How Many Hashtags Should You Use on YouTube Videos?
YouTube's own hashtag limits, and a sensible number to use.
Aditya Challa1 min read
Summary
YouTube shows up to three hashtags by your video title, and if a video has more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores all of them. A few relevant hashtags, often three to five, is a practical choice (that number is a common guideline, not a YouTube rule).
The official limits
- Up to three of the most engaging hashtags from your description appear by the title
- More than 60 hashtags on a video or playlist means every hashtag on it is ignored
- Hashtags must follow YouTube's policies; misleading or unrelated tags can lead to removal
Where to add them
Add hashtags in the description or title. Keep them relevant to the video itself.
Hashtags are not a ranking shortcut
Your title, thumbnail and watch time matter far more for discovery than tags.
Related: /blog/how-many-subscribers-to-monetize-on-youtube
Related: /blog/what-size-should-a-youtube-thumbnail-be
Related: /blog/how-do-you-add-chapters-to-a-youtube-video
Sources
Lab evidence
What I found running this
Facts in this draft were checked on 12 Oct 2026 against the primary sources listed in the body (official docs, release schedules or Google/YouTube help pages). No benchmarks or timings were run, so the post makes no performance or measurement claims; dates are quoted as published by the maintainers, and any estimate is labelled as such.
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