social media
Carousel post
A social media post format containing multiple images or slides that viewers swipe through horizontally.
What is Carousel post?
A carousel post is a social media post format that contains multiple images, videos, or designed slides within a single post, which viewers swipe or click through horizontally. Unlike standard single-image posts, carousels allow creators to tell sequential stories, showcase step-by-step processes, or present multiple product views within one piece of content. Each slide maintains the same aspect ratio, with the first image determining the dimensions enforced across the entire carousel.
Importance of Carousel post
Carousel posts consistently outperform single-image posts on engagement metrics, with Instagram carousels achieving approximately 1.4× more reach than equivalent single-image posts. Without proper image optimization for carousel post formats, each slide undergoes independent platform compression that can degrade quality across multiple images. Understanding carousel specifications prevents cropping issues and ensures consistent visual quality throughout your multi-image post sequence.
Carousel post in Practice
When creating a carousel for Instagram, you can include up to 20 slides (increased from 10 in 2024), while TikTok Photo Mode supports up to 35 slides and LinkedIn allows up to 10 slides as PDF uploads. Each platform applies independent compression to every slide, so uploading images at correct pixel dimensions with JPEG quality 85 or above minimizes visible degradation. If your first slide is 1080×1080 pixels, all subsequent slides will be cropped to match this square aspect ratio.
Carousel post Best Practices
- → Upload the first slide at your intended aspect ratio to set dimensions for the entire carousel.
- → Maintain JPEG quality 85 or above for all slides to minimize platform compression artifacts.
- → Ensure all images match the same pixel dimensions before upload to prevent forced cropping.
Example of Carousel post
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a carousel post on Instagram?
A carousel post on Instagram is a multi-image post format that allows up to 20 slides within a single post, which viewers swipe through horizontally. Each slide can contain images, videos, or graphics, and the first slide's aspect ratio determines the format for all subsequent slides. Instagram carousels achieve approximately 1.4× more reach than single-image posts because the algorithm can re-surface different slides to the same user.
How many images can you put in a carousel post?
The number of images in a carousel post varies by platform: Instagram allows up to 20 slides, TikTok Photo Mode supports up to 35 slides, Facebook permits up to 10 slides, and LinkedIn accepts up to 10 slides when uploaded as PDF documents. These limits were updated in 2024-2025, with Instagram doubling its previous 10-slide limit.
Why do carousel posts get more engagement than regular posts?
Carousel posts get more engagement because they provide multiple opportunities for algorithmic re-surfacing and user interaction. Instagram's algorithm can show different slides from the same carousel to users at different times, effectively giving the post multiple impressions. LinkedIn carousel posts generate an average 6.60% engagement rate, the highest of any content type on the platform according to 2025 benchmarks.