Instagram Image Sizes Guide: Posts, Stories, Reels
The best Instagram sizes for portrait, square and landscape posts, stories and reels, plus how to post a full photo without Instagram cropping it.
By Browser Tools Team · · 3 min read
For Instagram, resize portrait posts to 1080 × 1350, square posts to 1080 × 1080, landscape posts to 1080 × 566, and Stories or Reels to 1080 × 1920. Open Resize for Instagram, pick the size, choose "Fill and crop" or "Fit with border", and press Resize. Upload the result straight from your phone.
What are the Instagram image sizes?
| Format | Pixels | Ratio | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 | Most posts: takes the most room in the feed |
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | Classic grid look, product shots |
| Landscape post | 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 | Wide scenery; looks small in the feed |
| Story / Reels | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Full-screen vertical content |
| Profile picture | 320 × 320 | 1:1 | Shown as a small circle |
Instagram displays feed photos at 1080 pixels wide, so 1080 is the sharpest width to upload.
Why does Instagram crop my photos?
The feed only allows shapes between 1.91:1 (wide) and 4:5 (tall). A typical phone photo is 3:4, which is taller than 4:5, so Instagram trims the top and bottom. Panoramas get trimmed at the sides. Resizing before you upload lets you decide what is kept.
How do I resize a photo for Instagram?
- Open Resize for Instagram.
- Choose a Size: Portrait post 4:5, Square post 1:1, Story / Reels 9:16, Landscape post 1.91:1 or Profile picture.
- Choose the Fit:
- Fill and crop fills the whole frame. Pick Centre, or Top (faces) for portraits.
- Fit with border keeps the whole photo and adds a border. Pick the border colour; white or black are popular.
- Drop one photo or a whole set for a carousel and press Resize.
- Download the images, or save them all as a zip, and upload them in the Instagram app.
All photos in a batch get the same size, so carousel slides line up perfectly.
How do I post a full photo without cropping?
Choose Portrait post 4:5 with Fit with border. A landscape photo becomes a 4:5 image with bands above and below. It's a popular look for travel and product photos, and nothing is cut off. A white border blends into Instagram's light mode; black suits dark mode.
Tips for sharper Instagram photos
- Upload at 1080 px wide. Bigger files are shrunk by Instagram, which can soften them.
- Edit first, resize last. Apply filters and adjustments, then resize as the final step.
- Don't screenshot photos. Screenshots add blur and the wrong shape. Use the original file.
- Convert iPhone HEIC photos with HEIC to JPG if a desktop app refuses them.
- Keep text away from the edges of Stories. The top and bottom are covered by the profile bar and reply box.
What about Reels covers and thumbnails?
Reels play at 1080 × 1920, but the grid shows a cropped centre section. Keep the main subject and any title text in the middle. If you also post on YouTube, see our YouTube thumbnail size guide. For captions and hashtags, try the Caption & Hashtag Generator.
Which file format should I upload?
Upload JPG for photos. Instagram converts everything to JPG anyway, so a high-quality JPG at the right size gives Instagram the least work to do and keeps your colours closest to what you edited. Use PNG only for graphics with sharp text, such as quote cards, and still resize them to 1080 pixels wide first. Avoid sending photos through messaging apps before posting: WhatsApp and similar apps compress images heavily, and that damage shows up on Instagram too.
How do I prepare a carousel?
A carousel can hold up to 20 photos or videos, and every slide is shown at the shape of the first one. Pick one size, usually Portrait 4:5, and resize the whole set in one go so every slide matches. If some photos are landscape and some are portrait, use Fit with border for all of them: nothing gets cropped and the borders keep the set looking consistent. Number your files in the order you want before uploading, because Instagram keeps the order you select them in.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Resizing happens inside your browser and your photos stay on your device until you post them yourself.
Ready to post? Open Resize for Instagram. Need a custom size instead? Use Resize Image.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best size for an Instagram post?
1080 × 1350 pixels, the 4:5 portrait size. It takes up the most space in the feed, so people see more of your photo.
What size are Instagram Stories and Reels?
1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame that fills a phone screen.
How do I post a whole photo without Instagram cropping it?
Resize it to 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1080 with 'Fit with border'. The full photo stays visible with a coloured border filling the rest.
Why are my Instagram photos blurry?
Instagram compresses uploads and shrinks anything wider than 1080 pixels. Upload at exactly 1080 px wide in the right ratio, so Instagram doesn't have to resize it again.
Sources
- #social media
- #images
- #resize