A common error that many users have encountered, which says “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram.” If you’re a regular Instagram user, then you may have come across this error message a few times already.
Not only is it bothersome to your user experience, but it can make you feel extra frustrated because you don’t know what rules you violated.
Fortunately, you aren’t the only one experiencing this. And fortunately, there is a way to fix it.
Over the past couple of decades, social media has skyrocketed. In fact, it was estimated that over 4.26 billion people were using social media in 2021 alone. From being a simple communications platform, it has turned into a medium where we can share information, exchange media, and even catch up on current events.
It has become such an integral part of our lives that people are on their screens from their waking moments right up until they go to bed at night.
There are many social media platforms that have appeared in recent years, but only a few remain widely popular and maintain their success. One of those platforms is Instagram.
This increase in popularity has given Instagram plenty of opportunities to expand their features and services. However, this kind of success also makes any social media platform a target for cyberthreats, such as spam.
This issue exists on Instagram in the form of spam accounts, which have an objective of ruining the social media experience for other users by spreading toxic and useless content.
To prevent this from happening, Instagram has implemented some limitations on how it can be used. These restrictions allow the app to detect abnormal activities and restrict spam accounts. However, these limitations are always changing, so normal users may end up violating some rules unknowingly.
What does this error mean?
You may be scrolling on Instagram only to come across a message that says this:
“Try again later. We limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake.”
This error means that Instagram has, for one reason or another, detected suspicious activity coming from your account.
It is important to remember that Instagram has implemented Community Guidelines that are stricter compared to other social media platforms. Users who wish to keep using the app with no issues should recognize these rules.
You may be questioning why Instagram has so many rules in place. This is to preserve the user experience (especially with the presence of spam accounts) and maintain the platform’s credibility.
However, if you get this error as a regular active user, there’s a great chance you may not have broken any rules at all.
The “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” may appear for other reasons.
To find out why you’re seeing this notification, it’s important to understand how Instagram limitations work.
Instagram Limitations
Seeing this particular error message may mean you have violated some Instagram limitations. But what exactly are the limitations on Instagram, and how can you find out which one caused it?
There are a few factors that can determine the limitations on an Instagram account.
Factors for Limitations
Not all limitations are identical across all Instagram accounts. Of course, some will apply to all, such as posting hate speech. But there are also limitations regarding likes, comments, and following that can vary depending on the account.
The first factor that Instagram will consider when evaluating whether you violated any limitations is the age of your account. New accounts will tend to have a higher limit compared to older ones.
Another factor that affects Instagram limitations is the number of accounts you follow and the number of followers you have.
The engagement level of your posts also matters. Accounts that have a good reach are usually given more leeway.
Forbidden Content
By reviewing the Community Guidelines of Instagram, you can find out which types of content are acceptable and which ones to avoid
To summarize, here are the basic types of content that you should refrain from posting if you want to stay on the platform.
- Sexual content or nude pictures
- Hate speech that discriminates on the basis of race, sexual orientation, disability, social class, etc.
- Encouragement of violence
- Harassment and threats
- Online gambling
There are also several categories of limitations that you should know about on Instagram. They are the following:
Following and Unfollowing
There are limitations on following and unfollowing on Instagram as an action. The app technically counts following and unfollowing as the same action, so be aware of how many times you do this. The daily limit that you should not breach is 200 follows or unfollows.
New accounts are also closely monitored for following activity. If you’re new to Instagram, it’s always best to be mindful of the limit when you’re following accounts.
It’s a good rule of thumb to start gradually, following only the people you know. You can increase the number of people you follow eventually. When unfollowing accounts, try not to do it all at once. Unfollow them slowly.
A large increase in following and unfollowing activity is similar to spamming patterns, so the Instagram algorithm may mistake you for a bot if you are following or unfollowing too many accounts in a day.
Liking and Commenting on Posts
One of the best parts of being on social media is interacting with your friends and even famous people like celebrities. However, you may be surprised to know that too much interaction in the form of liking and commenting can cause problems for your Instagram experience.
While there is a limit on the number of likes, Instagram has been generous with it and set it to 1000. Even if you scroll, like, and comment on Instagram for hours, it is highly unlikely that you will reach this limit.
The limit for comments is a bit stricter, with Instagram setting it to only 200 per day. Most users may agree that this is quite reasonable considering that commenting on posts takes longer than liking them. Unless you’re a serial commenter, you don’t have to worry about passing this limit either.
Even if these rules are relatively lenient, do be mindful that leaving several of the same comment can cause an error to appear since it is considered spam behavior.
This can often happen when users enter giveaways that require multiple comments and tags on the same post several times.
Direct Messaging
For those who use Instagram mainly to chat with friends, it helps to be mindful about the limit on direct messaging.
While it is perfectly normal to direct message a single user whenever you want, there is a limit on how many users you can send a message to daily.
The direct message limit is set at 80. The average Instagram user messages only 10 to 20 users per day, so this is a reasonable limit to have.
Hashtags
Hashtags are still relevant today since they allow your posts to reach a wider audience. However, using too many hashtags can be considered spamming.
Instagram has set the number of hashtags you can use one each post to just 30. If you use more than 30 hashtags on multiple posts, then you may see the “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” message.
Video and IGTV Length
In recent years, Instagram has encouraged users to post more videos and IGTV clips.
