Instagram Post Size 2026: Every Dimension for Posts, Stories & Reels

Instagram post size comes down to one rule from Instagram's own Help Center: photos work at any aspect ratio from 1.91:1 (wide) to 3:4 (tall), at a width of 1080 pixels. Stories and Reels are vertical 9:16. Everything else on this page is a variation of those two facts.

Many size guides mix Instagram's rules with designers' habits and do not say which is which. This one does: every number is labelled as stated by Instagram or Meta, or as a common recommendation Instagram does not publish. Where Instagram gives no number, we say so.

What Are the Instagram Sizes at a Glance?

Use this table as a quick reference. The last column shows where each number comes from: Help is Instagram's Help Center, Ads is Meta's ad specifications, and Common is a widely used recommendation that is not an Instagram rule.

Want to see how a real image will look before you post? Our free Instagram post preview tool shows the crop and the profile grid in your browser without uploading anything.

What Is the Right Instagram Post Size for Feed Photos?

Upload feed photos at 1080 pixels wide. Instagram's Help Center says photos keep their original resolution when the aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4, which means a width of 1080 pixels and a height between 566 and 1440 pixels. Photos outside that ratio are cropped to fit, and anything wider than 1080 is scaled down.

That gives you three practical shapes:

• Square, 1080 x 1080 (1:1). The classic format. It is the safest choice for logos, product shots and graphics where nothing should be cut.
• Portrait, 1080 x 1350 (4:5) or 1080 x 1440 (3:4). Taller posts take up more of the screen in the feed. A 3:4 photo is what most phone cameras shoot by default, so it often needs no cropping at all.
• Landscape, 1080 x 566 (1.91:1). The widest shape Instagram supports. It leaves the smallest footprint in the feed, so it suits panoramas and wide screenshots rather than everyday posts.

If your design tool asks for a size, 1080 x 1350 is a solid default. For a phone photo, 1080 x 1440 keeps the whole frame.

What Changed When Instagram Added Taller Posts?

Instagram added support for 3:4 photos in 2025, so the tallest feed post went from 4:5 (1080 x 1350) to 3:4 (1080 x 1440). The Help Center now lists 3:4 as the edge of the supported range. Square and 4:5 posts still work; nothing you made before has to be redone.

The change came in two steps, both reported by The Verge. In January 2025, profile grids moved from squares to rectangles, which Instagram head Adam Mosseri tied to most uploads now being vertical. In May 2025, Instagram added support for 3:4 photos, with Mosseri saying a 3:4 photo now appears “just exactly as you shot it”. The Verge reports it works for single photos and carousels.

Our suggestion: use 3:4 for photos straight from a phone camera, and keep 4:5 for designed graphics you already have templates for. Both sit inside the supported range.

How Does the Profile Grid Crop Your Posts?

The profile grid shows posts as tall tiles rather than squares. Instagram's Help Center does not publish the exact thumbnail ratio, but creators and design tools commonly describe it as 3:4, and our table below assumes that. Treat it as a reasonable working assumption, not an Instagram rule.

If the grid centers each image in a 3:4 tile, the part that gets cut depends on your post shape. This is our own arithmetic for a 1080 pixel wide image, not Instagram data:

The takeaway: keep headlines and faces away from the outer edges of a square or 4:5 post, and put the key part of a Reel cover in the middle band. To plan a grid that reads as one picture, our free Instagram grid maker splits an image into tiles and carousel slides at the right size, and the post preview tool lets you check the result.

What Is the Instagram Carousel Size and How Many Slides Can You Add?

A carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos in a single post, according to Instagram's Help Center. Carousel slides use the same sizes as single feed photos: 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1440 for portrait, 1080 x 1080 for square.

Two rules matter when you mix media:

• One shape for the whole post. Instagram says the orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) affects every photo and video in the post, and you cannot pick a different orientation for each one. Slides in another ratio are cropped to fit, and you can drag each one to adjust the crop.
• Videos in carousels are not Reels. They do not appear in the Reels tab and do not get Reels features.

In your profile, a carousel shows its first photo or video with a multi-image icon, so slide one is also your grid thumbnail. Design it for the grid crop above, and design the later slides for the feed.

Carousel ads are a separate format with 2 to 10 cards, covered in the ads section below.

