Instagram size guide · Updated October 2026

Instagram post sizes for 2026: every dimension in one place

The best Instagram post size in 2026 is 1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) or 1080 × 1440 pixels (3:4) for feed posts and carousels. Stories and Reels are 1080 × 1920 (9:16), and a square post is 1080 × 1080 (1:1). Since January 2025 the profile grid shows every post as a 3:4 vertical tile, so a 3:4 post fills its tile exactly while 4:5 and square posts get their sides trimmed.

Below: the full size table, what the 3:4 grid does to each format, carousel rules, practical safe zones for text and faces, and file settings that survive Instagram's compression. If you'd rather not track any of it, BeyondBeings renders every post at the exact canvas for the ratio you pick.

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Specs verified as of October 2026. Instagram changes formats often — check the Instagram Help Center for the latest.

Feed portrait

1080 × 1350

4:5

Grid-native portrait

1080 × 1440

3:4

Stories & Reels

1080 × 1920

9:16

Square

1080 × 1080

1:1

Instagram post dimensions: the full table

Every size below is at 1080 pixels wide, the width Instagram displays. A larger file with the same ratio works too; Instagram scales it down. The ratio is what matters most, because the ratio decides what gets cropped.

Format	Aspect ratio	Pixels	Where it shows	Notes
Portrait postBest for feed	4:5	1080 × 1350	Feed, carousels	The long-standing feed standard. The 3:4 grid tile trims about 34 px from each side.
Vertical postBest for feed	3:4	1080 × 1440	Feed, carousels	Matches the profile grid tile exactly, so your profile shows the whole frame.
Square post	1:1	1080 × 1080	Feed, carousels	Shorter in the feed than portrait. The grid tile trims 135 px from each side.
Landscape post	1.91:1	1080 × 566	Feed	Smallest footprint in the feed. The grid tile shows only the middle ~40% of the width.
Carousel	Set by slide 1	1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440	Feed	Up to 20 slides. Every slide is cropped to the first slide's aspect ratio.
Story	9:16	1080 × 1920	Stories	Full screen. The progress bar and profile name cover the top; the message bar covers the bottom.
Reel	9:16	1080 × 1920	Reels tab, feed, profile	Caption, username, and audio sit at the bottom; the action buttons run up the right side.
Reels cover	9:16 (3:4 on grid)	1080 × 1920	Reels tab, profile grid	Your profile shows only the centered 1080 × 1440 area, 240 px off the top and bottom.
Profile photo	1:1, shown as a circle	Square, e.g. 1080 × 1080	Profile, comments, DMs	Displayed small and round, so the corners never show.

Portrait post

4:5

Pixels: 1080 × 1350
Where it shows: Feed, carousels

The long-standing feed standard. The 3:4 grid tile trims about 34 px from each side.

Vertical post

3:4

Pixels: 1080 × 1440
Where it shows: Feed, carousels

Matches the profile grid tile exactly, so your profile shows the whole frame.

Square post

1:1

Pixels: 1080 × 1080
Where it shows: Feed, carousels

Shorter in the feed than portrait. The grid tile trims 135 px from each side.

Landscape post

1.91:1

Pixels: 1080 × 566
Where it shows: Feed

Smallest footprint in the feed. The grid tile shows only the middle ~40% of the width.

Carousel

Set by slide 1

Pixels: 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440
Where it shows: Feed

Up to 20 slides. Every slide is cropped to the first slide's aspect ratio.

Story

9:16

Pixels: 1080 × 1920
Where it shows: Stories

Full screen. The progress bar and profile name cover the top; the message bar covers the bottom.

Reel

9:16

Pixels: 1080 × 1920
Where it shows: Reels tab, feed, profile

Caption, username, and audio sit at the bottom; the action buttons run up the right side.

Reels cover

9:16 (3:4 on grid)

Pixels: 1080 × 1920
Where it shows: Reels tab, profile grid

Your profile shows only the centered 1080 × 1440 area, 240 px off the top and bottom.

Profile photo

1:1, shown as a circle

Pixels: Square, e.g. 1080 × 1080
Where it shows: Profile, comments, DMs

Displayed small and round, so the corners never show.

Grid-crop figures assume Instagram's default centered crop. Specs as of October 2026; see the Instagram Help Center for current guidance.

The 3:4 grid change, explained

In January 2025 Instagram changed the profile grid from squares to 3:4 vertical tiles. Your posts themselves didn't change: in the feed, a post still shows at the ratio you uploaded. What changed is the thumbnail on your profile. Every post is now previewed in a tile three units wide by four tall, cropped from the original.

