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Instagram image sizes (2026): posts, carousels, Stories, and Reels

UseExport size (px)RatioCrop with this preset
Feed portrait1080 × 13504:5Crop to 4:5
Feed tall portrait1080 × 14403:4Crop to 3:4
Feed square1080 × 10801:1Crop to 1:1
Feed landscape1080 × 5661.91:1Crop to 1.91:1
Story or Reel1080 × 19209:16Crop to 9:16
Profile photo320 × 320 or larger1:1, shown as a circleCrop a profile photo

Feed photos accept any ratio from 1.91:1 to 3:4 at up to 1080 px wide; these are export presets inside that range, not sizes Instagram requires.

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Which feed ratio should you use?

Instagram does not say that one ratio performs better, so pick the ratio that loses the least of your photo:

  • 3:4 (1080 × 1440) is what most phone cameras capture in portrait mode, so it usually needs no crop. Instagram added it in May 2025, for single photos and carousels.
  • 4:5 (1080 × 1350) suits portraits you want slightly shorter, or posts you already designed at 4:5. It is still supported.
  • 1:1 (1080 × 1080) works for centered subjects and graphics designed as squares.
  • 1.91:1 (1080 × 566) is the widest the feed accepts. Use it for landscapes and panoramas.
1.91:11:14:53:49:16

The five presets drawn to scale at the same width. Only the first four can be feed photos; 9:16 is for Stories and Reels.

What Instagram does with your upload

The Instagram Help Center describes how feed photos are processed:

  • The best quality upload is up to 1080 px wide.
  • Photos between 320 and 1080 px wide keep their resolution if the ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4. At 1080 px wide, that means 566 to 1440 px tall.
  • Narrower photos are enlarged to 320 px wide; wider ones are reduced to 1080 px.
  • Photos outside the ratio range are cropped to fit.

So export at 1080 px wide, stay between 1.91:1 and 3:4, and Instagram has nothing to resize or crop. If your photo is taller than 3:4, crop it yourself first so you decide what stays.

Can carousels use 3:4?

Yes. Instagram's Creators account confirmed that 3:4 works for single photos and carousels, and that 1.91:1, 1:1, and 4:5 remain available. A carousel is a posting mode, not a size, so 1080 × 1080 is just one option.

Use one ratio for every slide. Meta's Content Publishing API documentation says carousel images are cropped based on the first image, with 1:1 as the default. That rule is written for apps that publish through the API; in the Instagram app, check the preview before you post.

What size should Stories and Reels be?

Use 9:16. SnapCompress exports Stories and Reels at 1080 × 1920, which is 9:16 and sharp on phones. Meta's ad specs for Story images and Reels images list at least 1440 × 2560, but those apply to paid placements. We found no first-party page that requires an exact resolution for organic Stories.

The account name, buttons, captions, and reply bar cover parts of a 9:16 frame. Where to keep text and faces is covered in the Instagram safe zone guide.

What size is an Instagram profile photo?

Instagram shows profile photos as a circle and does not publish an exact display size on a current help page we could find. Our 320 × 320 preset is a conservative square; upload a larger square if you want more detail. The circle cuts off the corners, so keep faces and logos centered with a margin around them. Crop a profile photo.

Why does my post look cropped on my profile grid?

Since January 2025 the profile grid shows taller rectangular previews instead of squares, because most uploads are vertical (The Verge reported Adam Mosseri's announcement). The grid preview is a crop of your post, not a change to what you can upload. Vertical posts lose the least in the grid; square and landscape posts are trimmed at the sides in the preview but still appear in full when opened. The safe zone guide shows how to plan for it.

Is there an Instagram file size limit?

Three different limits get mixed up:

  1. The Instagram app: we found no published maximum for ordinary photo posts. The 30 MB figure that circulates comes from Meta's image-ad specs.
  2. The Content Publishing API: images must be JPEG. That restricts software publishing through the API, not the app.
  3. SnapCompress: opens JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, and DNG up to 100 MB per file, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

A high-quality JPEG at 1080 px wide is the simplest export. If the file is still larger than you want, compress it after cropping.

How to export for Instagram with SnapCompress

  1. Open the preset you need from the table above, for example Crop to 4:5.
  2. Add your photo. It stays on your device.
  3. Drag the image to frame it, or turn on the focal point control (labeled Focus on larger screens) and click your subject to set a focal point the crop centers on.
  4. Click Crop Image, then Download Cropped Image. The output matches the preset size. JPEG, PNG, and WebP keep their format; HEIC and DNG are exported as JPEG.

For several ratios from one photo, repeat with another preset. The safe zone guide covers focal-point cropping for Stories in more detail.

Sources

Reviewed by Óscar Gallego Ruiz, who builds SnapCompress. The presets in this guide are SnapCompress's own.

Further reading