Quick answer: Instagram post size refers to the pixel dimensions and aspect ratio of a feed image or video. Use 1080 x 1350 px (4:5) for portrait photos and carousels, 1080 x 1080 px (1:1) for squares, and 1080 x 1920 px (9:16) for Reels and Stories. Instagram's profile grid now previews posts at 3:4.
Key facts
- The safest feed upload is 1080 x 1350 px (4:5), which fills the most screen height in the main feed.
- Reels and Stories use a 1080 x 1920 px (9:16) frame, and a 3:4 grid crop trims 240 px from the top and bottom of that frame.
- Carousels hold up to 20 images or videos, up from 10 before August 2024, and the first slide sets the ratio for the rest.
- Captions run up to 2,200 characters, and only the first 125 are visible before the "more" cut-off.
- Meta's publishing documentation accepts JPEG as the only image format for API posts.
- Last verified: 22 October 2026. Where a value comes from a third-party guide rather than Meta, the table says so.
Short answer: the current Instagram post sizes (square, portrait, landscape)
Instagram post size comes down to three ratios for most feed posts. Portrait at 4:5 (1080 x 1350 px) takes the most room on a phone screen. Square at 1:1 (1080 x 1080 px) is the classic. Landscape at 1.91:1 (1080 x 566 px) is the widest Instagram will show without cropping.
Width stays at 1080 px in all three. Only the height changes, so you can design on one canvas and change the height when a layout calls for it.
If you only remember one rule, remember this one: design for 4:5, and keep anything important inside the middle 3:4 area. That second part is new, and it is the next section.
The 3:4 grid change: what is the new Instagram post size?
The profile grid change explains why the 3:4 advice below matters. Instagram tested rectangular grid thumbnails in 2024, as Engadget reported, and secondary coverage says the 3:4 grid became the default for everyone in early 2025.
For creators, the practical effect is simple. Square and 4:5 posts are cropped to a tall rectangle on the profile grid, so text near the edges can be clipped there even though the full image still shows in the feed.
Most guides now suggest 3:4 (1080 x 1440 px) if you want the grid thumbnail and the feed image to match. Our recommendation: keep designing at 4:5 for the feed, but place headlines and faces inside the central 3:4 region. Cropping a 1080 x 1350 px image to 3:4 keeps about 1012 px of width, so stay roughly 40 px from the left and right edges. A 1080 x 1080 px square loses 135 px on each side.
Instagram post size 2026: feed photo dimensions and aspect ratios
The table below lists the size for each format. The last column names the source for each row, as checked on 22 October 2026.
| Format | Size (px) | Ratio | Source and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 | Cited consistently by third-party guides |
| Square | 1080 x 1080 | 1:1 | Cited consistently by third-party guides |
| Landscape | 1080 x 566 | 1.91:1 | Cited consistently by third-party guides |
| Grid-matched | 1080 x 1440 | 3:4 | Engadget and secondary coverage of the 3:4 grid |
| Reel or Story | 1080 x 1920 | 9:16 | Ayrshare's Instagram media guidelines and other third-party guides |
| Carousel slide | 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 | Meta docs say slide one sets the crop; 4:5 is our pick |
How do you post different size photos on Instagram?
You will often start with a photo that is not 4:5, such as a 16:9 screenshot or a 3:2 camera shot. Instagram crops anything outside its accepted ratio range, and the in-app crop tool lets you choose which part survives.
Resizing before you upload is cleaner. Create a 1080 x 1350 px canvas, place the photo, and fill the empty space with a brand color instead of leaving a white bar. For landscape photos, stay at 1.91:1 rather than forcing a portrait crop, unless the subject is tall.
Instagram Reel size and safe zones
The Instagram Reel size is 1080 x 1920 px at 9:16, as MP4 or MOV, and most guides cite 30 fps. Length is commonly given as up to 3 minutes, though some sources report longer limits for certain accounts, so confirm in the app.
Keep text and faces about 250 px from the top and bottom edges, a design guideline rather than an Instagram specification. Preview the result on a phone before publishing. For safe zones and export settings, see our 9:16 aspect ratio guide.
Stories size and safe zones
Stories use the same 1080 x 1920 px canvas and the same margin logic. The reply bar sits at the bottom and the profile name sits at the top, so a call to action placed in the last 250 px will be hidden or hard to tap.