That makes the grid tile a second crop you have to design for. Here is what it takes off each format at 1080 px wide.

3:4 post

1080 × 1440

Fits the tile exactly

4:5 post

1080 × 1350

~34 px off each side

Square post

1080 × 1080

135 px off each side

Landscape post

1080 × 566

~328 px off each side

Reels cover

1080 × 1920

240 px off top and bottom

Dashed box = what your profile grid shows. Hatched = trimmed from the tile.

The math is simple. For portrait and square posts, the tile keeps the full height and trims the width to three quarters of that height. A 4:5 post is 1350 px tall, so the tile shows 1350 × 3/4 = 1012.5 px of its 1080 px width, about 34 px off each side. A square keeps 1080 × 3/4 = 810 px, losing 135 px per side. A landscape post keeps just 566 × 3/4 ≈ 425 px of its width. A 9:16 Reels cover goes the other way: it keeps the full width and the middle 1080 × 4/3 = 1440 px of height, losing 240 px from the top and the bottom.

Why it matters: for editorial pages, theme pages, and portfolios, the grid is the storefront. It's what a visitor scans before deciding to follow. A headline that runs edge to edge on a square post loses its first and last letters in the tile, and a face placed near the side of a 4:5 frame can lose an ear. The fix is either to post at 3:4 or to keep a margin.

4:5 or 3:4: which should you use?

Both are portrait, both fill most of a phone screen in the feed, and Instagram accepts both. The difference is a sliver of height in the feed and a sliver of width on the grid. Here's the honest split.

Choose 3:4 (1080 × 1440) when…

Your profile grid matters: editorial, theme, or portfolio pages where people browse the grid before they follow.
You're starting a new page or a new visual system, with nothing built on 4:5 yet.
Your covers carry headlines or faces close to the sides that you don't want trimmed in the tile.
You want a slightly taller frame in the feed: 1440 px of height at 1080 wide, against 1350 for 4:5.

Stay on 4:5 (1080 × 1350) when…

Your templates, presets, and archive are already built on 4:5, and you don't want to run two systems.
Your layouts keep a side margin anyway, so the ~34 px grid trim never touches anything important.
You want the format nearly every design tool and preset still exports by default.

The recommendation

For a new, Instagram-first page in 2026, default to 3:4. The grid shows exactly what you designed and the feed frame is a touch taller. If you're already on 4:5, there's no urgent reason to switch: keep headlines and faces at least ~60 px in from the left and right edges and the grid trim is invisible. Whichever you choose, use it everywhere, so your margins, type sizes, and templates only have to work in one frame. And because Instagram's handling of tall formats has changed more than once, check the crop preview in the app before you post.

Instagram carousel size and rules

A carousel uses the same feed sizes, with 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440 as the sweet spot, but it adds rules of its own. Break them and slides get cropped in ways you didn't design.

Up to 20 slides

Instagram raised the limit from 10 to 20 in 2024. That's a ceiling, not a target: most editorial stories land between 3 and 7 slides, and every extra slide has to earn another swipe.

The first slide sets the ratio for every slide

Whatever shape slide 1 is, every other slide is cropped to match. Put a square slide after a 4:5 cover and it loses its sides.

Export every slide at one ratio

Design all slides on the same canvas from the start. Nothing gets cropped unexpectedly, and the headline sits in the same place on every swipe, which is what makes a carousel read as one piece.

Slide 1 is also your grid tile

The cover is what appears on your profile, cropped to 3:4. Keep its headline and focal point well inside the frame, or make the whole carousel 3:4 so the tile shows the cover in full.

Set type for a phone, not a monitor

Each slide is seen at phone width, and in the grid at roughly a third of that. One idea per slide, set large, beats a paragraph every time.

Size is the easy part. For how to structure the slides so people swipe to the end and send it on, read how to make a viral Instagram carousel, slide by slide.

Safe zones: where to keep text and faces

The right size gets your post in the frame. The safe zone keeps what matters out of the crops and away from Instagram's interface. The margins below are practical rules of thumb, not official Instagram numbers.

Feed posts and the grid tile

Feed posts carry only small corner overlays, like a carousel's slide counter, so the crop that matters is the grid tile. On a 4:5 post, keep headlines and faces at least ~60 px in from the left and right edges; the tile trims about 34 px per side. On a square, keep anything important inside the middle 810 px. On 3:4 nothing is trimmed, but a margin of about 5% (54 px) keeps type from crowding the edge of a small tile.