Instagram Reels can be 90 seconds long, and Instagram has recently rolled out an update that allows Stories to be 60 seconds long. IGTV videos can range anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
Instagram Live is another feature that was added to allow users to broadcast videos to followers as part of their Instagram Story. Live streams are capped off at 60 minutes, but it is possible to start another stream as soon as the first one ends.
Stories
You may have noticed that some of the users you follow upload many stories in just one day. Instagram has a limit on this too, but it is very reasonable at 100 stories per day.
There’s a high chance that most users won’t hit this limit, even if they are constantly taking Instagram stories all day.
If ever there is a situation that requires you to upload more than 100 stories in a day, then you need to wait 24 hours after the first story was uploaded. As your older stories disappear, you can add more afterwards.
Tagging
Tagging is a useful feature that allows you to include other people in your posts, stories, and videos.
However, this feature can also be overused to increase the visibility of posts. This activity can be marked as spam.
Given this, Instagram decided to set a limit to tagging people in posts, stories, and even comments. Users can tag up to 20 people in posts while comment tags are limited to just 10 per comment.
Character Count on Username and Bio
When you sign up for an account on Instagram, it asks you to choose a unique name. This can be any name, whether it’s your real name, a nickname, or any random username that you like.
Instagram also lets you choose a real name for your profile with a 30-character limit. This is to ensure that you provide a real name that is concise and easy to read.
The bio of an Instagram account also has a 150-character limit to encourage short, concise descriptions of the user’s personality. This section of your profile should give a general idea of who you are, including what you do, your hobbies, and your interests.
Setting this limit avoids bots from filling names and bios with spam information.
Character Count for Captions and Comments
Along with the visual content that users post on Instagram, users can also add captions. However, the limit for captions is a bit low at 2,200 characters only.
Alternatively, users who feel that there is not enough room for their captions can always continue by adding comments.
Overall, to prevent the “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” error, abide by the limitations on Instagram that we have discussed above. And of course, do not post any forbidden content.
Instagram’s algorithm functions in such a way that violating any of these limitations can lead to an action block for an account. This reduces the ability of an account to engage to limit spam.
Instagram Limits vs. Banning
One of the questions you may have at this point is whether Instagram limits are the same as banning.
The short answer is that no, they are not the same.
You may start to panic and think that your account is being banned when you see the “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” appear on your screen.
You can relax because all that means is that you violated some of the app’s limitation rules — your account is not completely banned.
However, it does mean that you won’t be able to access your account for 48 hours. Other users have to wait a week before they are allowed to use their accounts again.
The main difference is that blocked accounts are unable to access their accounts permanently.
Be aware of the limitations on the app so that you don’t make the same mistakes and have your account taken down permanently.
How to Fix “We Limit How Often You Can Do Certain Things on Instagram” Error
There are several ways you can fix this error. Here are some that you can try if you encounter it on you Instagram account:
Delete the post responsible for the error
As we mentioned earlier, posting prohibited content is one of the reasons why you may encounter the “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” error.
If this notification pops up, then the first thing you should do is to review your recent posts and stories. If you think that any of your posts or stories may have violated the limitation, then delete them right away.
Be patient as it might not make the notification go away immediately. You may have to wait 24 hours before you can access your Instagram account normally again.
Report the issue to Instagram
Another effective way of getting rid of this particular error is by raising the issue to Instagram’s user support service.
It is possible that Instagram has mistakenly flagged your account for spam activity. You can clarify this issue with the app’s user support services, who will look deeper into what caused the issue.
This may sound like a long process, but don’t worry — it’s much easier than it sounds. Do be patient, though, as Instagram support teams may vary with their response time.
To contact the app’s support team, go to your profile and tap the “hamburger” icon on the top right of your screen. Tap on “settings” and then “help.”
From here, you should be able to see a “report a problem” option. Tap this and fill up the details of the issue that you encountered.
It also helps to include a screenshot when submitting your concern. Instagram should revert to you in a reasonable time frame.
Change your password
Some users may easily exceed the liking and commenting feature on the app. In this case, Instagram may restrict account activities.
Fortunately, many Instagram users have found that this is easily fixed by changing one’s account password.
After you change your password and log in again, there is a great chance that your daily limit on liking and commenting on posts will be refreshed.
However, it is important to keep in mind that this method does not always work. In the event that this method is not effective, simply wait 24 hours for your like limitations to renew.
Use an Instagram automation tool
Another way to get rid of this error is to use an Instagram automation tool.
You may be wondering what the point of using an automation tool is if Instagram has firm limits on certain activities.
Automation tools are useful when it comes to managing time on the app. Whether you are dealing with direct messages or post scheduling, this tool can help you manage many aspects of the app.
One useful feature of an automation tool is keeping track of your numbers, such as likes, comments, and follows.
Ultimately, it helps you know where you stand easily in terms of staying in line with Instagram’s limitations.
Make a backup account
Content creators who are constantly active on Instagram may get annoyed by the “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” error.
If you are one of these people, then the last thing you want to happen is to get your account suspended or blocked.
To avoid any problems, then it might be helpful to create a backup account for your other content. For instance, you can share your food recipes on one Instagram account and dedicate another to your travel content.
The Bottom Line
And there you have it. The “we limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram” is a pesky error that can appear on anybody’s Instagram account. Sometimes it’s due to a violation of the rules and limitations that the app has set. Other times, Instagram may flag your account thinking that the activities going on are spam.
Fortunately you can easily fix this error by following some of the steps here.
For more helpful content on social media, check out our other articles here.
