The TSA liquid limit for carry-ons in 2026
The TSA liquid limit has not changed. Despite two years of headlines predicting its end, every container of liquid in your carry-on must still hold 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less, and all of them must fit in one quart-size clear bag, with one bag per passenger. That is the 3-1-1 rule: 3.4 ounces, 1 quart bag, 1 passenger, and it applies at every TSA checkpoint in the United States in 2026, whatever you may have read about new scanners making it obsolete.
The exceptions to the 3-1-1 rule are where travelers lose money and time, because medications, baby formula, duty-free bottles and frozen items all have their own rules, and the new CT scanners change what you do at the checkpoint even though they do not change what you can carry. Also, since the standard fix for oversized liquids is moving them to a checked bag, it helps to know that a lost, delayed or damaged bag comes with compensation rights too.
How much liquid can you bring on a plane?
How the 3-1-1 rule works
- Each container in your carry-on can hold up to 3.4 ounces (100ml).
- All your containers must fit comfortably in one clear quart-size resealable bag.
- Each passenger gets one bag.
The TSA's liquids rule counts the size of the container, not what is left inside it, so a 6-ounce bottle with a splash of shampoo at the bottom still gets pulled, because the officer screens the bottle, not the contents.
How much the quart bag holds
A quart-size bag measures roughly 7 x 8 inches and holds about seven or eight travel-size bottles. You can bring as many 3.4-ounce containers as will fit in that one bag, as long as the bag can be closed properly. If it is bulging open, you'll be forced to repack it right there in the security line.
Liquids in checked bags
There is no liquid limit in checked baggage for everyday items, so full-size shampoo bottles, sunscreen and sealed drinks are all fine in the hold. Flammable and hazardous liquids, which include gasoline, lighter fluid and paint thinner, cannot fly at all. You can find the full list on the FAA's PackSafe pages alongside the other items banned from the cabin.
Is the 3-1-1 rule going away?
The rule is not going anywhere yet, and no end date has been announced. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in July 2025 that the liquids limit was under review and hinted that a change to allowed sizes could be the TSA's next big announcement, as reported by CNN at the time. A year later, the announcement has not come, so the 3.4-ounce limit remains federal policy at every US airport.
What the new CT scanners actually change
What has changed is the screening technology. TSA has been installing computed tomography (CT) scanners, which build a 3D image of your bag, at airports since 2019. In lanes with these machines, you can usually leave your quart bag and laptop inside your carry-on instead of pulling them out. The liquid limit stays the same, however, so follow the 3-1-1 rule until TSA formally says otherwise.
Take extra care on international trips, because most airports abroad still enforce the 100ml standard on your flight home. A bottle that cleared security in the US can still end up in a trash can in Madrid.
What counts as a liquid at TSA screening?
The 3-1-1 rule covers much more than drinks. TSA counts aerosols, gels, creams and pastes as liquids too, and the working test is simple: if it pours, sprays, spreads, pumps or squeezes, pack it as a liquid. All of these fall into this category:
Category | Examples |
Drinks | Water, soda, juice, coffee, alcohol |
Liquid and semi-liquid food | Soup, peanut butter, yogurt, honey, jam, salsa, maple syrup |
Cosmetics and toiletries | Lotion, sunscreen, perfume, mascara, liquid foundation, lip gloss |
Sprays and aerosols | Deodorant spray, hairspray, shaving cream |
Pastes | Toothpaste |
Gels | Hair gel, shower gel, hand sanitizer |
Other | Contact lens solution, snow globes, anything of similar consistency |
Which liquids can go over 3.4 ounces?
Medically necessary liquids, baby formula and breast milk, and sealed duty-free purchases are all exempt from the 3-1-1 rule, and each one has its own checkpoint routine. The common thread is declaration: tell the TSA officer what you are carrying before your bags go through, keep the exempt items separate from your quart bag, and expect them to be screened on their own.
Medications and medical liquids
TSA allows liquid medication to be in your carry-on in reasonable quantities for your trip, well beyond 3.4 ounces, and it does not need to fit in the quart bag. So, you can bring prescription liquids, insulin, saline solution in medically necessary amounts, nebulizer fluids and the gel packs that keep medication cold. Labels and prescriptions are not legally required for screening, but they make the conversation at the checkpoint faster. Keep medication in its original packaging where you can, because some US states and destination countries require it. Our guide to flying with medication covers the details.