Instagram story size and safe zone

Stories are 1080 × 1920 (9:16). The progress bar, profile name, and close button sit across the top, and the message bar sits across the bottom. Keep text and faces out of roughly the top 250 px and the bottom 300 px, and build the frame around the clear middle band.

Reels safe zone

Reels are 1080 × 1920 (9:16), with more interface than Stories. The caption, username, and audio line sit across the bottom, and the like, comment, and share buttons run up the right edge. Keep key text out of roughly the bottom 400 px, a 150 px strip on the right, and the top 200 px.

Overlays shift between devices and app versions, so leave room to spare. If you remember one rule, make it this one: headline and face in the middle of the frame, edges treated as background.

Reels cover size and profile photo size

Two small images that do a lot of work: the cover decides how a Reel looks on your profile, and the profile photo follows you into every comment and DM.

Reels cover

1080 × 1920 (9:16), the same as the Reel. Your profile grid shows only the centered 3:4 area, the middle 1080 × 1440, so 240 px comes off the top and the bottom.

Design it as a 3:4 composition sitting inside a 9:16 frame: title and face in the middle, top and bottom as background. You can pick a frame from the video or upload a separate cover image.

Profile photo

Upload a square; 1080 × 1080 is a safe master. Instagram shows it as a small circle across your profile, comments, and DMs, so the corners never appear. A circle inside a square covers π/4 of it, about 79%.

Center the face or logo, crop tight, and skip text: at that size, words are unreadable.

File settings that survive Instagram's compression

The right Instagram image size is only half of a sharp post. Instagram recompresses every upload, so the file you hand it decides how much survives.

Export at 1080 px wide

Instagram displays feed images at up to 1080 px wide, so that's the width that counts. A larger master at the same ratio is fine, since Instagram scales it down. Never upscale a small image to hit 1080; it only gets softer.

Save in sRGB

Phones and browsers assume sRGB. Files saved in wide-gamut or print profiles can shift color on the way through, so convert to sRGB before you export.

JPEG or PNG, at full quality

A high-quality JPEG suits photos; PNG can hold up better for text-heavy graphics. Instagram recompresses either way, so start it from a clean, full-quality file rather than one that's already been squeezed.

Skip tiny text and hairlines

Compression softens thin strokes, fine type, and dense small print first. If a line isn't readable at arm's length on your own phone, it's too small, and in the grid tile it's a third of that size.

Check your upload quality setting

If your app's media-quality settings include an option to upload at the highest quality, turn it on. It uses a little more data and removes one more place for quality to drop.

Preview before you post

Look at the crop screen and at your profile grid right after posting. Instagram's handling of tall formats has changed more than once, and a 10-second check beats a reupload.

How BeyondBeings renders every post at the right size

Getting the size right is half the job; the other half is a design that survives the crops. BeyondBeings, the agentic editorial graphics platform, is built to handle both. Pick a ratio (1:1, 4:5 as the default, 3:4, 2:3, 9:16, or 16:9) and the image is composed for that canvas from the start, not cut out of a square render after the fact. Name the format in your request instead, like “a Reel cover” or “Instagram square”, and it picks the matching canvas; a ratio you pick by hand always wins.

The headline is composited as a real, editable type layer, sized to fit inside the frame's margins, and the image is composed around a reserved headline zone so the type doesn't land on a face. Because the headline stays a layer, you can drag it into the clear middle band for a Story or Reel cover. If the profile grid is your storefront, choose 3:4 and the tile shows the whole design, headline included. Output is a high-resolution master, 2K on Standard and up to 4K on Pro and up, which downsizes cleanly to Instagram's 1080 px.

Carousels render at one consistent ratio across every slide, so nothing gets cropped when Instagram applies slide 1's shape to the rest: up to six slides per generation, and no overall limit. “Download all” saves each slide as its own high-res JPEG, ready to upload in order. BeyondBeings produces the finished assets; you post them.

Exact canvases for 1:1, 4:5, 3:4, 2:3, 9:16, and 16:9
Headline composited as an editable layer inside the frame, never pixels in the render
2K masters on Standard, up to 4K on Pro and up
Carousels locked to one ratio, up to six slides per generation
Free to try, no signup or card needed to start

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Instagram post size FAQ

The questions people ask most about Instagram sizes. Email info@beyondbeings.com if yours isn't here.

What size is an Instagram post in 2026?

