Instagram’s New Carousel Metric Changes the Game

Instagram is testing a new feature that tells you exactly which slide in a carousel post received the like.

Until now, you could only see total engagement, likes, saves, and shares across the entire carousel. But with this update, creators will be able to view slide-by-slide performance data.

That means: you’ll know not just how well a carousel performed, but which part of it worked best.

What’s Changing?

This update was first spotted by creator Shannon Evans and Socialinsider founder Adina Jipa, who shared screenshots of a new section in Instagram Insights labelled “When people liked your carousel.”

This new Insights view displays the number of likes each specific frame in a carousel received.
So if someone taps the like button while viewing the third slide, you'll see it counted there, not just added to a total.

It’s a simple shift, but one that provides a much clearer picture of what’s working inside a multi-slide post.

Why This Matters

Carousels are one of Instagram’s most widely used formats — ideal for storytelling, tutorials, announcements, and product showcases. But until now, creators had no visibility into where engagement was actually happening within the post.

With this feature, you can now:

• Test your hook: If most likes hit the first slide, your opening frame is strong. If not, it may need work.
• Track retention: Likes on later slides show users are staying engaged.
• Compare content types: Which performs better, photo or video? Text overlay or clean visuals?
• Reorder smartly: Use data to rethink which slide should come first or last.
• Repurpose confidently: High-performing slides might deserve a second life as standalone posts or Reels.

One Post, Multiple Insights

Instagram is treating carousels less like a single post and more like a sequence of interactions.
It’s similar to how email marketers use click maps or how video creators analyze audience drop-off.
Now, that same thinking comes to Instagram, and it’s a big step forward in understanding user behavior.

Final Thought

Carousel posts are already one of the most effective content formats on Instagram.
Now, they’re getting smarter.

This new feature enables creators to learn, adapt, and post with greater precision one frame at a time.