Instagram Post Size & Ratio: Pixels for Posts, Stories, Reels
Instagram post size ratio and pixels: 4:5 portrait 1080x1350, square 1080x1080, stories and reels 1080x1920, profile picture, and posting without cropping.
The best Instagram post size ratio is 4:5 portrait at 1080 x 1350 pixels. Instagram also accepts square posts (1:1, 1080 x 1080) and landscape posts (1.91:1, 1080 x 566), while stories and reels use 9:16 at 1080 x 1920. Anything taller than 4:5 or wider than 1.91:1 gets cropped in the feed. Our Instagram image size tool resizes photos to these sizes in your browser, and can add borders so nothing is cut off.
Instagram sizes in pixels (cheat sheet)
| Format | Ratio | Recommended pixels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed post, portrait | 4:5 | 1080 x 1350 | Takes up the most space in the feed |
| Feed post, square | 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 | The classic Instagram square |
| Feed post, landscape | 1.91:1 | 1080 x 566 | Looks small in the feed |
| Feed post, 3:4 | 3:4 | 1080 x 1440 | Matches the profile grid; check your app supports it |
| Story | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Full-screen vertical |
| Reel | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Cover shows cropped on the grid |
| Profile picture | 1:1 | At least 320 x 320 | Shown as a circle |
Instagram displays images at up to 1080 pixels wide. Uploading something wider does not add detail; the app scales it down and compresses it.
Instagram post size ratio explained
The ratio is the shape, width divided by height. Instagram allows feed photos between 1.91:1 (wide) and 4:5 (tall). A phone camera shoots in 3:4, which is slightly taller than 4:5, so most phone photos get a small crop at the top or bottom when posted to the feed.
Since 2025, the profile grid shows posts as taller 3:4 rectangles instead of squares, and many guides now suggest 3:4 (1080 x 1440) for posts you want to look right on your profile. In the feed, 4:5 is still the widely recommended default. Whatever you choose, keep the important part of the image in the middle, because the grid preview may crop the edges differently from the feed.
Instagram story size and reels size
Stories and reels are 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16). Instagram overlays your profile name at the top and the reply bar, captions and buttons at the bottom, so keep text and faces in the central area. A useful rule of thumb is to leave roughly the top and bottom 250 pixels free of anything important.
For a reel, the cover image is shown full-screen in the reels tab but cropped on your profile grid. Put the title or face in the centre of the cover.
To make a story-sized image, open Instagram image size, set the width to 1080 and height to 1920, and choose "Fit inside" to keep the whole photo with borders or "Crop to fill" to fill the screen.
Instagram profile picture size
Profile pictures are square images shown in a small circle. Upload a square of at least 320 x 320 pixels; 1080 x 1080 also works. Because of the circle, the corners are hidden, so centre your face and leave a little space around it. Use crop image with "Square 1:1" to frame it before uploading. The crop tool does not cut a circle itself; Instagram applies the circle when it displays the photo.
How to size a photo for Instagram without cropping
If you want the whole photo, say a wide group picture or a tall screenshot, to show up uncut:
- Open Instagram image size. It is preset to 1080 x 1350 with Fit inside (white padding).
- Choose your photo. It is scaled to fit inside the 4:5 frame, with white bars added where needed.
- Download and post it. Instagram sees an image that is already 4:5, so it does not crop anything.
For a square post, change the height to 1080. The padding is always white; the tool does not offer coloured or blurred borders. If you prefer to fill the frame instead, switch to "Crop to fill", or use crop image to choose exactly which part to keep.
You can choose several photos at once, which is handy for a carousel where every slide should be the same size.
Instagram size without losing quality
Instagram compresses every upload, but you can keep it looking sharp:
- Upload at 1080 pixels wide. Very large files are downscaled by the app, which can soften them.
- Start from the original photo, not a screenshot or a forwarded copy.
- Use JPG for photos. Our tool keeps the original format, so set Output format to JPG for HEIC or PNG photos.
- Avoid extreme compression before uploading. You do not need to make a feed post tiny; Instagram will compress it anyway. If a file is very large for another reason, compress image at a high quality setting is enough.
For thumbnails on other platforms, see our YouTube thumbnail size guide.
How to change Instagram size inside the app
When you add a photo in the Instagram app, you can tap the expand icon on the preview to switch between the original shape and a square crop, and pinch to zoom and reposition. This only offers the shapes Instagram allows, which is why a photo outside 4:5 to 1.91:1 always loses some edges. Preparing it at the right size first gives you control over what is kept.
Common mistakes
- Posting phone photos as-is and losing a strip from the top or bottom.
- Putting text at the very edges of a story, where buttons cover it.
- Mixing ratios in a carousel, which can lead to slides being cropped to match.
- Uploading huge PNG photos, which take longer and gain nothing.
- Forgetting the profile grid crop. A perfectly framed landscape post can look cut off on your profile.
Questions
What is the best Instagram post size ratio?
4:5 portrait, 1080 x 1350 pixels, is the safest choice for feed posts because it takes up the most screen space. Square 1080 x 1080 (1:1) and landscape 1080 x 566 (1.91:1) also work.
What size are Instagram stories and reels?
1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio. Keep text and faces away from the top and bottom edges, where the app places buttons and captions.
How do I post a full photo on Instagram without cropping?
Fit the photo inside a 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1080 frame with white borders before posting. The Instagram size tool does this with the Fit inside option, so the whole photo stays visible.
What size should an Instagram profile picture be?
Use a square image of at least 320 x 320 pixels; larger, like 1080 x 1080, is fine. Instagram shows it as a small circle, so keep your face in the centre.