Instagram Image Sizes: Post, Story and Reel Dimensions
Upload the wrong shape to Instagram and it gets cropped, letterboxed or squashed. These are the dimensions that fit each placement, and how to prepare a photo so it looks the way you intended.
The sizes at a glance
- Square post: 1080 × 1080 px (1:1)
- Portrait post: 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) — takes up the most room in the feed
- Landscape post: 1080 × 566 px (1.91:1)
- Tall portrait post: 1080 × 1440 px (3:4) — matches the profile grid's crop exactly
- Stories and Reels: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
- Profile photo: upload at least 320 × 320 px; it is displayed as a circle
Instagram changes its layout from time to time, so treat these as reliable working sizes rather than fixed rules. The width of 1080 px is the constant: Instagram scales images to that width in the feed.
Feed posts: which shape to choose
For most photos, the 4:5 portrait format is the best choice. It occupies more screen height than a square or landscape image, so it stands out while people scroll. Landscape shots are the hardest to make count, since they shrink into a thin strip on a phone.
Use the square when the subject sits centrally, for products, food or a portrait. Use landscape only when the width is the whole point, for example a panorama or a group shot.
If you upload something outside the supported range of ratios, Instagram crops it to fit, and it often trims the edges you cared about. It's better to crop yourself so you decide what stays.
Stories and Reels
Full-screen vertical content uses 1080 × 1920. The catch is the safe zone: the top and bottom of the screen are covered by your profile name, the reply bar and interface buttons. Keep text and faces roughly 250 pixels away from the top and bottom edges so nothing gets covered.
A photo in landscape or square format can still be posted to Stories; it will appear with bars or a blurred background. A properly sized vertical image simply looks more polished.
Carousels and grid tricks
- Carousels: every slide should have the same ratio. Instagram sizes the whole set from the first image, so mixing shapes leads to cropping on the others.
- Panoramas: split one wide image into consecutive square or portrait slides so it seems to continue as the viewer swipes.
- Profile grid: the grid preview shows posts in a 3:4 crop, so keep important content away from the far left and right edges of portrait posts.
Getting quality right
- Start large, not small. Instagram recompresses everything. A sharp 1080-wide file survives that better than a small image stretched up.
- Save as JPG for photographs. PNGs are converted anyway and may end up larger before upload. See our guide on image formats.
- Convert iPhone HEIC first if you are posting from a computer. Details in HEIC vs JPG.
- Don't over-sharpen. Recompression amplifies halos and noise.
Doing it in the browser
The Instagram Image Resizer crops and scales a photo to the exact size for each placement, with a preview so you see the crop before you save, and can split an image into carousel or panorama slides. Everything runs in your browser; your photos are never uploaded to us.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best size for an Instagram post?
1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) for most photos, since it takes up the most space in the feed.
Why does Instagram crop my photo?
Because it falls outside the ratios Instagram supports, or because the grid preview trims the edges. Crop it to a supported ratio yourself first.
Why do my photos look blurry after posting?
Instagram recompresses all uploads. Starting with a sharp 1080-pixel-wide image and avoiding heavy edits gives the best result.
What size should Reels covers be?
Use 1080 × 1920, but keep the important part within the central 1080 × 1440 area, because the cover also appears as a 3:4 thumbnail on your profile grid.