·4 min read·Guides
Instagram Image Sizes in 2026: Posts, the New 3:4, Stories and Reels
Every Instagram image size in one place, including the taller 3:4 (1080 × 1440) posts and the 3:4 profile grid, plus how to resize photos so nothing important gets cropped.
Use 1080 × 1440 (3:4) for feed posts: it is the tallest shape Instagram accepts and matches the 3:4 profile grid, so nothing is cropped there. 1080 × 1350 (4:5) and 1080 × 1080 (square) still work but are trimmed in the grid. Stories and Reels are 1080 × 1920 (9:16), landscape posts 1080 × 566, and profile photos are shown as a 320 × 320 circle.
Do it now, free and without uploading anything: Image Resizer, Image Compressor, Background Remover.
Instagram accepts almost any photo, but it decides how to crop and scale it. Upload the wrong shape and heads get cut off in the grid, text disappears behind the Story buttons, or the image comes out soft. Uploading at the exact size and shape Instagram uses avoids all three.
Instagram image sizes at a glance
| Format | Size (pixels) | Shape | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tall portrait post | 1080 × 1440 | 3:4 | Recommended. Tallest in the feed, uncropped in the grid |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 | Classic portrait; trimmed slightly in the grid |
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | Trimmed at the sides in the grid |
| Landscape post | 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 | Smallest in the feed |
| Story and Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Full screen; keep the top and bottom clear |
| Profile photo | 320 × 320 | 1:1, shown as a circle | Face in the centre |
Instagram stores images 1080 pixels wide. Uploading wider files does not make them sharper; it only gives Instagram more to recompress.
Why 3:4 is now the best shape for posts
Instagram's profile grid changed from squares to taller 3:4 tiles in 2025, and the app now accepts 3:4 feed posts. A 1080 × 1440 post therefore:
- takes up more of the screen in the feed than 4:5 or square posts, and
- is the only post shape that appears in full on your profile.
Square and 4:5 posts still upload fine, but the grid trims them. If your grid matters to you, or you design posts with text near the edges, switch to 3:4.
How to resize a photo for Instagram
- Open the Instagram image resizer. Tall portrait post (1080 × 1440) is selected.
- Choose your photo.
- To fill the frame, keep Crop to fill and drag the preview to choose what stays in the shot. Use the zoom slider to frame tighter.
- To keep the whole photo, choose Fit whole image: it sits on a blurred copy of itself, or a solid colour, so nothing is cut off. This is the usual way to post a landscape photo as a portrait post.
- Tick other sizes, such as Story / Reel and Square post, to download them all at once as a ZIP.
Everything happens in your browser; the photo is not uploaded.
Stories and Reels: the safe zones
Stories and Reels fill the screen at 1080 × 1920, but the app overlays your profile name at the top and the reply bar, captions and buttons at the bottom. Keep faces and text out of roughly the top and bottom 250 pixels. For Reels, your cover also appears on your profile as a 3:4 crop from the middle, so keep the subject and any title text centred.
Carousels
Every slide in a carousel takes the shape of the first slide, and anything that does not match is cropped. Resize all slides to the same size before posting; 1080 × 1440 gives the most space. A carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos.
Keeping photos sharp
- Start large. A small or heavily compressed image looks worse after Instagram's own compression. The resizer warns you when it has to enlarge a photo.
- Upload the exact size. Matching 1080 pixels wide and the right shape means Instagram changes as little as possible.
- Keep files reasonable. If you edit in an app that exports very large files, run them through the image compressor at the Balanced level; there is no visible difference and uploads are faster on mobile data.
- Product shots look cleaner on a plain or blurred background. The background remover can replace a messy background before you resize.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Posting a landscape photo as a portrait post | Instagram crops the sides | Use Fit whole image with a blurred background |
| Text near the edges of a 4:5 post | Cut off in the 3:4 profile grid | Use 3:4, or keep text in the centre |
| Mixed shapes in a carousel | Slides after the first are cropped | Resize every slide to the same size |
| Text at the top or bottom of a Story | Hidden behind the profile name or reply bar | Keep the top and bottom 250 px clear |
| Uploading a 4000 px photo | Instagram resizes and recompresses it, sometimes visibly | Resize to 1080 wide first |
Posting the same photo elsewhere too? The image resizer has the current sizes for Facebook, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and WhatsApp, and can export them all from one photo.