Instagram’s Edits app can now build carousels. Since 7 October 2026, Instagram has been rolling out a carousel editor in Edits for iOS: you open Edits, tap + in the Projects tab, choose Carousel, combine photos, videos and text on one canvas, and post the Instagram carousel straight to your account. Android support is “coming soon”, according to Instagram. Below: how it works, the limits, and how brands should use it.
Key takeaways
- New: a carousel editor inside Edits that puts photos, videos, text, layouts and cutout stickers on one canvas, and lets a photo or headline stretch across slides (Edits blog).
- Availability: iOS now; Android “coming soon”, with no date given.
- Limits that still apply: up to 20 photos or videos per carousel (Social Media Today), and 3:4 photos display without cropping (9to5Mac).
- Why it matters: Buffer’s 2025 data found carousels earned about 12% more engagement than Reels, while Reels got about 36% more reach (Social Media Today).
What is the Instagram carousel editor in Edits?
Edits is Instagram’s standalone editing app, which until now was built mainly for video. On 7 October 2026, the Edits team announced a carousel editor: a canvas where you can combine photos and videos with Edits’ existing creative tools, plus a few tools made for carousels (Edits blog, 7 October 2026; Social Media Today, 7 October 2026).
According to FoneArena, Dan Moreno, a design engineer on the Edits team, said carousels “repeatedly came up” when the team asked creators what to build next (FoneArena, 8 October 2026). Android Headlines says it has “apparently” been the feature creators requested most (Android Headlines, 8 October 2026).
If you are new to the format: an Instagram carousel is one post containing several photos or videos that people swipe through. It is one of the formats we cover in our Instagram grid playbook.
What can you do with the Edits carousel editor?
Here is what Instagram lists in its announcement, grouped by job:
| Feature | What it does | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Shared canvas | Add photos, videos and text across slides; a photo or headline can continue from one slide into the next | Makes the swipe part of the design, not just a list of images |
| Layouts | Place several photos in preset layouts, then adjust padding, spacing, filters and adjustments per item | Collage-style slides without a separate design app |
| Cutouts | Turn part of an image into a sticker with the cutout tool | Product shots and faces on clean backgrounds |
| Editing tools | Colour grading, filters, adjustments, scale and rotation | Consistent look across every slide |
| Saved presets | Reuse saved adjustments, colours, audio and text styles | Faster brand-consistent posts |
| Slide management | Add blank slides with + or by pulling from the right edge; duplicate, insert or reorder from the … menu | Easier to restructure a story before posting |
| Sharing | Post directly to Instagram, or download to post elsewhere | No export and re-upload step |
Source: Edits blog and FoneArena. The announcement does not mention new slide limits, file sizes or video lengths.
How to make an Instagram carousel in the Edits app
These are the steps Instagram published for iOS:
- Open Edits and go to the Projects tab.
- Tap + and select Carousel.
- Choose one or more photos and videos.
- Arrange your media on the canvas (use layouts, or stretch a photo or headline across two slides).
- Edit with audio, text, filters, adjustments and cutouts.
- Share the carousel to Instagram from Edits, or download it.
Don’t see Carousel? Update Edits and force-close it. Before the official launch, some users reported a “Carousel editor” switch inside the Labs section of Edits settings (Leslie M Lyon, 9 September 2026), so check there as well.
How many slides and what size can an Instagram carousel be?
The Edits update doesn’t change Instagram’s existing carousel rules. The key ones:
| Rule | Current status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum items | 20 photos or videos per carousel (raised from 15 in August 2024; it was 10 before March 2024) | Social Media Today, Aug 2024 |
| Photo shape | 3:4 photos (the default on most phone cameras) display as shot; before May 2025, 4:5 was the tallest photo format | 9to5Mac, May 2025 |
| After posting | You can reorder items in a published carousel, but you can’t add new media to it | Social Media Today, Mar 2026 |
| Second chance | If someone doesn’t swipe, Instagram often shows them the next slide later | Social Media Today, Oct 2024 |
| Edits availability | Carousel editor on iOS now; Android “coming soon” | Edits blog, Oct 2026 |
In our view, pick one shape (3:4 or 4:5) for the whole carousel and design inside it from the first slide. Mixed shapes make the swipe feel messy.
Do Instagram carousels perform better than Reels?
It depends on your goal. Buffer’s 2025 data, covering posts published through its tool, found that Reels got about 36% more reach than carousels, while carousels earned about 12% more engagement (Social Media Today, 8 March 2026). Social Media Today doesn’t say whether these are averages or medians, so treat them as a direction, not a promise.
