Yes, there is a list full of banned Instagram hashtags that you should avoid if you don’t want to get penalized by Instagram. The bad news is that this list is changing every week. The good news is that we can check our hashtags before we add them to our IG feed.

Although banned Instagram hashtags mean extra work for each post, in general, I find it a clever way to restrict spam behavior inside the platform. Fake news and spamming are making our social media life feel like a weekend in the most dangerous city in the world.

Protect your Instagram account by auditing once a month your hashtags. It’s a must-do process for brand protection. Get yourself together and make this Instagram health check-up every single month.

Last year, Instagram has grown the “negative list” of banned hashtags with more popular terms. More users see the side effect of these banned Instagram hashtags. Any post that includes them stays hidden and not reachable by your brand’s audience. No one wants that!

Instagram is trying to clean the air from fake news, spammers, fake accounts, bots, and scammers. And they do a really great effort to succeed. In their continuous effort to protect the app’s authenticity, Instagram’s bot detection has started to detect and flag IG accounts that use specific hashtags.

Instagram Banned Hashtags

Last update January 2022

Here is the list of banned Instagram hashtags we have gathered for you:

A

• #alone
• #always
• #armparty
• #adulting
• #assday
• #ass
• #abdl
• #assworship
• #addmysc
• #asiangirl
• #addmyonlyfans
• #antivax

B

• #beautyblogger
• #brain
• #boho
• #besties
• #bikinibody
• #babyrp
• #breast
• #breasts

C

• #costumes
• #curvygirls

D

• #date
• #dating
• #desk
• #dm
• #direct
• #drugs

E

• #elevator
• #eggplant
• #edm

F

• #fuck
• #fuckyou

G

• #girlsonly
• #gloves
• #graffitiigers

H

• #happythanksgiving
• #hawks
• #hotweather
• #humpday
• #hustler
• #hardworkpaysoff

I

• #ilovemyinstagram
• #instababy
• #instasport
• #iphonegraphy
• #italiano
• #ice
• #ig

J

****

K

• #killingit
• #kill
• #kansas
• #kissing
• #kickoff

L

• #leaves
• #like
• #lulu
• #lean
• #loseweight

M

• #master
• #milf
• #mileycyrus
• #models
• #mustfollow
• #mirrorphoto

N

• #nasty
• #newyearsday
• #nude
• #nudism
• #nudity
• #nipple
• #nipples

O

• #overnight
• #orderweedonline

P

• #parties
• #petite
• #pornfood
• #pushups
• #prettygirl
• #porn

Q

****

R

• #rate
• #rape
• #ravens

S

• #samelove
• #selfharm
• #skateboarding
• #skype
• #snap
• #snapchat
• #single
• #singlelife
• #stranger
• #saltwater
• #shower
• #shit
• #sopretty
• #sunbathing
• #streetphoto
• #swole
• #snowstorm
• #sexy
• #sex
• #sexshop

T

• #tanlines
• #todayimwearing
• #teens
• #teen
• #thought
• #tag4like
• #tagsforlikes
• #thighs

U

• #undies
• #underage

V

• #valentinesday
• #vagina

W

• #workflow
• #wtf

X

• #xanax

Y

• #youngmodel

Z

****

Be Proactive

Avoid being blocked by Instagram.

Hashtags are a great way to find what you are looking for and the best fit for your brand. However, if you are not careful and you are skipping the checking process, you may end up blocked by Instagram.

Every time you are adding a new hashtag check it carefully.

Instagram has banned many harmless hashtags forever. It is true, that some hashtags are banned temporarily but still this can harm your brand. Never use a banned hashtag! Scroll your IG account and delete all banned hashtags from your copy. If you neglect to clean up your IG account you might get penalized, blocked, or shadowbanned. None of them is a happy place for a pro digital marketing strategy!

I know it’s a lot of work but your brand’s IG account deserves the best social media optimization and results.

Some Golden Tips

Apparently, we have a limit of 30 hashtags, In some cases, it’s not a good idea to use all 30. Try to limit your hashtags up to 10-15 and check your results for each group of hashtags. Instagram has developed an inspection tool for “groups” that boost each post. Think twice before you try these pods! Instagram doesn’t like them… Also, it is after ALL kinds of bots & spam behavior. Don’t use bots for auto likes and comments.

Have you spotted any missing Hashtag?

We would love to have your additions for any missing hashtags on this list. Have we left out any? Be our eyes and ears on Instagram! Feel free to send them in the comments section.

Let’s Connect on Instagram

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A post shared by IDEADECO | ARETI VASSOU | SEO (@aretivassou)

One Last Instagram Tip about Banned Hashtags

The world won’t stop if you use a banned hashtag but you are going to lose the audience you want.
Each time we use one of these hashtags, the affected posts will stay out of the feed of your selected audience. If you already have a huge number of followers then it won’t affect your audience growth. But if you are struggling to build your Instagram community then banned hashtags will send your account into a zombie state.

Remember that using too many banned hashtags, can bring unwanted attention from Instagram and land a red flag on your account, which could lead to a painful “shadowban” or even worse to a complete account shutdown. ALWAYS Check your hashtags!!!!