Dimensions of Instagram Post: Complete Size Guide for Every Format

The dimensions of instagram post types differ by format. A square feed post is 1080×1080px, a portrait post is 1080×1350px, a landscape post is 1080×566px, and both Stories and Reels use 1080×1920px. Getting these right prevents awkward cropping and quality loss.

Dimensions of Instagram Post Formats at a Glance

Before diving into the details, here's everything in one place.

Post Type	Dimensions	Aspect Ratio
Square Post	1080 × 1080 px	1:1
Portrait Post	1080 × 1350 px	4:5
Landscape Post	1080 × 566 px	1.91:1
Stories	1080 × 1920 px	9:16
Reels	1080 × 1920 px	9:16
Carousel	Matches feed format chosen	1:1 / 4:5 / 1.91:1
Profile Photo	320 × 320 px	1:1 (shown as circle)

The Three Instagram Feed Post Formats

Instagram allows three orientations for standard feed posts. Each has a fixed pixel width of 1080px — what changes is the height, and by extension, the aspect ratio.

Square Post — 1080 × 1080 px (1:1)

The square format is the most balanced option. It takes up a predictable amount of space in the feed and works well for product photography, quotes, and graphic designs where no particular direction dominates the composition. It also displays cleanly as a thumbnail on your profile grid without any cropping.

In practice, the square format tends to be the safest default for creators who post a variety of content types and want visual consistency across their grid.

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Portrait Post — 1080 × 1350 px (4:5)

Portrait posts occupy the most vertical space of any feed format. That means more screen real estate when someone is scrolling — which is worth considering if visibility in the feed matters. The 4:5 ratio works well for fashion photography, close-up product shots, and anything where height adds impact.

What's often overlooked is that this format, despite being taller than square, is still cropped to a square thumbnail when viewed on your profile grid. So if there are important elements near the top or bottom of a portrait image, they may not appear in grid previews.

Landscape Post — 1080 × 566 px (1.91:1)

Landscape posts are the widest option, and also the shortest in terms of feed height. They suit panoramic shots, wide architectural photography, or cinematic-style visuals. The trade-off is that they take up less vertical space in the feed compared to square or portrait, which means less immediate visual presence while scrolling.

Instagram Stories and Reels Dimensions

Both Stories and Reels share the same base dimensions — 1080×1920px at a 9:16 aspect ratio  but they behave differently on the platform. The 9:16 ratio is designed around how people naturally hold their phones; as noted by Wikipedia's overview of vertical video, the rise of mobile apps like Instagram drove a broad industry shift toward portrait-mode content formats.

Stories — 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)

Stories are full-screen vertical content that disappears after 24 hours. Photo Stories display for five seconds; videos play in segments of up to 15 seconds each, with a maximum of 60 seconds total. The 9:16 ratio fills the entire mobile screen — anything narrower gets letterboxed with a blurred background fill.

Reels — 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)

Reels use the same 9:16 dimensions as Stories in the Reels tab. However, the way they appear changes depending on where they're viewed. In the main feed, Reels display at a 4:5 crop. On your profile grid, they appear as 1:1 square thumbnails.

Only in the dedicated Reels tab do they display at the full 9:16 ratio.This matters when designing a Reel cover image. If you select a custom cover, keep the most important visual elements centered — the edges get cropped in grid and feed views.

Safe Zone for Stories and Reels

Instagram places UI elements — the account handle, caption text, like and comment buttons, and audio information — at the top and bottom of Stories and Reels frames. Content placed too close to these edges risks being partially hidden.

A general industry rule of thumb is to keep critical text and visuals within the central 70% of the frame — roughly 252px from the top and bottom edges — to ensure nothing important gets covered.

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Carousel Post Dimensions

Carousel posts support up to 20 frames, each of which can be an image or video — a limit Instagram expanded in 2024, as reported by TechCrunch, when the platform doubled the previous cap of 10 frames to embrace the growing "photo dump" trend. You can use square, portrait, or landscape formats within a carousel.

The key rule: the first image or video you add sets the aspect ratio for the entire carousel. All subsequent frames are cropped to match it. If your opening frame is portrait (4:5) and your third frame is landscape, Instagram will crop that third frame to a 4:5 ratio — likely cutting off the sides.

Plan your carousel with a single consistent aspect ratio throughout, particularly if you're mixing photos and designed graphics.

Profile Photo Dimensions

Your Instagram profile photo displays as a circle but must be uploaded as a square. The recommended upload size is 320×320px. Instagram scales it down for display, but uploading at this size ensures the image stays sharp across all device types.

Keep your subject — whether a face, logo, or icon — centered in the frame. The circular crop removes the corners, so anything placed near the edges will be cut off.

File Format and Size Requirements

This is an area most dimension guides skip, but it directly affects upload success and image quality.

Accepted formats:

• Images: JPG, PNG
• Videos: MP4, MOV (recommended for broadest compatibility)

File size limits:

• Images: up to 8 MB
• Videos: up to 4 GB

Instagram compresses images automatically on upload. Starting with a high-resolution source file at 1080px wide — rather than the minimum — reduces how much compression degrades the final result.

Creators who upload heavily pre-edited files often notice more visible compression artifacts because the file has already lost quality before Instagram's processing step.

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Minimum vs. Recommended Dimensions of Instagram Post Sizes

Instagram will accept images below 1080px wide, but they get upscaled to fit — which introduces blurring and softness. There is no visual benefit to uploading smaller than recommended.

At first glance, "minimum" and "recommended" sound interchangeable here, but they're not. Minimum means Instagram won't reject the file. Recommended means the output actually looks good. Always aim for 1080px wide at the correct aspect ratio as your baseline, not your ceiling.

How Instagram Displays Posts Across Different Surfaces

The same image can look different depending on where it's viewed.

Surface	How Your Post Appears
Feed	Full aspect ratio (1.91:1 to 4:5 range)
Profile Grid	Square thumbnail (1:1 center crop)
Explore Tab	Square thumbnail in grid; full image on tap
Reels Tab	Full 9:16 vertical view

Interestingly, many creators design posts for the feed and don't account for how they'll appear on their own profile grid — where everything becomes a 1:1 square. This is especially relevant for portrait posts, where subject matter near the top or bottom of the frame may not appear in the grid thumbnail at all.

Conclusion

Use 1080px as your standard width across all feed formats. Match the height to your chosen ratio — 1080px for square, 1350px for portrait, 566px for landscape. Stories and Reels both need 1080×1920px. Always plan for how your post appears across the feed, grid, and Explore tab — not just in upload preview.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the standard dimensions of instagram post formats?

The standard width is 1080px for all feed posts. Height varies: 1080px for square (1:1), 1350px for portrait (4:5), and 566px for landscape (1.91:1). Stories and Reels are 1080×1920px.

What happens if I upload the wrong image size on Instagram?

If the aspect ratio falls outside Instagram's accepted range (1.91:1 to 4:5), you'll be prompted to crop before posting. Instagram won't auto-post a non-compliant image without adjustment.

Are Instagram Story and Reel dimensions the same?

Yes. Both use 1080×1920px at a 9:16 ratio. The difference is in duration limits and how they surface to viewers — not in their dimensions.

Why does my Instagram photo look blurry after uploading?

Instagram compresses images on upload. If your source file is below 1080px wide or was heavily edited beforehand, quality loss becomes more visible. Upload the highest-resolution version available.

Do carousel images need to be the same size?

They don't need identical pixel dimensions, but the aspect ratio of the first frame applies to all frames. Mixing orientations without planning results in automatic cropping on later slides.