For stickers, polls and link stickers, work from the middle of the frame outward. If a Story reuses a Reel, check that the on-screen captions are not sitting inside the lower margin.
Carousel size and mixed-ratio rules
Carousels now take up to 20 slides. TechCrunch reported the jump from 10 to 20 on August 8, 2024, and Meta's publishing documentation lists the same cap of 20 images, videos or a mix.
Ratio is the rule that catches people out. Meta's documentation says carousel images are cropped based on the first image, with 1:1 as the default. In practice, that means every slide should share the ratio of slide one. We suggest 4:5 for every slide, since it is the same ratio Publiqa uses for carousels.
For a panoramic swipe-through carousel, design one wide canvas and slice it. Three slides need a 3240 x 1350 px canvas, and four need 4320 x 1350 px, then cut at multiples of 1080 px. For layouts and sample copy, see our Instagram carousel templates.
Profile photo, cover and thumbnail sizes
Profile photos display as a circle. Upload a square of at least 320 x 320 px, which is the figure most guides use, and keep the face in the centre so the circle crop does not cut it.
A Reel cover is a 9:16 image, and the grid shows it at 3:4. Put the title in the middle band. For feed videos, choose a frame that already looks good at 3:4.
File size, resolution and compression limits
- Images: JPEG is the safe choice, and Meta's publishing API accepts only JPEG. Many guides cite an 8 MB ceiling.
- Videos: MP4 or MOV, with H.264 compression as the common choice. Reels are often given a 1 GB cap and 23 to 60 fps.
- Captions: 2,200 characters, with the first 125 visible. We cover the detail in the Instagram caption character limit guide.
- Resolution: 1080 px wide is enough. Uploading 4K adds little, because Instagram recompresses uploads.
A free resize checklist you can run before every upload:
- Export at the right width (1080 px).
- Check the ratio against the table above.
- Keep text 250 px from the top and bottom of any 9:16 frame.
- Check the centre 3:4 area for the grid thumbnail.
- Compress under 8 MB for images.
- Preview on a phone, not only on a monitor.
How Publiqa helps with Instagram post size
Publiqa is an AI social media and cloud video studio that turns one idea, article or competitor link into content for 12 channels, Instagram among them. Resizing for each channel is the part it handles for you.
A concrete workflow: paste a blog post URL into Campaign Studio, and Publiqa adapts the core idea per channel, producing an Instagram caption within the 2,200 character limit, a 4:5 carousel and a vertical video. Cloud Video Studio renders at 1080 x 1920 px and 30 fps, and your Brand Kit supplies colors, logo and fonts. A mobile preview in the Post Simulator is where you check the safe zones.
Delivery status matters here. Outgoing webhooks and headless CMS integrations are live, and direct publishing to social networks is rolling out, so see the documentation for the current state. For other networks, see our social media video sizes cheat sheet. Vertical formats are covered in the 9:16 aspect ratio guide.
Your ten-minute resize routine
Save the table above as a template. Make one 1080 x 1350 px canvas with the 3:4 center marked, and one 1080 x 1920 px canvas with the 250 px margins marked. Every new post then starts from a canvas that already has the right Instagram post size.
Once a quarter, compare the table with Instagram's current help pages and update the "last verified" date. Specs drift, and the grid change is a good example of why.
Want the sizes handled for you? Turn one idea into content for 12 channels. You can check plans and credits first.
FAQ
What size is an Instagram post?
The standard Instagram post is 1080 x 1350 px (4:5) for portrait, 1080 x 1080 px (1:1) for square and 1080 x 566 px (1.91:1) for landscape. Reels and Stories use 1080 x 1920 px (9:16). Portrait is the best default because it takes the most space in the feed.
What is the size of an Instagram post for the grid?
The profile grid previews posts at 3:4, which is 1080 x 1440 px. Square and 4:5 posts are cropped to that tall rectangle in the grid. Keep headlines in the centre so the thumbnail stays readable.
Can I post different size photos on Instagram?
Yes. Instagram accepts a range of ratios and crops anything outside it. To avoid surprises, resize to 4:5 or 1.91:1 before uploading, and keep every slide in a carousel at the same ratio as the first.
How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?
Up to 20 images or videos. Instagram raised the cap from 10 in August 2024, and Meta's publishing documentation lists 20 as the current limit.