Instagram accepts almost any image you throw at it, but it crops and compresses whatever doesn’t fit its formats. Uploading at the right size keeps your photos sharp and stops important details from being cut off. Here are the numbers that matter.
Quick reference
| Format | Aspect ratio | Recommended size (px) |
|---|---|---|
| Feed post – portrait | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 |
| Feed post – tall portrait | 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 |
| Feed post – square | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 |
| Feed post – landscape | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 |
| Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Stories | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Profile picture | 1:1 (shown as a circle) | at least 320 × 320 |
Width is always 1080
Instagram stores feed images at a maximum width of 1080 pixels. Uploading a 4000-pixel photo doesn’t make it sharper – Instagram scales it down and compresses it. Export at 1080 pixels wide in sRGB and you control the result instead of Instagram’s resizer.
The profile grid is no longer square
Instagram’s profile grid now shows posts as 3:4 rectangles instead of squares. That’s why 1080 × 1440 has become a popular post size: it fills the grid tile exactly. Square and 4:5 posts still work, but the grid thumbnail crops them – keep faces and text away from the edges.
Carousels
- A carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos.
- Every slide uses the aspect ratio of the first slide, so prepare all slides in the same ratio.
- Seamless panoramas: make one wide image and cut it into equal slices of the same ratio.
Reels and stories
- Shoot vertically at 1080 × 1920. 4K footage is fine but will be compressed on upload.
- Keep text and faces out of the top ~250 and bottom ~350 pixels – usernames, captions and buttons cover those areas.
- Reels appear in the profile grid as a 3:4 crop of the cover, so choose a cover with the subject in the middle.
Profile picture
It’s shown small and round, but saved at a larger size. Upload a square image of at least 320 × 320 pixels with the face or logo centred, leaving some space around it so the circular crop doesn’t clip anything. Our profile picture viewer shows how yours looks at full size.
Text limits
- Captions: up to 2,200 characters, but only the first line or two show before “more”.
- Bio: 150 characters.
- Hashtags: Instagram has been tightening the number allowed per post – a handful of specific tags works better than a long list anyway.
Instagram adjusts formats from time to time. If something looks off after an app update, check the crop preview before posting – it’s the most reliable guide.