Formula, breast milk and toddler drinks
Baby formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby food pouches are all allowed in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces, and you do not need to be traveling with your child for breast milk to qualify. Ice packs, freezer packs and coolers used to keep milk cold are also permitted even if they have started to melt. Officers may ask to test the liquids, but they will not add anything to them, and you can ask for alternative screening if you prefer milk not to go through the X-ray. The practical side of flying with breast milk has a few more moving parts, from pumping to storage, and it pays to know them before the trip.
Duty-free liquids on connecting flights
Duty-free alcohol and perfume can exceed 3.4 ounces in your carry-on if they stay sealed in the security tamper-evident bag from the store. The receipt must be inside the bag and show that the purchase was made within the previous 48 hours. Do not open the bag until you reach your final destination, because breaking the seal ends the exemption. If the seal fails screening at your connecting airport, the bottle goes in the bin.
What should you do with liquids over the limit?
Check them. A full-size bottle of anything belongs in the hold, where the only real limits are on hazardous materials and high-proof alcohol. Screw caps tight, seal bottles inside zip-top bags, and cushion glass in the middle of the suitcase, because cabin pressure changes make leaks the most common way liquids ruin a checked bag.
What to do if your bags are mishandled
Checking a bag does carry its own risk, and airlines mishandle thousands of them every day. If your bag arrives late, damaged or is lost completely, the airline is liable for up to $4,700 per passenger on US domestic flights under DOT rules, and up to roughly $2,080 under the Montreal Convention on international trips. You can check what your claim is worth in a few minutes, and it costs nothing to find out.
Checked bag arrive late, damaged, or not at all? You could be owed compensation for a mishandled bag.Check Your Flight
Before you get to the checkpoint
Pack every liquid in your carry-on at 3.4 ounces or less, put the quart bag at the top of your carry-on where you can pull it out in seconds, and declare anything exempt before your bags hit the belt. If a liquid is too big, too valuable or too hard to replace, check it, seal it against leaks, and keep the baggage tag and your receipts, because if that bag comes back late, leaking or not at all, that is a claim, and it is one AirAdvisor can handle for you.
Disrupted flight? You might have a right to compensation - up to $650.Check Your Flight
Questions travelers still ask about TSA liquids
Can you bring an empty water bottle through security?
Yes. An empty bottle of any size passes screening, and you can fill it at a fountain past security. A sealed bottle of water, however small the sip you have left, follows the 3.4-ounce rule.
Are vapes and e-liquids allowed in carry-ons?
Vapes and e-cigarettes must travel in the cabin and are banned from checked bags because of their lithium batteries. The e-liquid itself counts toward your quart bag, and you cannot vape or charge the device on board.
How much alcohol can you pack?
In your carry-on, you can only pack bottles of 3.4 ounces or less, which means mini bottles fit, but you cannot drink them on board because FAA rules only allow alcohol served by the crew. In checked bags, drinks between 24% and 70% alcohol are capped at 5 liters per passenger, anything over 70% cannot fly at all, and drinks under 24%, which covers wine and beer, have no limit.
What happens to liquids confiscated at security?
They are thrown away, not stored for collection, and neither TSA nor the airline owes you anything for them. If a bottle matters to you, step out of line and put it in a checked bag, mail it home from the airport, or hand it to whoever dropped you off.
Are there aerosol limits in checked bags?
Yes, there are. FAA rules cap toiletry aerosols in checked baggage at 70 ounces (2 kg) total per passenger, with no single container over 18 ounces (0.5 kg), and each can needs a cap to stop it discharging in the hold.
Does TSA PreCheck change the liquid limit?
No, the 3.4-ounce limit is identical. PreCheck changes the process, because you usually leave your quart bag and electronics inside your carry-on and keep your shoes on, which is why PreCheck lanes move faster with the same rules.
Author:
Amy Lancelotte
Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Creator
Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with more than seven years of experience producing research-driven articles for global audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.
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