Instagram’s own explanation points the same way. Adam Mosseri said carousels often reach more people than single photos because more items invite more interactions, and because Instagram often gives a carousel “a second chance” by showing the next slide to people who didn’t swipe (Social Media Today, 17 October 2024).
So, in our view: use Reels when you want new people to find you, and carousels when you want your audience to save, share and act. The Edits update makes it easier to produce both from the same shoot in one app.
How should brands use the new carousel tools?
A few practical ideas for business owners and social media managers in Lebanon and the Gulf (our suggestions, not Instagram’s):
- Product explainers: slide 1 shows the problem, slides 2–6 show the product in use (cutouts work well here), the last slide gives one clear next step.
- Panoramic first slides: stretch one strong photo or headline across slides 1 and 2 so people have a reason to swipe.
- Before-and-after: use a two-photo layout on one slide instead of two separate slides.
- Reel + carousel from one shoot: cut a Reel for reach, then reuse the same clips and photos in a carousel for engagement.
- Mix it into your plan: the 5-3-1 rule and our guide on when to post on Instagram help you decide where carousels fit.
Edits carousel editor: what to do now
- Update Edits on iOS and look for Carousel under + in Projects (or in Labs).
- Save your brand fonts, colours and text styles as presets so every carousel looks the same.
- Pick one shape (3:4 or 4:5) and keep it on every slide.
- Plan a hook on slide 1 and a single call to action on the last slide.
- Use up to 20 items, but only as many as the story needs.
- Compare saves, shares and comments against your Reels; our article on Instagram engagement and reach explains what to track.
- On Android, keep building carousels in the Instagram app until Edits support arrives.
Frequently asked questions
What is an Instagram carousel?
An Instagram carousel is a single post that holds several photos or videos that people swipe through. Since August 2024, a carousel can hold up to 20 photos or videos. It appears in the feed as one post, with dots showing how many slides it has.
Can you make an Instagram carousel in the Edits app?
Yes. On 7 October 2026, Instagram announced a carousel editor inside Edits, its standalone editing app. You open the Projects tab, tap +, choose Carousel, add photos and videos, edit them on one canvas, and share straight to Instagram.
Is the Edits carousel editor available on Android?
Not yet. Instagram says the carousel editor is available on iOS now and is “coming soon” to Android, without giving a date. Android users can still build carousels in the Instagram app itself.
Why don’t I see the Carousel option in Edits?
Update Edits and restart it first, because features roll out gradually. Before the official launch, some users reported a Carousel editor toggle in the Labs section of Edits settings, so check there too. If it still isn’t there, the rollout may not have reached your account yet.
How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?
Up to 20 photos or videos per carousel. Instagram raised the limit from 10 to 15 in March 2024 and then to 20 in August 2024, according to Social Media Today.
What size should Instagram carousel images be?
Instagram has supported 3:4 photos, the default shape of most phone cameras, since May 2025; before that, 4:5 was the tallest photo format allowed. In our view, choose one shape and keep it the same on every slide so the carousel looks consistent.
Do carousels get more reach than Reels?
Not according to Buffer’s 2025 data, as reported by Social Media Today: Reels got about 36% more reach than carousels, while carousels earned about 12% more engagement. Adam Mosseri has also said Instagram often gives a carousel “a second chance” by showing the next slide to people who didn’t swipe.
Can I edit a carousel after posting it?
You can change the order of the photos and videos in a published carousel: press and hold an item, then drag it. According to Social Media Today’s March 2026 report, you can’t add new media to a carousel that is already published.
Sources
- Edits (Instagram) blog: New to Edits: An editor for your carousels (7 October 2026)
- Social Media Today: Edits app gets carousel editing tools (7 October 2026)
- FoneArena: Instagram Edits gets carousel creation with photos, videos and text (8 October 2026)
- Android Headlines: Instagram’s Edits now lets you create custom carousels (8 October 2026)
- Leslie M Lyon: How to Turn On the Carousel Editor in Instagram’s Edits App (9 September 2026)
- Social Media Today: Instagram expands carousels to 20 frames (8 August 2024)
- 9to5Mac: No more cropping: Instagram changes standard photo aspect ratio (29 May 2025)
- Social Media Today: IG chief recommends posting carousels to improve reach (17 October 2024)
- Social Media Today: Instagram, LinkedIn and Threads engagement declined in 2025 (Buffer data, 8 March 2026)
- Social Media Today: Instagram allows users to rearrange carousel posts (23 March 2026)
Feature status as reported on 12 October 2026. Instagram rolls features out gradually, so what you see in Edits may differ.
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Written by the Gradezilla team · Reviewed by Bashar Amin
