10 Creative Ways To Use The NEW 20-Picture Instagram Carousel Limit

The days of the 10-picture limit on Instagram carousel posts are officially over. As of late 2024 and continuing into 2025, Instagram has quietly rolled out a massive update, doubling the maximum number of photos and videos you can include in a single carousel post from 10 to an impressive 20. This game-changing feature is a huge win for creators, businesses, and anyone who loves sharing a comprehensive photo dump, allowing for deeper storytelling and more engaging, in-depth content right on the main feed.

This article serves as your ultimate, up-to-date guide on how to leverage this new 20-slide capacity. We will walk you through the precise, step-by-step process of creating a mega-carousel, explore the technical specifications you need to know, and provide a list of high-value, creative content ideas to make your posts stand out and maximize your engagement.

Your Up-to-Date Guide: How to Post Up to 20 Pictures on Instagram

The process for creating a 20-slide carousel remains largely the same as the old 10-slide method, but you must ensure your Instagram app is fully updated to access the new limit. The expanded limit applies to a mix of photos and videos, meaning you can have 20 photos, 20 videos, or any combination that totals 20 slides.

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Step-by-Step to Create Your 20-Slide Carousel Post

Follow these quick steps to select and upload your collection of up to 20 media files:

1. Open the Instagram App: Tap the Plus (+) icon at the bottom of your screen, just as you would for any new post.
2. Select 'Post': Ensure the "Post" option is selected from the menu.
3. Activate the Multi-Select Tool: In the bottom right corner of your photo library preview, tap the stacked squares icon (or the "Select Multiple" icon). This is the key to creating a carousel.
4. Choose Your Media: Go into your phone's photo gallery and begin tapping the photos and videos you wish to include. A number will appear on each selection, indicating its position in the carousel. You can now select up to 20 items.
5. Review and Order: Once you have selected your 20 items, tap Next. You will be taken to the editing screen. Critically, the order in which you tap the images is their final order in the post.
6. Apply Filters and Edits: Use the "Filter" or "Edit" tabs to adjust individual slides or apply the same filter to all slides.
7. Finalize and Share: Write your compelling caption, add relevant hashtags, tag your friends or location, and hit Share. Your audience can now swipe through your expanded 20-slide story!

Pro Tip: Changing the Order After Selection

If you realize you selected your photos in the wrong order, you can fix it before posting. While in the editing screen, you may be able to long-press on a slide to drag and drop it into a new position, depending on your app version. If you have already posted and need to change the order, the process is slightly different:

• Tap the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the posted carousel.
• Select Edit.
• Swipe to the photo you want to move. You must delete the photo first by tapping the trash can icon.
• Then, you must re-upload the entire carousel with the correct ordering. Unfortunately, you cannot simply drag-and-drop to rearrange slides after the post is live; you can only delete slides.

Technical Specs: Optimizing Your 20-Slide Post for Engagement

To ensure your carousel post looks professional and loads correctly, you must adhere to Instagram’s recommended aspect ratios and dimensions. Consistency is key across all 20 slides.

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Recommended Instagram Carousel Sizes (Aspect Ratios)

For a seamless user experience, all photos and videos in a single carousel must share the same aspect ratio. If you mix ratios, Instagram will crop them to match the ratio of the very first slide.

• Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels. This is the safest and most common format.
• Portrait (4:5): 1080 x 1350 pixels. This format takes up the most screen space, maximizing visibility in the feed and is often recommended for maximum engagement.
• Landscape (1.91:1): 1080 x 566 pixels. Use this only if necessary, as it takes up the least amount of vertical screen space.

10 Creative Ways to Use the New 20-Slide Power

The new 20-slide limit is a powerful tool for content creators, moving the carousel from a simple photo album to a full-fledged presentation tool. Here are high-value, creative ideas to maximize the new capacity and boost your topical authority:

1. The Mega Photo Dump: Share a massive, chronological recap of a long trip, a multi-day festival, or a full year’s worth of memories. This is the ultimate way to share a "life update."
2. The 20-Step Tutorial/Guide: Break down a complex process—from a DIY craft project to a software guide—into 20 ultra-detailed, simple steps. Each slide is one step, making it highly digestible.
3. Blog Post/Article Promotion: Use the first slide as a hook, slides 2-19 to share key takeaways, quotes, or statistics from a new blog post, and the final slide as a strong Call-to-Action (CTA) to "Link in Bio."
4. "Before & After" Mega-Series: Showcase a huge transformation, such as a home renovation, a fitness journey, or a product development cycle, using multiple "Before" and "After" pairs.
5. The Product Catalog Showcase: E-commerce brands can use all 20 slides to feature 20 different products, with each slide showcasing a high-quality product photo and a brief description.
6. Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) Story: Give your audience a deep dive into your brand's culture, office life, or event setup. This builds authenticity and trust.
7. Interactive Quizzes or Polls: Start with a question, use slides 2-19 for clues, facts, or options, and end with the answer on slide 20, encouraging users to comment their guesses.
8. Sequential Storytelling: Create a visually continuous story where the image on one slide flows seamlessly into the next, often achieved by splitting a panoramic image across multiple slides.
9. The "20 Facts You Didn't Know" List: A highly shareable and educational format. Dedicate each slide to one surprising fact about your industry, niche, or historical topic.
10. Curated Testimonials/Reviews: Dedicate 20 slides to showcasing positive customer testimonials or reviews, building social proof and credibility for your brand.

Going Beyond 20: Workarounds for the Ultimate Photo Share

While 20 slides is a generous limit, what if you have an absolute treasure trove of 30, 40, or even 50 photos to share? Since the 20-slide limit is a technical constraint of the Instagram platform, you have to get creative with your content formatting.

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• Post Multiple Carousels in a Series: The most straightforward workaround is to split your content into a "Part 1" (slides 1-20) and a "Part 2" (slides 21-40). Use a clear title slide on both posts (e.g., "The Bali Trip Photo Dump - Part 1/2") to guide your audience.
• Create a Slideshow Video or Reel: Use a video editing app to stitch all your photos together into a single, cohesive video. This bypasses the carousel limit entirely, allowing you to include hundreds of photos, though the user experience is different as they can't swipe at their own pace.
• Utilize Stories Highlights: Upload all your photos and videos to your Instagram Stories. While this requires more effort, you can save them into a permanent "Highlight" on your profile, effectively creating an unlimited, categorized photo album that lives outside the main feed.
• Stitch Photos into a Single Image: For a smaller overflow, use a photo collage app to combine 2-4 photos into a single, high-resolution image, which then counts as only one slide in your 20-slide carousel.

By taking advantage of the new 20-slide carousel post limit, you can transform your Instagram presence from a simple feed of individual moments into a powerful platform for deep, engaging, and comprehensive visual storytelling. Start thinking in terms of 20 slides, not 10, to unlock your full content creation potential today!