What Is the Instagram Story Size?

Design Stories at 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame. Instagram's Help Center does not publish a separate pixel size for organic Stories, so this number comes from Meta's Stories ad specs, which recommend 1080 x 1920 and set a minimum of 600 x 1067. Organic Stories use the same full-screen vertical format.

A few facts worth knowing:

• A single Story clip can be up to 60 seconds. Instagram's About pages say longer videos are split automatically into back-to-back clips.
• Stories last 24 hours and do not appear on your profile grid, per the Help Center. Save them as Highlights if you want them to stay.
• Stories ads accept wider shapes. Meta says feed dimensions from 1.91:1 to 4:5 are supported in Stories ads, but 9:16 is recommended.

Safe zones. Instagram's interface, such as the profile icon and buttons, can cover the edges of a Story. Meta's safe zone guidance for 9:16 ads says to keep text, logos and key elements away from the top, bottom and side edges, but it gives no pixel margins. A common rule of thumb, which is a recommendation and not an Instagram rule, is to keep roughly the top and bottom 250 pixels of a 1080 x 1920 Story free of important text. To add a tappable link, see our guide to adding a link to an Instagram Story.

What Is the Instagram Reel Size?

Make Reels 1080 x 1920 pixels at 9:16 so they fill a phone screen. Instagram's Help Center says a reel can have any aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, with a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The 1080 x 1920 pixel size is the standard for vertical video in Meta's ad specs.

So is a Reel 4:5 or 9:16? Both are accepted, but 9:16 is the full-screen shape. A 4:5 or 1:1 video will play with empty space above and below it. And is a Reel 1920 x 1080? That is 16:9 landscape. It falls inside the accepted range, so it uploads, but it fills only part of the screen.

Cover image. Instagram recommends a cover of 420 x 654 pixels (a 1:1.55 ratio) in PNG or JPG format. If you also use the grid, keep the key part of the cover in the middle, as covered above.

Safe zones for Reels. The same Meta guidance applies: keep the edges of a 9:16 video clear of text and logos. Meta also says that on phones with taller screens it may zoom the creative to fill the screen, which can crop what sits outside the safe zone, or show it at 9:16 with black bars. For Reels ads with disclaimers, Meta says to leave the bottom 40% free of text, logos and key elements. Instagram publishes no pixel margins for organic Reels, so treat the 40% figure as a cautious guide and not an Instagram rule.

Quality setting. If your Reels look soft, turn on Upload at highest quality. In the app: Profile, Menu, then Media quality under Your app and media. Instagram notes uploads may take longer.

How Long Can Instagram Reels Be?

You can record and edit a reel of up to 20 minutes, according to Instagram's Help Center. The same page says reels longer than 3 minutes will not be recommended to new audiences.

Instagram's own pages are not fully consistent here. Its About pages describe Reels from 3 seconds up to 3 minutes. The practical reading: 3 minutes is the length to plan for if you want strangers to find the reel, and anything longer is mainly for people who already follow you. To test a format before your whole audience sees it, see our guide to Instagram trial Reels.

What Size Should an Instagram Profile Picture Be?

Instagram does not publish a required pixel size for profile pictures, so any number you see is a recommendation. A square image of at least 320 x 320 pixels is a common choice. Instagram shows the picture inside a circle, so keep the face or logo in the center.

To change it on the web: open your profile, click Edit Profile, click Change photo, then Upload Photo. In the app you can also take a new photo, use one from your library, or import the picture from Facebook. Instagram notes that your profile picture is public to everyone, on or off Instagram, even if they do not have an account.

What Size Are Instagram Highlight Covers?

Instagram does not publish a size for Highlight covers. Highlights show up as round covers under your bio, and Instagram suggests giving each one a custom cover image. Because the circle is cut from the middle of the image, a common approach is to upload a 1080 x 1920 image (9:16) with the artwork centered. That is a common recommendation, not an Instagram rule.

Keep the icon or text well inside the circle, because the top and bottom of the image are cropped away. Our free Instagram highlight cover maker builds covers at 1080 x 1920 with the artwork placed inside the circle area, so you do not have to guess where the crop falls.

What Video and File Specs Does Instagram Support?

