How to Post a Carousel on TikTok (Photo Slideshow)

Step by step

1. 1

   Prepare and resize your carousel images

   TikTok displays photo carousels in a portrait format. As of June 2026 the recommended dimensions are 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) for full-screen photos, though 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) and square 1:1 images are also accepted. Use SocialKit's free carousel-splitter or image-resizer to crop and export each slide at the correct ratio before you open TikTok.

   Tip: Keep a consistent visual style — same font, palette, or border — across all slides so the carousel feels like a single cohesive piece rather than a random photo dump.

2. 2

   Check the best time to post on TikTok

   Before opening TikTok, identify a strong posting window. SocialKit's best-time-to-post data for TikTok (updated regularly) surfaces audience peak hours as a starting point — as of June 2026 these tend to cluster in late morning and evening, but your own audience may differ. Treat any published window as a hypothesis and refine it against your TikTok analytics over time.

   Tip: Note the target time in your content calendar. If you use SocialKit to plan your TikTok schedule, you can drop the carousel into the calendar as a task reminder at the exact slot, even while the actual upload happens natively.

3. 3

   Open TikTok and start a new photo post

   Tap the "+" button to create a new post. As of June 2026, TikTok presents an option to switch between the video recorder and a photo/template mode — look for a "Photo" or "Templates" tab near the bottom of the camera screen. The UI wording can shift between app versions, so if you do not see it immediately, swipe left or right on the bottom tab strip.

4. 4

   Select your photos and arrange the order

   Tap "Upload" or the gallery icon to import your prepared slides. TikTok lets you select multiple images and reorder them by pressing and holding a thumbnail. Review the sequence carefully — TikTok carousels auto-advance with music, so the narrative order matters more here than on a platform where users control the pace entirely.

   Tip: Lead with your strongest image on slide one, since that is what appears in the For You feed preview before a viewer taps in.

5. 5

   Add music or a voiceover

   Music is particularly important for TikTok carousels because the platform auto-plays audio as viewers swipe through slides. Tap "Sounds" to pick a trending audio clip from TikTok's licensed library, or record a voiceover to add context. As of June 2026 using a licensed sound from TikTok's commercial library is the safest route for business accounts to avoid copyright issues.

   Tip: Browse the "For You" page for a few minutes before picking audio — using a clip that is actively trending on TikTok often gives carousels a small algorithmic boost, though this is community-reported rather than an officially confirmed ranking factor.

6. 6

   Write a caption and add relevant details

   Tap "Next" to reach the caption and settings screen. Keep your caption concise — TikTok shows roughly the first line before truncating with "more". Include a clear hook ("Swipe for all 5 tips") and 3–5 relevant hashtags. As of June 2026 the caption character limit is around 2,200 characters, but TikTok's algorithm reads engagement signals, not caption length, so brevity usually wins. You can check the exact count with SocialKit's free TikTok character counter.

   Tip: Add alt text to each photo if the option appears — it improves accessibility and may signal content relevance to TikTok's systems.

7. 7

   Post immediately or use TikTok's native scheduler

   To post right away, tap "Post". To schedule ahead, tap "Schedule" — as of June 2026 TikTok's in-app scheduler lets you set a publish time up to 10 days in advance for accounts where the feature is available. Note that third-party scheduling tools may not support TikTok photo carousels via the TikTok Content Posting API as of June 2026 (API support for photo posts has been uneven), so scheduling natively inside the TikTok app is the most reliable method for this format.

   Tip: If you use SocialKit to schedule TikTok video posts, those publish via the API. For carousel photo posts specifically, plan the time in SocialKit's calendar and post natively in the app at that slot — the two tools complement each other.

Best practices

• Use a 9:16 vertical format for slides — TikTok is a full-screen portrait app and square or landscape images get letterboxed, shrinking your content on screen.
• Cap carousels at 7–12 slides for most informational content; very long carousels (20+) tend to see completion rates drop unless each slide delivers a clear, distinct value.
• End on a slide with a call to action ("Follow for more", "Save this post", "Link in bio") — viewers who reach the last image are your most engaged, so close the loop.
• Pick audio intentionally: for tutorial carousels a calm background track or voiceover works well; for aesthetic or lifestyle carousels a trending pop clip increases the chance of the post appearing in sound-based browsing.
• Post at a time your target audience is actually online — use SocialKit's TikTok best-time data as a baseline and layer in your own account analytics to refine it.
• Track carousel-specific metrics in TikTok's creator studio: average watch time per slide and "slide completion rate" reveal exactly where viewers drop off, which tells you how to tighten future carousels.

Good to know

Do it in SocialKit