TSA carry-on rules 2026: what you can and can't bring
The 3-1-1 rule has not changed in 2026. Containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, all of them inside one quart-size bag, one bag per passenger. Every headline promising a new liquid limit this year is wrong. The restriction that took effect on 1 May 2026 is sitting in your backpack instead, where American and Delta now cap you at two power banks and Southwest allows one.
Almost everything officers pull out of bags is ordinary: peanut butter, a pocket knife someone forgot about, a tube of sunscreen an ounce over the limit. Learn the sorting logic behind those decisions and you stop losing things at the belt.
TL;DR
- 3-1-1 is unchanged in 2026: 3.4 ounces (100 ml) per container, one quart-size bag, one bag per passenger. No new rule replaced it.
- TSA screens anything spreadable, pourable, pumpable, squeezable or scoopable as a liquid, which is why peanut butter and hummus get pulled.
- Power banks are the real 2026 change. American and Delta allow two per passenger as of 1 May 2026, Southwest allows one, and neither lets you charge one in flight.
- Spare lithium batteries and power banks must travel in the cabin. The FAA bans them from checked bags entirely.
- Medication, breast milk, formula and baby food are exempt from the 3.4-ounce cap. Declare them at the checkpoint and skip the quart bag.
The one test that decides whether something is a liquid
TSA screens liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes under a single standard, so what an item is called on the grocery shelf has no bearing on the outcome (TSA's liquids, aerosols and gels rule). Consistency is what the officer is judging.
If you can spread it, pour it, pump it, squeeze it or scoop it, TSA calls it a liquid.
That test explains most of the food people lose. A jar of honey bought at a market on the last day of a trip is a liquid, so is the hummus in your lunch bag, and neither one fits in a 3.4-ounce container.
Item | What you packed it as | How TSA screens it |
|---|---|---|
Peanut butter | Solid food | Liquid, spreadable |
Hummus | A dip | Liquid, scoopable |
Yogurt | Breakfast | Liquid, pourable |
Cream cheese | Bagel topping | Liquid, spreadable |
Honey or jam | Pantry item | Liquid, pourable |
Mascara, lip gloss, liquid foundation | Makeup | Liquid, pumpable |
Snow globe | A souvenir | Liquid, and rarely small enough to qualify |
Frozen soup | Solid, it's frozen | Liquid the moment it starts to melt |
Frozen food is the edge case worth understanding. It clears if it's still frozen solid when it reaches the X-ray, and it gets measured against 3-1-1 the moment it turns slushy or pools liquid in the bottom of the container.
Officers screen the labeled capacity of the container, so a six-ounce bottle holding two ounces of shampoo still goes in the bin.
What is the 3-1-1 rule?
The 3-1-1 rule is TSA's limit on liquids in carry-on baggage. Each container must hold 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less, all containers have to fit inside one quart-size clear resealable bag, and each passenger is allowed one of those bags. It has been the federal standard at every U.S. airport since 2006, and it applies at every one of them in 2026.
3.4 ounces (100 ml) maximum per container
1 quart-size clear resealable bag
1 bag per passenger, not one per carry-on
TSA PreCheck lanes change the handling, not the limit. You keep the quart bag inside your carry-on instead of pulling it out, which is one of the reasons PreCheck beats CLEAR and Global Entry for most domestic flyers.
Airlines wrote the biggest carry-on change of 2026
Since 1 May 2026, American and Delta each cap passengers at two power banks rated 100 watt-hours or less, and neither airline permits charging one from an in-seat outlet (American Airlines' restricted items policy). Southwest cut its own limit to a single power bank on 20 April 2026. The devices have to stay within reach, which rules out the overhead bin.
The FAA rule underneath all of this is older and stricter about location. Spare lithium batteries and power banks belong in the cabin and are prohibited in checked baggage (FAA PackSafe). Anything up to 100 Wh travels without asking, 101 to 160 Wh needs your airline's approval, and above 160 Wh it can't fly at all.
The FAA's own incident record explains the timing. Verified lithium battery events in U.S. aviation climbed from 54 in 2021 to 89 in 2024, a 65% increase across three years. Loose batteries and vaping devices account for the largest share of that log.
Airline | Power banks in cabin | Size cap | Charging in flight | In effect since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
American | 2 | 100 Wh each | Not allowed | 1 May 2026 |
Delta | 2 | 100 Wh each | Not allowed | 1 May 2026 |
Southwest | 1 | 100 Wh | Not allowed | 20 April 2026 |
Other carriers have written their own versions of this, and they are not identical, so check yours before you pack. One habit covers all of them: if you gate-check a roller bag at the jet bridge, pull every battery and power bank out of it first and carry them on. That bag is going into the hold, and the batteries aren't allowed to follow it. While you're checking, confirm your bag itself still fits, because carry-on size limits vary more by airline than most people expect.
