What is an Instagram carousel?

​​An Instagram Carousel is a post that lets users share multiple photos or videos in a single post, and viewers can swipe through to see each piece. This type of post is great because you can include up to 20 items, allowing for a more comprehensive showcase in just one go. It’s often used for things like sharing a bunch of photos from an event, putting together a step-by-step tutorial, or telling a visual story.

For example, if someone’s posting about their vacation, they might use an Instagram carousel to share various photos from different parts of their trip all in one post. Brands also use carousel posts to display different products, highlight features, or build a narrative that can’t be captured in just one image.

Carousels are popular because they engage users more effectively. People swipe through each slide on mobile, where they’ll see dots at the bottom indicating their progress through the carousel. 

Source

On desktop, users can navigate the carousel using arrows on the sides of the post. This interaction means viewers spend more time on each post, which can lead to higher engagement rates, making it a valuable tool for both personal users and brands looking to maximize their content exposure.