Published by the Zolyp team ·
What are the Instagram image sizes?
Instagram's help centre gives ranges rather than one size per format. The pixel sizes below are those ranges worked out at the 1080-pixel width Instagram keeps.
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Size in pixels | What Instagram says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed post, square | 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 | Inside the supported 1.91:1 to 3:4 range |
| Feed post, portrait | 4:5 | 1080 x 1350 | Inside the supported range |
| Feed post, tallest | 3:4 | 1080 x 1440 | The tallest ratio kept without cropping |
| Feed post, landscape | 1.91:1 | 1080 x 566 | The widest ratio kept without cropping |
| Carousel | Any one of the above | Same size for every slide | One orientation applies to all slides |
| Reel | 9:16 (up to 1.91:1) | 1080 x 1920 for full screen | At least 720 px and 30 fps |
| Reel cover | 1:1.55 | 420 x 654 | Recommended cover size, png or jpg |
| Story | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 for full screen | Fills the phone screen vertically |
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Share a post with multiple photos or videos on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Reel size and aspect ratios on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
How does Instagram resize photos?
Instagram uploads photos at up to 1080 pixels wide. A photo between 320 and 1080 pixels wide keeps its original resolution as long as its aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4. Wider than 1080 pixels, it is scaled down to 1080. Narrower than 320, it is enlarged to 320, which looks soft. Outside the ratio range, it is cropped.
Instagram's advice for the sharpest result: use the latest app, upload a photo at least 1080 pixels wide within the supported ratios, and start from a good camera.
Source: Instagram Help Centre: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
Which feed size should you use?
Taller images take up more of the screen as people scroll, which is why portrait is the usual choice for feed photos. In the app, 3:4 (1080 x 1440) is the tallest Instagram keeps. If you schedule through a tool, 4:5 (1080 x 1350) is the safer choice, because tools publish through Instagram's API, which takes feed photos from 4:5 to 1.91:1.
Your profile grid shows a cropped preview of each post, so keep faces, products and text near the middle of the image rather than at the very top or bottom.
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform content publishing, checked 14 October 2026
What size are Instagram stories and reels?
Both are made for a phone held upright, so design at 9:16. At 1080 pixels wide that is 1080 x 1920. Reels accept ratios from 1.91:1 to 9:16 and need at least 720 pixels and 30 frames per second.
We couldn't find a separate pixel size for organic stories on Instagram's help centre; 9:16 is simply the shape of the full screen. Your username, the reply bar and buttons sit over the top and bottom of a story or reel, so keep text and faces away from those edges.
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Reel size and aspect ratios on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Stories, checked 14 October 2026
What about profile photos and highlight covers?
Instagram shows both as small circles. We couldn't find a pixel size for either on Instagram's help centre, so use a square image and keep the logo or face well inside the centre, where the circle won't clip it. Check how it looks on your phone after uploading, since that's the size most people will see it at.
Source: Instagram Help Centre: Add a story to your Story Highlights, checked 14 October 2026
Which file formats work?
- Photos on instagram.com: jpg, png and heic/heif
- Reel covers: png or jpg
- Reel video: Instagram lists technical requirements such as progressive scan, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, and stereo audio at 48 or 96 kHz
- To keep uploads sharp, turn on Upload at highest quality under Media quality in your settings
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Post a photo on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Reel size and aspect ratios on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
What should you check before you upload?
A one-minute check saves most cropping and blur problems. Our checklist, built on the limits above:
- Decide the format first: feed post, carousel, reel or story. Each has its own shape.
- Set the canvas at 1080 pixels wide: 1080 x 1350 for a portrait post, 1080 x 1920 for a story or reel.
- For a carousel, make every slide the same size, because one orientation applies to all of them.
- Keep text and faces in the middle of the frame, away from the edges that crops and on-screen buttons cover.
- Export as jpg or png. Use a high-quality export setting so text stays crisp.
- Preview the post on your phone before sharing. If something important is cut off, re-crop rather than shrinking text.
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Share a post with multiple photos or videos on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Post a photo on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
Sizing posts automatically
Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. Zolyp designs each post at a size that fits the platform it's going to, and checks Instagram's rules before publishing: feed photos from 320 pixels wide, at an aspect ratio between 4:5 and 1.91:1, and a heads-up when a photo is wider than 1440 pixels and will be scaled down.
Zolyp plans the week across your content themes, writes the captions and designs the visuals against your Brand Brain (your tone, colours and rules, saved once), then schedules and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. Nothing goes out until you approve it. Plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no card required.
Common questions
What is the best size for an Instagram post?
1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) works in the app and in scheduling tools. In the app you can go up to 1080 x 1440 (3:4).
What size is an Instagram story?
Design stories at 9:16, such as 1080 x 1920 pixels, which fills the phone screen.
Why does Instagram crop my photo?
Instagram crops photos whose aspect ratio is outside 1.91:1 (landscape) to 3:4 (portrait).
What size should a reel cover be?
Instagram recommends 420 by 654 pixels, a 1:1.55 ratio, as a png or jpg.
What size should Instagram carousel slides be?
Any feed size works, but every slide shares one orientation, so make them all the same: 1080 x 1350 (4:5) is the safe choice in the app and in scheduling tools.