Is the 3-1-1 liquid rule going away?
No. The 3.4-ounce limit stands as of August 2026, and no federal replacement has been published. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in July 2025 that liquid sizes "may be the next big announcement" (CNN, 16 July 2025), and thirteen months later the rule reads exactly as it did before she said it.
The hardware is the bottleneck. Only 255 of 432 U.S. airports had the newer CT scanners that can clear a full-size bottle, and full deployment isn't projected until 2043 (The Washington Post, 19 July 2025). A national rule change would run ahead of the machines that make it safe.
One rule did fall. On 8 July 2025, DHS ended the shoes-off requirement at checkpoints nationwide, retiring a policy that had run since 2006 (TSA press release, 8 July 2025). Passengers flagged for additional screening may still be asked to remove them.
Search for the 2026 liquid rules and the first page fills with sites announcing a new limit, an exemption list of eleven items, or specific airports where full-size bottles are supposedly fine. None of that appears in TSA's published rule. Real screening changes arrive as a dated DHS or TSA press release, the way the shoes announcement did, and they show up on tsa.gov within hours.
What TSA does not allow in carry-on luggage
Knives, flammables and firearms are the categories officers pull most often. TSA intercepted 6,678 firearms at checkpoints during 2024, roughly 18 a day, and 94% of them were loaded (TSA, 15 January 2025). Gun catches have held near that level for three straight years after a sharp climb out of the pandemic.
Firearms can travel in checked baggage when they're unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, and declared to the airline at the counter. Bringing one to the checkpoint instead exposes you to a civil penalty and, in many jurisdictions, arrest.
Item | Carry-on | Checked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Pocket knives | No | Yes | Any blade, any length, including the one on your keychain |
Scissors | No, over 4 inches | Yes | Blades under 4 inches from the pivot are allowed |
Box cutters and loose razor blades | No | Yes | Disposable safety razors are fine in a carry-on |
Fireworks and sparklers | No | No | Banned from the aircraft entirely |
Lighter fluid and torch lighters | No | No | One ordinary lighter on your person is allowed |
Self-defense spray | No | Yes, up to 4 oz | Must have a safety mechanism against discharge |
Bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks | No | Yes | Screened as potential bludgeons |
Spare lithium batteries and power banks | Yes | No | The one category that reverses the usual pattern |
That last row catches people who have internalized the rest of the table. Everything sharp or flammable moves down into the hold, and batteries move the other way, because a fire in the cabin can be reached and a fire in the cargo hold can't.
Officers have the final call. TSA's own guidance says the decision on any item rests with the officer at the checkpoint, so a borderline multi-tool that cleared Tampa can be surrendered in Boise. Volunteering information helps. Tell an officer you're carrying a medical device or breast milk before the bag goes on the belt, because a surprise in the X-ray image is what triggers a full search.
What you can bring that people leave behind
Solid food clears without a second look. Sandwiches, wraps, whole fruit and vegetables, bread and bagels, cookies, candy, nuts, chips, and cooked meat all travel fine in a carry-on. Fried chicken is allowed. So is an entire birthday cake, as long as it isn't swimming in liquid frosting.
Bring an empty water bottle and fill it past security.
Wrapped gifts are the exception that costs people something sentimental. Officers can and will unwrap a package to inspect it, so ship gifts ahead or wrap them once you land. For a fuller list of what earns space in the bag, see our carry-on packing list.
Medication
Liquid medication is exempt from the 3.4-ounce limit in reasonable quantities for your trip, and it doesn't need to fit inside the quart bag. Declare it at the checkpoint and take it out for separate screening. Syringes and needles are allowed when you're carrying the injectable medication they go with, and ice packs to keep it cold are allowed too (TSA guidance on liquid medications). Our guides on flying with medication and on traveling with Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs cover the documentation and cold-chain details.
Baby and toddler supplies
Breast milk, formula, toddler drinks and baby food may exceed 3.4 ounces in a carry-on, and none of it has to fit in the quart bag. Ice packs, freezer packs and gel packs used to cool them are permitted, frozen or not. You don't need to have the child with you to carry breast milk through a checkpoint.
Duty-free bottles
A duty-free liquid over 3.4 ounces clears security when it stays sealed in the tamper-evident bag it was sold in, with the receipt visible inside. Open that bag during a connection and the bottle becomes a surrendered item.
