How to Post Multiple Photos on Instagram (iPhone, Android & Desktop)

The short answer

Tap +, choose Post, tap the stacked-squares icon (Select multiple) in the photo picker, then tap your photos in the order you want them. You can add up to 20 photos and videos. Tap Next, edit, write a caption and Share.

A post with more than one photo is called a carousel. People swipe sideways to see the rest. The steps below cover each device, then the problems people run into most.

How to post multiple photos on Instagram (iPhone and Android)

The app works the same way on iPhone and Android.

1. Open Instagram and tap + at the bottom (or swipe right from the feed).
2. Make sure Post is selected at the bottom, not Story or Reel.
3. Tap the stacked-squares icon above the gallery on the right. It may say Select multiple. Small number bubbles appear on every thumbnail.
4. Tap photos in the order you want them shown. The number on each one is its position in the carousel.
5. Tap Next. Apply one filter to all photos, or tap a single photo to edit it on its own.
6. Tap Next again, write your caption, tag people, add a location or music.
7. Tap Share.

Tip: the order is locked once you share. If you're unsure, write the order down before you start, or plan it in a grid preview.

How to post multiple photos on Instagram from a computer

Instagram on the web supports carousels too.

1. Go to instagram.com and log in.
2. Click Create (the + in the left sidebar) and choose Post.
3. Click Select from computer and select several files at once (hold Cmd on Mac or Ctrl on Windows while clicking).
4. To add more after the first batch, click the stacked-squares icon in the bottom-right corner of the preview and click +.
5. Drag thumbnails in that same panel to reorder them.
6. Choose a crop, click Next, add filters, click Next, write the caption and click Share.

How many photos can you post at once?

Up to 20. Instagram raised the carousel limit from 10 to 20 photos and videos in 2024. Photos and videos can be mixed in the same post.

Twenty is the ceiling, not a target. Carousels of 6 to 10 slides are common for educational posts: enough room for a hook, the points, and a closing call to action. Photo dumps can run longer because people swipe through those quickly.

Need more than 20? See how to post more than 20 photos on Instagram.

Why your photos get cropped (and how to stop it)

Every photo in a carousel has to share the same shape. Instagram uses the crop of the first photo for all of them. If photo one is square, a tall portrait later in the set gets its top and bottom cut off.

Ways around it:

• Make the first photo the shape you want. Choose 4:5 portrait on the first photo before selecting the rest.
• Tap the crop button and zoom out on the first photo in the picker so it isn't forced to square.
• Pad mismatched photos with a white or coloured border before uploading so they all match.
• Export at the right size. 1080 × 1350px (4:5) is the safest choice. Our carousel size guide has every size.

The multiple photos option is missing — what to do

If you don't see the stacked-squares icon or the Select multiple button:

1. Check you're on Post. Reels and Stories have their own pickers, and the carousel option only exists for posts.
2. Update the app from the App Store or Play Store. Old versions are the most common cause.
3. Restart the app, or log out and back in.
4. Android: clear the app's cache in Settings → Apps → Instagram → Storage.
5. Give Instagram access to all photos. On iPhone, if you allowed only "Selected Photos", you can only pick from that subset. Change it in Settings → Instagram → Photos → Full Access.
6. Reinstall if none of the above works.

Can you add photos to an existing carousel?

No. Instagram doesn't let you add new photos to a carousel after it's posted. You can remove a photo: tap … on the post, choose Edit, then tap the trash icon on the photo you want gone. To add photos you have to post again.

Can you rearrange photos after posting?

No. The order is fixed once you share. Delete and repost if the order matters.

Can you post multiple photos to your Story?

Yes. In the Story camera, open your gallery and tap Select (or Select multiple), then pick several photos. Each one becomes its own Story frame. To put several photos in a single frame, use the Layout option in the Story camera instead.

Do carousels get more reach than single photos?

Carousels give people a reason to stay on the post and swipe, and anyone who doesn't swipe the first time may be shown the second slide later. They also suit content that gets saved, such as tips, steps and checklists. If you add music, the post can show up with audio like a Reel.

Tips for multi-photo posts that people actually swipe

1. Make photo one a hook. It's the only thing people see in the feed. A bold headline or the strongest image goes first.
2. Tell a story in order. Before and after, step by step, or a list. Give each slide a reason to exist.
3. Mix photos and text slides. A text slide that explains the next photo keeps people swiping.
4. End with one clear ask. "Save this", "Send it to a friend" or "Follow for part 2".
5. Keep one look. Same filter, same fonts, same margins.

Make the slides themselves faster

If your carousel is text-led (tips, a breakdown, a lesson), designing 8 slides by hand takes a while. InstaCarousel writes and designs the slides from a YouTube video, a blog post or your own notes, at 1080 × 1350px and ready to post. For a single wide photo, the free seamless carousel maker splits it into slides that join up when people swipe.