Instagram Post Size 2026: Feed, Story and Reel Dimensions
Every Instagram post size for 2026 in one place: feed, carousel, Story, Reel and profile dimensions, plus how the 3:4 grid crops your images.
Published by Web Hippo in Social Media
The right Instagram post size is <strong>1080 pixels wide</strong>, with the height set by the format: 1080 × 1350 for a portrait feed post, 1080 × 1440 for the newer 3:4 format, and 1080 × 1920 for Stories and Reels. That covers most uploads. Getting it wrong costs more than people think: a square image in a vertical feed takes up less of the screen, and a Reel cover with text near the top gets chopped when it shows up on your profile grid.
This guide lists every current dimension, explains what changed in 2025 when Instagram moved the grid from squares to vertical thumbnails, and gives the safe margins we use when designing for clients.
Instagram Sizes at a Glance (2026)
What Changed: The 3:4 Profile Grid
In January 2025 Instagram replaced the square profile grid with vertical 3:4 thumbnails. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, announced it alongside the move to three-minute Reels. A few months later Instagram added native 3:4 uploads (1080 × 1440), because that is the shape most phone cameras shoot by default.
The practical effect is that the grid preview and the actual post are now often different shapes. A 4:5 post (1080 × 1350) appears on your grid as a slightly narrower 3:4 crop, which trims about 34 pixels off each side. A 9:16 Reel cover loses much more: roughly 240 pixels from the top and 240 from the bottom.
Feed Post Size: 4:5 or 3:4?
Both are good choices, and both beat square for reach because they fill more of the phone screen as people scroll. The question is which matters more to you: the feed or the grid.
- <strong>Choose 3:4 (1080 × 1440)</strong> if your profile grid is a sales tool, for example a boutique, restaurant, interior designer or real estate brand where people browse your profile before messaging. What you design is exactly what shows on the grid.
- <strong>Choose 4:5 (1080 × 1350)</strong> if your templates are already built at that size and most of your reach comes from the feed. Just respect the side margins above.
- <strong>Avoid landscape</strong> unless the image genuinely needs it, such as a wide group photo or a panorama of a venue.
Whichever you pick, keep it consistent. A grid that alternates between shapes looks untidy, and it is usually the first thing a prospective customer sees.
Instagram Carousel Size
Carousels can hold up to 20 photos or videos, up from 10 in 2024. The first slide sets the aspect ratio for the whole carousel, so if slide one is 4:5, every slide will be shown at 4:5. Design all slides at the same size to avoid unexpected cropping.
Carousels work best for step-by-step content, before-and-after sequences and product ranges. Put your strongest image or hook on slide one, and give people a reason to swipe on slide two.
Instagram Story Size and Safe Zones
Stories are 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16). The whole canvas is visible, but Instagram places your profile name and progress bar at the top and the reply box at the bottom. Text placed there gets covered.
Our working rule is to keep text, logos and stickers out of the top 250 pixels and the bottom 340 pixels. For Story <em>ads</em>, leave more room at the bottom, because the call-to-action button sits there. Meta publishes its current ad safe zones in the Meta Ads Guide, and they have been revised more than once, so check it before a campaign.
Instagram Reel Size and Length
Reels are 1080 × 1920 (9:16). Most accounts can upload Reels of up to three minutes. Shorter is still usually better for reaching new people, because watch time is one of the three signals Mosseri has said matter most, alongside likes and sends.
Captions and buttons cover the bottom of a Reel and the right edge, where the like, comment and share icons sit. Keep on-screen text in the upper-middle part of the frame. If you film on a phone, vertical 1080p at 30 fps is plenty. Upload the original file rather than a WhatsApp-forwarded copy, since forwarding compresses the video.
Reel covers on the grid
Your Reel cover is 9:16, but the grid shows a 3:4 crop from the centre. Place the title in the middle third of the cover. Instagram also lets you choose a different grid crop when you post, so drag it into position before publishing.
Profile Picture Size
Upload at 320 × 320 pixels or larger. It displays as a small circle (about 110 pixels on most phones), so a full logo with a tagline becomes unreadable. Use your logo mark or a simplified version with plenty of padding.
Common Sizing Mistakes
- <strong>Designing at 1080 × 1080 out of habit.</strong> Square posts take up less of the screen than vertical ones. Switch templates to 4:5 or 3:4.
- <strong>Putting text at the edges of a 4:5 post.</strong> The grid will crop it.
- <strong>Mixing ratios within a carousel.</strong> Instagram forces everything to the first slide's ratio.
- <strong>Uploading screenshots or re-shared files.</strong> Each save and share recompresses the image. Export from the design tool at full size.
- <strong>Adding Instagram UI into designs.</strong> Fake buttons and fake progress bars confuse people and can look spammy.
Size is only one part of a post that performs. Our Instagram marketing playbook covers content pillars and posting frequency, and the short-form video guide covers how to hold attention in the first three seconds of a Reel. If you would rather have a team handle design and posting, see our social media management service.
Frequently Asked Questions
<em>Dimensions last checked September 2026. Instagram changes formats regularly, and we update this guide when it does.</em>