Instagram limits how often you can perform certain actions to prevent spam and protect the community. These limits are imposed when Instagram detects excessive or suspicious activity, such as:
- Following or unfollowing too many people (limit around 200 follows/unfollows per day)
- Sending too many direct messages (limit around 80 DMs per day)
- Posting too many likes (limit around 1000 likes per day)
- Commenting excessively (limit around 200 comments per day)
- Using too many hashtags or tagging too many people in posts (limit around 30 hashtags and 20 tags per post)
- Posting too often or engaging in spammy behavior like repetitive comments or inappropriate content
When you exceed these limits or violate guidelines, Instagram shows the warning message "We limit how often you can do certain things" and temporarily restricts your ability to perform these actions. Restrictions typically last from a few hours up to 48 hours, but can be longer if violations continue. New or smaller accounts may have stricter limits. To avoid this, it's important to pace your activities gradually and avoid spam-like behavior. If you believe the warning is a mistake, you can report the issue to Instagram for review. Refreshing the app, switching networks or devices, and uninstalling/reinstalling the app may help resolve temporary blocks. In summary, Instagram limits actions such as following, messaging, liking, commenting, and posting hashtags/tags to specific daily limits roughly like these:
- Following/unfollowing: 200/day
- Direct messages: 80/day
- Likes: 1000/day
- Comments: 200/day
- Hashtags per post: 30
- Tags per post: 20
Exceeding these limits triggers temporary restrictions for a few hours to possibly up to 48 hours or more depending on violations.