For feed posts, use 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) or 1080 x 1440 pixels (3:4). Square posts are 1080 x 1080 (1:1) and landscape posts are 1080 x 566 (1.91:1). Stories and Reels are 1080 x 1920 (9:16). Portrait formats take up the most screen in the feed, and since January 2025 the profile grid shows every post as a 3:4 tile, so 3:4 is the only feed format your profile doesn't trim. BeyondBeings renders posts at the exact canvas for whichever of these ratios you pick.

What is the best size for an Instagram carousel?

1080 x 1350 (4:5) or 1080 x 1440 (3:4), with every slide at the same ratio. Instagram crops every slide to the first slide's aspect ratio, so mixing shapes means some slides get cut. 3:4 has the edge when the cover needs to look right on your profile, because the first slide becomes your 3:4 grid tile. BeyondBeings generates carousels at one consistent ratio across all slides for exactly this reason.

Why does Instagram crop my photo on my profile grid?

Because the grid changed shape. In January 2025 Instagram switched profile grid thumbnails from squares to 3:4 vertical tiles. Any post that isn't 3:4 is cropped to fit its tile, by default from the center: a 4:5 post loses about 34 px from each side, a square loses 135 px from each side, and a landscape post shows only its middle. The full post is still intact in the feed. To avoid the crop, post at 3:4 (1080 x 1440), or keep text and faces away from the edges.

Is 4:5 or 3:4 better for Instagram?

For a new, Instagram-first page, 3:4 (1080 x 1440) is the cleaner default: it matches the profile grid tile exactly and gives you a slightly taller frame than 4:5. 4:5 (1080 x 1350) is still a solid choice, especially if your templates and archive are built on it; the grid only trims about 34 px per side, which is invisible if you keep a side margin. Pick one and stick with it. BeyondBeings renders both natively, with 4:5 as the default.

What size is an Instagram story?

1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame that fills the phone screen. The progress bar and profile name sit over the top and the message bar sits over the bottom, so as a practical rule keep text and faces out of roughly the top 250 px and the bottom 300 px. BeyondBeings renders 9:16 natively, and because its headline stays an editable layer, you can drag it into the clear middle of the frame.

How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?

Up to 20 slides; Instagram raised the limit from 10 in 2024. That's a ceiling, not a target. Most editorial carousels land between 3 and 7 slides, because every extra slide has to earn another swipe. BeyondBeings makes up to six slides per generation, with no overall limit.

What size should a Reels cover be?

Make the cover 1080 x 1920 (9:16), the same as the Reel. Your profile grid shows only the centered 3:4 area of it, the middle 1080 x 1440, so 240 px comes off the top and the bottom. Keep the title and any face inside that middle area, and keep text clear of the bottom of the frame, where the caption and audio line sit when the Reel plays.

Can you mix aspect ratios in one Instagram carousel?

Not without cropping. Instagram applies the first slide's aspect ratio to every slide, so a square slide after a 4:5 cover gets cropped to 4:5. Design every slide on the same canvas from the start. BeyondBeings locks a whole carousel to one ratio when it generates the slides.

What is the best aspect ratio for Instagram?

Portrait for the feed and 9:16 for Stories and Reels. A portrait post (3:4 or 4:5) takes up more of the screen than a square or landscape post as people scroll, which gives it more room to stop the thumb. Use 1:1 only when the content is genuinely square, and avoid landscape for feed posts: it's the smallest in the feed and the most heavily cropped on the grid.

What resolution should I upload to Instagram so it doesn't look blurry?

Export at 1080 px wide in sRGB, as a high-quality JPEG or a PNG. Instagram displays feed images at up to 1080 px wide and recompresses every upload, so a clean, full-width file gives it the least to damage. Larger files at the same ratio are fine because Instagram scales them down, but upscaling a small image only makes it softer. Avoid tiny text and hairline detail, which compression blurs first. BeyondBeings exports 2K masters on Standard and up to 4K on Pro and up, which downsize cleanly.

Keep exploring

Instagram carousel maker

Editorial carousels at one consistent ratio, cover to last slide.

How to make a viral carousel

The slide-by-slide anatomy: hook, stakes, payoff, send.

TikTok carousel maker

Vertical 9:16 photo-mode carousels, built for TikTok.

Viral carousel hooks

12 hook patterns for a first slide that stops the scroll.

Skip the spec sheet. Ship the post.

Pick a story and a ratio. BeyondBeings researches it, writes the headline, and renders a ready-to-post graphic or carousel at the exact canvas, with the type composited inside the frame. Free to try, no signup needed.

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