Powders over 12 ounces
Powders larger than 12 ounces (about 350 ml) can trigger additional screening, and officers may ask you to open the container. Protein powder, ground coffee, loose baking supplies and powdered makeup all qualify. Packing them in checked baggage avoids the delay.
Four questions to run before you zip the bag
Can you spread, pour, pump, squeeze or scoop it? Then it's 3.4 ounces maximum, inside the quart bag, unless it's medication or baby food.
Can it cut? Checked bag, every time.
Can it ignite? Usually banned from the aircraft altogether, including the fuel for a lighter you're otherwise allowed to carry.
Does it hold a lithium battery? Carry-on only, and count your power banks against your airline's limit.
Still unsure about a specific item, search TSA's What Can I Bring database or text your question to AskTSA at 275-872. Answers come back fast enough to use while you're packing.
If an officer pulls something out of your bag
Most surrendered items are worth less than the effort of rescuing them, though you do have four options at that moment:
Leave it. Fastest, and correct for anything under about $20.
Exit security, check the item in a bag at your airline's counter, and screen again. This only works if you have real time before boarding.
Mail it to yourself. Some airports keep shipping kiosks before the checkpoint. Confirm yours does before you count on it.
Hand it to whoever dropped you off, if they haven't left the curb yet.
TSA doesn't sell any of it. Items you give up are logged as voluntarily abandoned property and transferred to state surplus agencies, which resell them through public platforms like GovDeals, Public Surplus and GSA Auctions. The proceeds go to the state, which is why the knife your grandfather gave you ends up in a bulk lot for a few dollars.
Before you leave for the airport
Pull the quart bag and the batteries. Those two moves prevent most of what goes wrong at a checkpoint, and they take about a minute. If you fly more than a few times a year, the bigger upgrade is the lane you stand in: compare PreCheck, CLEAR and Global Entry and pick one before your next trip. Flying for the first time, our first-time flyer guide walks the whole sequence from curb to gate, and you'll want to confirm your REAL ID is in order before any of it matters.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring peanut butter in a carry-on?
Do I still have to take my shoes off at airport security?
Can I put a power bank in my checked bag?
Does the 3-1-1 rule apply to prescription medication?
Related questions
What are the new carry-on rules for 2025 and 2026?
Four changes matter. REAL ID enforcement began 7 May 2025, so your driver's license needs the compliant marking or you need a passport. The shoes-off requirement ended 8 July 2025. American and Delta capped passengers at two power banks on 1 May 2026, and Southwest went to one on 20 April 2026. The 3-1-1 liquid rule did not change in either year.
What items does TSA not allow in carry-on luggage?
Knives of any blade length, box cutters and loose razor blades, scissors with blades over 4 inches, self-defense sprays, sports equipment that works as a club, flammables including lighter fluid and fireworks, and firearms or ammunition. Most of those are permitted in checked baggage. Fireworks, lighter fluid and sprays over 4 ounces are banned from the aircraft completely.
What new items are banned by TSA in 2026?
TSA hasn't added any item to its prohibited list in 2026. The new restrictions came from the airlines and the FAA, and they target power banks rather than anything at the checkpoint. Carriers now limit how many you can bring aboard and forbid charging them from seat power, while the FAA's long-standing ban on lithium batteries in checked bags still applies.
Sources
Transportation Security Administration, Liquids, Aerosols, and Gels Rule (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, What Can I Bring? (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, DHS to End "Shoes-Off" Travel Policy, 8 July 2025 (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, TSA intercepts 6,678 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2024, 15 January 2025 (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, TSA detects 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023, 10 January 2024 (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, Medications (liquid) (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, Power Banks (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Transportation Security Administration, REAL ID (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Federal Aviation Administration, PackSafe: Lithium Batteries (retrieved 1 August 2026)
Federal Aviation Administration, Lithium Battery Incidents (retrieved 1 August 2026)
UL Standards & Engagement, Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents in Aviation: 2024 Data Review (retrieved 1 August 2026)
CNN, Liquids rule could be the next airport security screening change, DHS Secretary suggests, 16 July 2025 (retrieved 1 August 2026)
The Washington Post, New airport scanners are better at spotting liquid explosives, but many airports lack them, 19 July 2025 (retrieved 1 August 2026)
American Airlines, Restricted items (retrieved 1 August 2026)
KCTV, Additional airlines limit power banks over battery fire risks starting May 1, 28 April 2026 (retrieved 1 August 2026)
