Instagram lets you share up to 10 photos or videos in a single post, called a carousel
A carousel post shows your photos one at a time, and people swipe left to see the next image. You create it the same way you'd create a single-photo post, but you add more than one image before you hit share. Instagram stores all the images together under one caption, one set of comments, and one like count.
The main privacy and security consideration with carousel posts is the same as with any post: once you share it, Instagram stores copies of those images on its servers, and anyone who can see your post can screenshot or read the images. If you're sharing photos that contain personal information — your home address visible in the background, your kids' faces, your car's license plate — a carousel post doesn't hide those details any better than a single photo would. The difference is that you're sharing more images at once, so there's more surface area for accidental exposure.
Key Takeaways
- Open the Instagram app, tap the plus icon, and select "Post" to start a new carousel.
- Tap "Select multiple" to choose up to 10 photos or videos from your phone's camera roll.
- Arrange your images in the order you want them to appear by dragging them up or down.
- Write your caption and tag people or locations before you share, because you cannot edit the image order after posting.
- Anyone who can see your post can screenshot or read all the images in the carousel, so avoid sharing photos that contain sensitive personal details.
How to create a carousel post on your phone
Open the Instagram app and tap the plus icon at the bottom of the screen (on iPhone) or the plus icon in the top right (on Android). Select "Post" from the menu that appears. You'll see your camera roll or a blank camera screen, depending on your phone's settings.
Tap "Select multiple" in the bottom right corner. This button lets you pick more than one image. Tap each photo or video you want to include — Instagram will show a small checkmark on each one you've selected. You can choose up to 10 items total, and you can mix photos and videos in the same carousel.
After you've selected all your images, tap "Next" in the bottom right. Instagram will show you all the images in a row at the top of the screen. You can rearrange them by pressing and holding one image, then dragging it left or right to change its position in the carousel. This is your final note to reorder — you cannot change the order after you post.
Editing and filtering before you share
After you arrange your images, tap "Next" again. Instagram will show you each image one at a time with editing tools. You can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and other settings for each photo individually. If you want all the images to look similar, explore the same filter to each one by tapping the filter icon and selecting the same filter for every photo.
You can also crop individual images or rotate them. These edits only affect the image you're currently viewing — they don't explore to the whole carousel. If you want to undo an edit on one image, swipe left or right to move to the next image, then swipe back to the one you edited and tap "Undo" or adjust the settings again.
Adding captions, tags, and location information
Tap "Next" one more time to reach the caption and sharing screen. Write your caption in the text box at the top. This caption will appear with the entire carousel, not with individual images. If you want to tag people or locations, tap "Tag people" or "Add location" below the caption box.
When you tag a person, Instagram sends them a notification and adds a link to their profile on that image. When you add a location, Instagram shows where the post was taken. Both of these details are visible to anyone who can see your post, so think about whether you want to broadcast where you were or who you were with before you add tags.
What happens after you share a carousel
Once you tap "Share," Instagram uploads all 10 images to its servers and publishes the carousel to your profile. The images appear as a single post with a small icon in the corner showing that it's a carousel (usually a small stack of squares). People can swipe left on the post to see each image one at a time.
You can edit the caption after you post — tap the three dots in the top right corner of your post and select "Edit." You cannot change the images themselves, rearrange them, or add new images to an existing carousel. If you want to change the images, you have to delete the post and create a new carousel.
Instagram keeps a copy of every image you post, even if you delete the post from your profile. If someone screenshots or downloads the images before you delete the post, they have their own copy that you cannot remove. This is true for all Instagram posts, not just carousels.
Privacy settings for carousel posts
A carousel post follows the same privacy rules as any other post on your profile. If your account is public, anyone on Instagram can see the carousel. If your account is private, only people you've approved as followers can see it. You can also share a carousel as a direct message to specific people by tapping "Send as message" instead of "Share."
Before you post a carousel, check whether any of the images contain information you don't want to share widely — a street address, a child's full name, a credit card number visible in the background, or anything else that could be used to identify or locate you. Once the image is posted, anyone who can see it can take a screenshot, and you have no way to prevent that or know who did it.
Common mistakes when posting carousels
The most common mistake is forgetting to arrange the images in the right order before posting. Instagram shows them in the order you selected them, not in the order they appear in your camera roll. If you want image 5 to be first, you have to drag it to the first position before you tap "Share."
Another mistake is posting images that are different sizes or aspect ratios. Instagram will crop or resize them to fit the carousel format, which can cut off important parts of the image or make it look stretched. For the best results, crop all your images to the same size before you select them — Instagram recommends a square (1:1) or portrait (4:5) format for carousel images.
A third mistake is writing a caption that only makes sense for the first image. Remember that the caption appears with the entire carousel, so if you write "Here's my dog," but the second image is a sunset, people might be confused. Write a caption that covers all the images or introduces the whole set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add images to a carousel after I post it?
No. Once you share a carousel, you cannot add, remove, or rearrange the images. You can only edit the caption. If you want to change the images, delete the post and create a new carousel with the images you want.
What's the difference between a carousel and a story?
A carousel post stays on your profile permanently (unless you delete it) and appears in your followers' feeds. A story disappears after 24 hours and appears at the top of the feed in a separate section. Stories also let you add more interactive features like polls and questions, but they're temporary.
Can I post a carousel to my business account the same way?
Yes. The steps are identical whether you have a personal or business account. Business accounts have additional tools like scheduling posts in advance, but the carousel creation process is the same.
What happens if I post a carousel with a video and photos mixed together?
Instagram treats them the same way — people swipe through each item one at a time. Videos in a carousel will play when someone swipes to them, and they'll loop automatically. You can include up to 10 items total, whether they're photos, videos, or a mix of both.
Can someone see which images I looked at longest in a carousel?
No. Instagram does not tell you or other people which images someone spent the most time viewing. It only shows you the total number of views and likes on the entire carousel, not individual images.