" recaps. The ten-photo limit is where most users get stuck, assuming it's a hard wall. But in reality, it's just a starting point. Let's get around it.

Method 1: Build a Mega-Collage with the Photo Sticker

If your goal is to fit a ton of photos onto a single Story slide, your best friend is the lesser-known Photo Sticker. Most people add one or two photos this way, but there’s no official limit to how many you can add. You can literally tile dozens of photos on one screen if you want, creating a visually rich and engaging collage without leaving the Instagram app.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Photo Sticker Method:

• Step 1: Start with a Foundation. Open the Instagram Story editor. Don't select a photo from your camera roll right away. Instead, hit the “Create” tool (the 'Aa' icon) and choose a solid background color. This gives you a clean canvas to work on. Alternatively, you could select one main background photo to set the scene.
• Step 2: Open the Sticker Tray. Tap the sticker icon (the smiling square face) at the top of the screen.
• Step 3: Find and Select the Photo Sticker. Scroll down until you see an icon that looks like a little circle previewing your most recent photo. Tap on it. This will open your entire camera roll.
• Step 4: Add Your First Photo. Select the first image you want to add to your collage. It will appear on your Story slide. You can now drag it, pinch it to resize, and rotate it with two fingers.
• Step 5: Rinse and Repeat. Here’s the magic. Just tap the sticker icon again, select the photo sticker again, and choose your next photo. Keep doing this for every single photo you want to add. You can add well over ten photos this way, layering and arranging them to create a custom scrapbook-style Story.

Pro Tips for Making a Great Sticker Collage:

• Change the Shape: Don't like the default square with rounded corners? Just tap on the photo sticker once it's on your screen. Tapping it will cycle through different shapes like circles, stars, and rectangles. Find one that fits your vibe.
• Layer Thoughtfully: The photos you add last will appear on top. Use this to your advantage by layering elements strategically to create depth and visual interest.
• Mix Media: You can add text, GIFs, polls, and music on top of your collage to make it even more interactive. A well-placed 'comment below' sticker can turn a simple photo dump into a conversation starter.

Method 2: The "Batch Upload" Trick to Exceed 10 Slides

If your goal isn't to put everything on one slide, but rather to create a flowing narrative with more than ten consecutive Story slides, the "batch upload" method is your answer. This trick relies on speed and simply repeats the normal upload process before the first batch is even finished posting.

You’re not technically uploading twenty photos at once, but for your viewers, the experience will be seamless - as if you uploaded them all in one go.

How to Batch Upload Your Stories:

• Step 1: Upload Your First Batch of 10. Go through the standard process. Open Stories, swipe up, tap "Select", and choose your first ten photos. Apply any edits, filters, or text you want to this batch.
• Step 2: Post Them. Once you're ready, tap "Your Story" to start the uploading process. You'll see the little "uploading..." spinner on your story icon on the home screen.
• Step 3: Immediately Start the Second Batch. Don't wait for the first ten stories to finish uploading. As soon as you hit post, go right back into the story creation screen. Swipe up, tap "Select" again, and choose photos 11 through 20.
• Step 4: Post the Second Batch. Edit this second group and share it to your story. Because you started this process while the first batch was still in progress, Instagram will queue them up to post right after the last photo from the first batch goes live.

To your audience, it'll just look like one long, continuous story of twenty photos. This method is perfect for event coverage, travel diaries, or taking your followers through a step-by-step process that requires a lot of visuals.

Method 3: Create Limitless Layouts with a Third-Party App

For the ultimate creative control, you can create your collage outside of Instagram and then upload the finished product as a single, polished image. This route lets you experiment with sophisticated grids, branded templates, and elegant layouts that Instagram’s native tools can't match.

Popular apps like Canva, Unfold, Mojo, and Adobe Express are built specifically for this. They offer professional-looking templates that you can populate with your own photos.

General workflow for using a layout app:

• Step 1: Choose Your Tool. Download a dedicated collage or story design app. Many, like Canva, have excellent free versions with plenty of templates.
• Step 2: Select a Template. Find a template designed for Instagram Stories (usually a 1080x1920 pixel or 9:16 aspect ratio canvas). Look for designs that have placeholders for a large number of photos.
• Step 3: Import and Arrange Your Photos. Add your photos one by one into the template placeholders. Here, you can resize, crop, and adjust each photo with much greater precision than with Instagram’s sticker tool.
• Step 4: Add Your Branding. This is where this method shines. You can add your brand's fonts, color hex codes, and logo to maintain a consistent aesthetic across all your content.
• Step 5: Export and Upload. Once your masterpiece is complete, save the finished image to your camera roll as a high-quality JPG or PNG file. Then, simply open Instagram, swipe up to create a story, and upload that single, powerful image.

Best Practices for Your Epic Multi-Photo Stories

Breaking past the 10-photo barrier is one thing, doing it effectively is another. No follower wants to tap through 50 random, disconnected photos. Keep these tips in mind to create a multi-photo story that your audience actually enjoys.

Tell a Cohesive Story

Whether you're creating a giant collage or posting 20 slides in a row, think like a storyteller. Your photos should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Guide your viewers through the experience rather than just dumping a folder of random images on them.

Keep It Visually Consistent

Try to use a consistent filter or editing style throughout the series of photos. If you're using stickers or GIFs, stick to a certain theme. This small step makes your story feel more professional and thoughtfully curated, rather than chaotic and overwhelming.

Don't Overwhelm Your Viewers

Just because you can post 30 photos doesn't mean you always should. Be mindful of your audience's attention span. Pay attention to your story view metrics - if you notice a steep drop-off after the tenth slide, you might be posting too much at once. Sometimes it's better to break up a very long story into two parts shared a few hours apart.

Add Interactive Elements

Once your photos are laid out, bring them to life with Instagram’s interactive stickers. Use polls ("Which one was your favorite moment?") on a slide to get quick feedback, a quiz sticker to test your audience’s knowledge of a product you showcased, or a question sticker to invite DMs. This turns passive viewing into active participation.

Final Thoughts

Creating stories with more than ten photos is completely within your reach once you know the workarounds. Whether you prefer the freeform creativity of the on-platform sticker method, the quick and efficient batching technique, or the polished finish of a dedicated layout app, you no longer have to feel constrained by Instagram's default limits.

Once you’ve mastered creating these types of Stories, planning them in advance becomes the next step in saving time. We built Postbase to make that part easier. Our visual content calendar helps you lay out your social strategy, including your detailed Stories, so you can see exactly what's going live and when. Because our platform is designed for today’s content, like Stories and Reels, you can plan your big photo moments and creative layouts in a tool that understands how social media actually works right now.