Instagram Post, Reel & Story Sizes: Every Dimension for 2026
Instagram image sizes trip up even experienced creators. The platform supports square posts, portrait posts, landscape posts, Reels, Stories, carousels, and multiple ad formats — each with its own dimensions, aspect ratios, and file limits. Upload the wrong size and Instagram either crops your content awkwardly or compresses it into a pixelated mess.
This guide covers every Instagram dimension you need in 2026. Bookmark it and come back whenever you are creating content.
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Quick Reference Table
Every Instagram format at a glance. Detailed specs and tips for each placement follow below.
| Format | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Max File Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed post (portrait) | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | 30 MB |
| Feed post (square) | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | 30 MB |
| Feed post (landscape) | 1080×566 | 1.91:1 | 30 MB |
| Reels | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | 4 GB |
| Stories | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | 30 MB (image), 250 MB (video) |
| Carousel slide | 1080×1350 or 1080×1080 | 4:5 or 1:1 | 30 MB per slide |
| Profile photo | 320×320 | 1:1 | — |
| Feed ad | 1440×1800 | 4:5 | 30 MB |
| Stories/Reels ad | 1440×2560 | 9:16 | 250 MB |
Key takeaway: Default to 1080px wide for organic content and 1440px wide for ads. Use 4:5 portrait for feed posts and 9:16 for Reels, Stories, and vertical ads.
Feed Post Dimensions
Instagram feed posts support three aspect ratios:
| Placement | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | JPG, PNG |
| Square | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | JPG, PNG |
| Landscape | 1080×566 | 1.91:1 | JPG, PNG |
Portrait (4:5) is the best choice for most creators. It takes up the most vertical screen space in the feed, which means more time on screen and higher engagement. Unless you have a specific creative reason for square or landscape, default to 1080×1350.
Instagram's grid now uses a 3:4 thumbnail ratio. Your 4:5 portraits will be slightly cropped on the profile grid — keep key visual elements centred. Use the grid previewer to see exactly how your posts will look before publishing.
The minimum width Instagram accepts is 320px, but anything below 1080px will look soft on modern phone screens. Always upload at 1080px wide or higher.
Instagram Reels Dimensions
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1080×1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 |
| Min resolution | 720p |
| Max duration | 3 minutes (90 seconds recommended) |
| Max file size | 4 GB |
| Frame rate | 30 FPS minimum |
| Format | MP4, MOV |
Reels display full-screen in 9:16, but the grid thumbnail crops to 3:4 (1080×1440). If you want your Reel to look clean on your profile grid, either design a custom cover image at 1080×1440 or make sure the centre of each frame works when cropped.
Safe zones matter. Instagram overlays your username, caption, and action buttons on Reels. Keep text and logos out of the top 250px and bottom 340px to avoid them being hidden behind the UI.
Want to plan your Reels in advance? Read our guide on how to schedule Instagram Reels or learn how to post Reels from desktop.
For the best time to post your Reels, PostEverywhere analyses your audience's active hours and suggests optimal scheduling windows. This pairs well with cross-posting if you repurpose Reels as TikToks or YouTube Shorts.
Instagram Stories Dimensions
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1080×1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 |
| Max file size | 30 MB (image), 250 MB (video) |
| Video duration | Up to 60 seconds per clip |
| Format | JPG, PNG (image), MP4, MOV (video) |
Stories and Reels share the same 1080×1920 canvas, but Stories have different safe zone requirements because of the username bar at the top and reply bar at the bottom.
Safe zone: Keep all important text and visual elements within the centre 1080×1420px area. The top 250px and bottom 250px are partially covered by Instagram's interface elements — stickers, usernames, and the swipe-up or link tray.
If you are designing Story templates, build them at 1080×1920 and place a text-safe boundary 250px in from the top and bottom edges. Tools like the AI image generator can create on-brand Story backgrounds at exactly the right dimensions.
Carousel Dimensions
| Placement | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Max Slides | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait carousel | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | 20 | JPG, PNG, MP4 |
| Square carousel | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | 20 | JPG, PNG, MP4 |
All slides must use the same aspect ratio. The first slide sets the ratio for the entire carousel. Instagram now supports up to 20 slides per carousel — up from the previous limit of 10.
Portrait carousels (4:5) outperform square carousels for the same reason portrait single-image posts do: more vertical space in the feed. If you are creating educational or step-by-step content, 1080×1350 gives you the most room for text and visuals per slide.
For a deeper look at what makes carousels perform, read our Instagram carousel best practices guide. You can also schedule carousels ahead of time with PostEverywhere's Instagram scheduler.
