Instagram image sizes at a glance
Every size below is in pixels, width by height. Instagram resizes anything wider than 1080, so 1080 is the number to remember.
| Format | Size (px) | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 320 × 320 | 1:1 (shown as a circle) |
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| Landscape post | 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Reel cover | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 (1:1 center shows on grid) |
| Carousel | same as first image | follows first slide |
Instagram accepts other sizes too. It will crop or pad them to fit. Using these exact sizes means no surprise crops.
Instagram profile picture size
Upload a square at 320×320 pixels or larger. Instagram shrinks it to a small circle. Put the face or logo in the center and leave space around it. Anything in the corners gets cut off by the circle.
Instagram post size
Feed posts come in three shapes.
- Portrait, 1080×1350 (4:5). Tallest allowed. Takes up the most space in the feed.
- Square, 1080×1080 (1:1). The classic shape. Still fine, but smaller on screen.
- Landscape, 1080×566 (1.91:1). Widest allowed. Best for wide scenes, worst for attention.
As of 2025, Instagram shows profile grids as 3:4 rectangles instead of squares. A 4:5 portrait fits that preview with only a sliver cropped from the top and bottom. A square loses more on the sides. That makes 4:5 the safest post format right now. Instagram announced the grid change on its official blog.
Instagram Story size and safe area
Stories are 1080×1920, a 9:16 ratio. That matches most phone screens. Two things to watch.
- Keep text and faces out of the top and bottom 250 pixels. Your profile name sits at the top. The reply bar and stickers sit at the bottom.
- Keep important detail out of the far left and right edges. Some phones crop them.
A photo shot in portrait on your phone usually fits without edits. A landscape photo gets big blank bars unless you crop it.
Instagram Reel size and cover
Reels use the same 1080×1920 frame as Stories, with the same safe zones. The cover image matters more than people think. On your grid, only the middle of the cover shows. That crop is 3:4 as of 2025, and it was a square before. Keep the key part in the center square, about 1080×1080, and it is safe either way. On the Reels tab the cover shows in full.
Instagram carousel size
All slides in a carousel use the ratio of the first slide. If slide one is 4:5, every slide is shown at 4:5. Mixed sizes get cropped to match. Make every slide the same size before you upload.
Export tips that keep images sharp
- Export at 1080 wide. Instagram compresses everything. A 4000-pixel image gets shrunk and compressed, which looks worse than a clean 1080 export.
- JPG for photos, PNG for text and flat color. Instagram converts both to JPG, but a PNG with sharp text survives the change better.
- Use sRGB color. Other color profiles can look dull after upload.
- Upload on Wi-Fi. On mobile data, Instagram may upload a lower quality version. You can turn on Upload at highest quality under Settings, then Data usage and media quality.
- Avoid thin lines and tiny text. They blur first when compressed.
From our own testing, a 1080×1350 JPG at 80 percent quality looks the same after upload as a larger file. There is no gain from going bigger.
Video size for Reels and Stories
For video, use the same 1080×1920 frame at 30 frames per second. Use MP4 with H.264. Keep files under a few hundred megabytes. If a Reel fails to upload or looks wrong, see our Instagram Reels not working guide.
Does image size affect reach?
Not directly. Instagram ranks posts by how people react to them, not by the file. But a taller image fills more screen, so people stop on it longer. That helps. Pair the right size with the best time to post, and check your growth with our free follower count checker.