Instagram's Help Center publishes only a few video numbers for regular uploads. The rest of Meta's file specs are written for ads. Here is how they split:

Instagram does not state a file size limit for regular posts, so treat the ad numbers as a rough ceiling and not an Instagram rule for organic uploads.

How Do You Crop a Photo on Instagram?

After you choose a photo, Instagram lets you crop it before posting. Per the Help Center, move the photo to adjust how it sits in the frame, use the grid to help you line it up, zoom with the slider, then click Next to save. On the web, you also select the size of your photo before you continue. Crop to 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1440 in your own editor if you want exact control over what the grid shows.

What Happens If You Upload the Wrong Size?

Instagram resizes or crops the image for you, and the result can be softer or cut off. According to the Help Center, these are the documented cases:

• Unsupported aspect ratio. The photo is cropped to fit a supported ratio. For example, an ultra-wide panorama is trimmed to 1.91:1.
• Wider than 1080 pixels. The photo is sized down to a width of 1080.
• Narrower than 320 pixels. The photo is enlarged to a width of 320, which makes it look soft.
• Reels outside the supported range. Instagram says reels should be between 1.91:1 and 9:16 with at least 720 pixels and 30 FPS. It does not document what happens outside those limits, so stay inside them.

For ads, Meta says that if you do not supply every aspect ratio, its system fills the gaps with padding, cropping or generated extensions, so check the preview before publishing. Instagram also warns that a live ad can look different from its preview.

The simple fix: export at the exact size from the table at the top, preview it, then upload.

What Are the Sizes for Instagram Ads?

Ad sizes are set by Meta's Ads Guide and differ from organic posts. These figures come from Meta's ad specs for Instagram, and they change, so confirm them in Ads Manager before you build creative.

What Do You Do After the Post Is the Right Size?

Getting the size right makes a post look professional. It does not decide whether people react to it. Once a post or Reel is live, the useful work is answering the people who comment and message.

FlowGent connects to your Instagram professional account through Meta's official Instagram API. It can send a private reply with a link or answer when someone comments a keyword on a post or Reel (comment-to-DM), reply to common words in DMs, and, on plans with AI, answer open questions from content you provide, with human handoff in the inbox. Starter is $19 per month for flows without AI, Hobby is $49 per month with the AI agent, and there is a 7-day free trial. Automation covers repeat questions; you still need to look at your inbox. See the Instagram DM automation guide for how the pieces fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Instagram post size?

For most feed photos, 1080 x 1350 (4:5) or 1080 x 1440 (3:4). Instagram's Help Center says photos work at a width of 1080 pixels with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 3:4. Use 1080 x 1080 for squares. Taller posts take more screen space, but any shape in that range is supported.

Is Instagram 4:3 or 16:9?

Neither is required, but both fit. Instagram's supported photo range runs from 1.91:1 (wide) to 3:4 (tall). A 4:3 landscape photo (1.33:1) and a 16:9 landscape photo (1.78:1) both sit inside it. They appear as short, wide posts, so portrait shapes usually use the feed better.

Is 1080 x 1350 4:5 or 3:4?

1080 x 1350 is 4:5. The 3:4 equivalent is 1080 x 1440. Both are portrait shapes inside Instagram's supported range, and the 3:4 version is the taller of the two. The profile grid is commonly described as 3:4, so 1080 x 1440 matches it most closely.

Is an Instagram Reel 4:5 or 9:16?

9:16. A reel can technically have any ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, according to Instagram's Help Center, but 9:16 (1080 x 1920) fills the phone screen. A 4:5 video plays with empty bands above and below it.

What size is an Instagram post in inches or cm?

Instagram uses pixels, so inches and centimeters depend on the resolution your design tool assumes. A 1080 x 1350 post is 15 x 18.75 inches (38.1 x 47.6 cm) at 72 pixels per inch, or 3.6 x 4.5 inches (9.1 x 11.4 cm) at 300. The pixel count is what matters for upload.

How many photos can you add to an Instagram carousel?

Up to 20 photos and videos in one post, according to Instagram's Help Center. All slides share one orientation (square, portrait or landscape), and slides in a different ratio are cropped to fit. Videos inside a carousel are not Reels. Carousel ads are a separate format with 2 to 10 cards.