How Many Tags on Etsy? 13 per Listing (2026)

How many tags on Etsy? Each listing can use 13 tags, and each tag can contain up to 20 characters, as of October 28, 2026. Etsy’s Help page on tags says a tag is a word or short phrase that describes the item, such as “silver earrings” or “minimalist jewelry.” The same page says tags may include spaces, letters, and numbers, and that an apostrophe or a hyphen may sit inside the tag but cannot be the first character.

This page is compiled from Etsy Help pages checked October 28, 2026, and the Seller Handbook article Keywords 101; we did not upload test listings.

How many tags a listing can use

Up to 13 per listing, the figure on that Help page. The create-a-listing Help page repeats it in item details: add up to 13 tags that describe the item, using words buyers would type when they search.

The tags Help page caps each tag at 20 characters. The Seller Handbook states the same length.

Which phrases earn a slot is a research question. How to turn a keyword list into Etsy titles and tags covers that step.

Which characters fit in a 20-character tag

The tags Help page says tags can only include spaces, letters, and numbers. The next sentence says you can use an apostrophe and a hyphen within words and phrases, and that a tag cannot start with those characters. The allowed-character list under that sentence is the accented letters below, then an apostrophe and a hyphen:

À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Œ Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø œ ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ ’ -

The Help page does not say whether a space counts toward the 20. Count every character you type, including spaces, to be safe. The counts below do that. A result of 20 is at the cap the Help page publishes. A result of 21 or more is past that cap.

Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Where tags sit beside categories, attributes, and the title

The create-a-listing Help page describes these as separate fields on the listing. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

The same form takes up to 20 photos and 2 videos. Length and file limits for those clips are in Etsy listing video requirements. To shoot the photos for those slots, see how to take product photos for Etsy.

The Seller Handbook says categories act like tags, and that each attribute you add acts like a tag. A tag that repeats a phrase already in the category or the attributes is a slot you can spend on something else. The Handbook’s category example is Nail Stencils: the listing can match “nail stencils” from that category, and it also appears in the parent categories, including Craft Supplies and Makeup and Cosmetics. Add the most specific subcategory available.

Adding and removing tags

On the Etsy website

The tags Help page gives this path on Etsy.com:

1. Sign in and go to Shop Manager.
2. Go to Listings.
3. Select the listing you want to edit.
4. Under Item Options, go to Tags.
5. To add a tag, type the words and select Add.
6. To remove a tag, select the X next to the tag.

In the Etsy Seller app

The same Help page gives this path in the Seller app:

1. Sign in and select Listings.
2. Select the listing you want to edit.
3. Under Details, go to Tags.
4. Select the plus sign if you are adding tags for the first time. If the listing already has tags, select the pencil icon.
5. Type the words and select Add, or select the X to remove a tag.

Across many listings at once

The bulk-edit Help page says you can edit several listings from the Listings page. Tags are one of the fields that tool can change. The same list includes titles, descriptions, prices, custom options, production partners, renewal options, the processing profile, and shipping profiles.

1. Sign in to Etsy.com.
2. Go to Shop Manager, then Listings.
3. Check the box next to each listing you want to edit. The box at the top of the page selects all listings.
4. Go to Editing Options.
5. Choose an action, make the changes, and select Apply.

That page says Etsy does not have a way to bulk upload new listings.

Shop language, translation, and plurals

The Seller Handbook says titles and tags should be in the language you chose when you set up the shop. It says to keep tags in that one language, because Etsy translates what you enter when it matches a search. The same paragraph says that if you add your own translation, you can also add a translation for titles and tags.

Etsy’s translation Help page describes that path as a Translations section on the listing. You can manually translate the title, the description, and the tags. Tags are optional there. Categories and attributes translate automatically. A manual translation overrides the automatic one. The page says to put each language in its own fields, for example French in the French fields. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Plurals use a root-word match. The Handbook says a search for “diaries” can still match a listing tagged “diary,” because the root word is the same, and its line for this is “Don’t worry about plurals.” It also says to skip deliberate misspellings, because Etsy search redirects shoppers who make a common mistake.

Regional wording is a smaller case. The Handbook says a search that uses the spelling “jewellery” can still show listings tagged “Jewelry.” It also says some regional phrases are outside that match. Its example is flip flops: if customers in Australia search “thong sandals,” add that phrase as a tag.

A 35-character phrase split into tags

The Handbook’s example of a phrase longer than 20 characters is “minimalist diamond engagement rings.” It says that when the phrase you want is longer than 20 characters, several phrasal tags that contain those terms can still help you match those searches. The phrases it names are “minimalist jewelry,” “diamond ring,” and “engagement ring.”

Counted the same way as the table above, every typed character including spaces:

Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Those three tags are the Handbook’s split for this phrase, and they use three of the 13 slots. That leaves 10 slots for other phrases.

FAQ

Can I bulk-upload new listings that already include tags?

The bulk-edit Help page says Etsy has no bulk upload for new listings. Copy is the method on that page for starting another listing: the copy is a new listing with all of the info from the original, and the copy gets a new web address. You change the copy and select Publish. The original listing stays as it was.

What should I do when a phrase is one character over 20?

The tags Help page sets the cap at 20 characters and does not describe an error message, a block, or automatic shortening. Shorten the phrase until every character you type, including spaces, totals 20 or fewer, then select Add. A long search can use the split above, with each piece inside the cap.

Should a non-English shop add English tags?

No. The Handbook says keep tags in your shop language; Etsy translates them for matching, and a manual translation goes in the Translations section. A French shop can use “boucles d’oreilles,” which is 18 characters with the space and the apostrophe counted. The apostrophe follows the d, so the tag does not start with the restricted mark.

Can a word I already set as an attribute appear inside a longer tag?

A tag that only repeats an attribute spends a slot the attribute already covers. The Handbook’s rug example uses the Faux fur attribute, so a tag that is only “faux fur” repeats it. The same passage still allows those words inside a longer tag, and the example is “faux fur accent rug,” which is 19 characters with spaces counted. The attribute keeps the exact phrase, and the longer tag describes the item in the seller’s own words.