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Elhano Creator Tools

Instagram Post Size Guide: Image Dimensions and Aspect Ratios

By Elhano Creator Tools editorial team · Published 9 November 2026

Most "Instagram size" charts list a handful of pixel sizes without saying where they come from. Instagram actually documents its photo rules as a width and a range of shapes, not a fixed list of sizes. Once you know that range, you can work out the right export size for any post yourself. This guide explains what Instagram's Help Center says as of 9 November 2026, turns it into practical sizes, and shows how to resize without losing the part of the image that matters.

What Instagram officially says

Instagram's help page on photo resolution makes four points (Instagram Help: image resolution of photos you share):

  • Photos are uploaded at the best quality possible, up to a width of 1080 pixels.
  • 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. At 1080 pixels wide, that means a height between 566 and 1440 pixels.
  • If the aspect ratio isn't supported, the photo is cropped to fit a supported ratio.
  • Photos narrower than 320 pixels are enlarged to 320 pixels wide, and photos wider than 1080 pixels are sized down to 1080 pixels wide.

So 1080 pixels is the width that matters, and the shape can be anything from landscape (1.91:1) to tall portrait (3:4). A 4000-pixel camera photo isn't sharper on Instagram; it's scaled down to 1080 pixels wide.

Practical sizes for feed photos

Instagram's page doesn't name specific sizes beyond the 1080-pixel width, so the sizes below are worked out from its documented range. Each is 1080 pixels wide:

  • Landscape, 1.91:1: 1080 × 566 pixels. The widest shape Instagram keeps without cropping.
  • Square, 1:1: 1080 × 1080 pixels.
  • Portrait, 4:5: 1080 × 1350 pixels. Inside the supported range and widely used.
  • Tall portrait, 3:4: 1080 × 1440 pixels. The tallest shape Instagram keeps without cropping.

Portrait shapes take up more of the screen in the feed than landscape ones, which is why many creators prefer them for photos. But the best shape is the one that suits the image: a wide landscape squeezed into a tall frame will lose its edges. Our social media image resizer has square and 4:5 Instagram presets, and you can type 1080 × 566 or 1080 × 1440 as a custom size. It runs in your browser, so the image isn't uploaded anywhere.

Carousels: one shape for every slide

A carousel post can hold up to 20 photos and videos. Instagram notes that the orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) applies to every photo or video in the post; you can't pick a different orientation for each slide (Instagram Help: share a post with multiple photos or videos). So if you mix a landscape photo with portrait ones, some slides will be cropped.

The fix is to export every slide at the same size before you upload. Decide on the shape first, for example 1080 × 1350, then resize each image to it, adjusting the crop so the subject stays in frame. The same help page notes that videos in carousels aren't treated as reels and won't appear in the Reels tab.

Reels and their cover images

For reels, Instagram's Help Center says you can upload a video with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, with a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The recommended size for a reel's cover photo is 420 × 654 pixels (a 1:1.55 ratio), and Instagram says you can't currently edit the cover after uploading (Instagram Help: reel size and aspect ratios).

Reels are watched full-screen on phones, so most creators shoot and export them as 9:16 vertical video. A common export size for that shape is 1080 × 1920 pixels, which is above Instagram's 720-pixel minimum. Instagram's page doesn't state that exact size, so treat it as a sensible default rather than a requirement. If you make a still image for a reel or story, the resizer's 1080 × 1920 vertical preset gives you the same 9:16 shape.

How to resize without bad crops

1. Pick the shape before you edit

Choose square, 4:5 or 3:4 before adding text or graphics; changing shape later pushes headlines off the edge.

2. Fill or fit, on purpose

When an image doesn't match the target shape, you either crop it to fill the frame or fit the whole image and accept bars at the sides or top. Cropping usually looks better in the feed; fitting is safer for screenshots, charts and anything with text near the edges. The image resizer lets you choose either and move the crop.

3. Export at 1080 pixels wide

Because Instagram sizes everything to 1080 pixels wide, exporting at exactly that width means you see the final result before Instagram does. Very small images (under 320 pixels wide) will be enlarged and look soft, so start from the largest original you have.

4. Keep important details away from the edges

Posts appear in the feed, on your profile grid and in messages, not always in full. Instagram doesn't publish safe areas for each view, so keep faces and text towards the centre.

Worked example

A food creator has a landscape phone photo of 4032 × 3024 pixels (4:3) and wants a portrait feed post. They choose 4:5, set the resizer to 1080 × 1350, select fill, and drag the crop so the dish sits in the middle; the sides of the table are cut off. Their two other photos for the same carousel get the same 1080 × 1350 treatment, so no slide is cropped unexpectedly. Before posting, they check the caption in the character counter to make sure it's within Instagram's 2,200-character limit, and later compare its results with the Instagram engagement rate calculator.

Common mistakes

  • Uploading a very wide panorama and being surprised when Instagram crops it to 1.91:1.
  • Mixing landscape and portrait images in one carousel.
  • Exporting at a huge resolution and assuming it will look sharper than 1080 pixels wide.
  • Putting text right at the edge of a graphic, where it may be cropped in some views.
  • Treating unsourced "official sizes" charts as Instagram rules.

Quick reference

  • Feed photo width: 1080 pixels (Instagram sizes larger photos down to this).
  • Supported photo shapes: 1.91:1 to 3:4, so 1080 × 566 up to 1080 × 1440.
  • Common choices: 1080 × 1080 (square), 1080 × 1350 (4:5), 1080 × 1440 (3:4).
  • Carousel: up to 20 photos and videos, one orientation for all.
  • Reels: 1.91:1 to 9:16, at least 720 pixels and 30 FPS; cover 420 × 654.

Sources