Plan your carousels visually. PostEverywhere's calendar view lets you drag and drop carousel posts into your content calendar. See your entire week at a glance. Start free →
Profile Photo Dimensions
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 320×320 px |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 |
| Display shape | Circle |
| Format | JPG, PNG |
Upload at 320×320 minimum. Instagram displays profile photos as a circle, so keep your logo or face centred and well away from the edges. On high-DPI screens, some creators upload at 400×400 or even 720×720 for extra sharpness — Instagram will downscale but retain the quality.
If you manage multiple Instagram accounts, a social media scheduler keeps your branding consistent and your posting schedule on track across all of them.
Instagram Ad Dimensions
Ads should be uploaded at higher resolution than organic posts. Meta's ad delivery system compresses images, so starting at 1440px wide gives you a quality buffer.
Feed Ads
| Placement | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square feed ad | 1440×1440 | 1:1 | JPG, PNG |
| Portrait feed ad | 1440×1800 | 4:5 | JPG, PNG |
| Landscape feed ad | 1440×754 | 1.91:1 | JPG, PNG |
Stories and Reels Ads
| Placement | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stories ad | 1440×2560 | 9:16 | JPG, PNG, MP4 |
| Reels ad | 1440×2560 | 9:16 | MP4, MOV |
Stories ads longer than 15 seconds are automatically split into sequential 15-second segments. For Reels ads, up to 60 seconds is allowed but shorter creatives typically convert better.
Carousel Ads
| Placement | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Max Cards | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed carousel ad | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | 10 | JPG, PNG |
| Stories carousel ad | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | 10 | JPG, PNG, MP4 |
According to Instagram's help centre, the minimum ad resolution is 500px wide, but higher is always better. For full ad specs, see Meta's ad guide.
Tips to Avoid Compression and Quality Loss
Instagram compresses every image you upload. You cannot avoid it entirely, but you can minimise the damage:
Upload at exactly the recommended resolution. Uploading larger images forces Instagram to downscale, which adds an extra round of compression. 1080px wide is the sweet spot for organic content.
Use JPG at 95% quality for photos, PNG for graphics with text. JPG compression artefacts are less visible on photographs. Text-heavy images (quotes, infographics) look sharper as PNG because the edges stay crisp.
Avoid uploading screenshots. Screenshots are already compressed by your device. Re-export the original file at 1080px wide instead.
Keep file sizes under 20 MB. Instagram's limit is 30 MB, but files closer to the limit trigger heavier compression. Aim for 5-15 MB for the best balance of quality and compression.
Export in sRGB colour space. Instagram strips other colour profiles during upload, which can shift your colours. Export as sRGB to keep colours accurate.
Sharpen slightly before upload. A small amount of output sharpening (around 10-20% in most editors) compensates for the softness Instagram's compression introduces.
Creating visuals from scratch? The AI image generator outputs images at publication-ready dimensions, and the image resizer handles reformatting for every platform.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Instagram post size in 2026?
The best Instagram post size is 1080×1350 pixels (4:5 portrait ratio). It takes up the most vertical space in the feed, which leads to higher engagement and more time on screen compared to square or landscape formats.
What size are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels are 1080×1920 pixels with a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio. The minimum accepted resolution is 720p, but uploading at 1080×1920 gives the best quality. Reels can be up to 3 minutes long and 4 GB in file size.
What are the Instagram Story dimensions?
Instagram Stories are 1080×1920 pixels (9:16). Keep important text and visuals within the centre 1080×1420px area to avoid being covered by the username bar at the top and the reply bar at the bottom.
How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?
Instagram carousels now support up to 20 slides. All slides must share the same aspect ratio — 1080×1350 (4:5) or 1080×1080 (1:1). The first slide determines the ratio for the entire post.
What is the Instagram profile photo size?
Instagram profile photos should be 320×320 pixels (1:1 square). The image is displayed as a circle, so keep your subject centred. Uploading at a slightly larger size like 400×400 can improve sharpness on high-resolution screens.
Do Instagram ads need different dimensions than organic posts?
Yes. Upload ads at 1440px wide rather than 1080px. Meta's ad delivery system compresses images during serving, so the extra resolution acts as a quality buffer. Feed ads work best at 1440×1800 (4:5), and Stories or Reels ads at 1440×2560 (9:16).
Dimensions in this guide are verified as of March 2026. Instagram updates its specs periodically — we update this page when they do. For a complete breakdown of every platform, see our social media image sizes guide. Need help creating an on-brand Instagram aesthetic? We have a guide for that too.
Founder & CEO of PostEverywhere. Writing about social media strategy, publishing workflows, and analytics that help brands grow faster.