Upload an image at the wrong dimensions, and Instagram will crop it for you, whether you like the result or not. A face gets cut off, a product photo loses its edges, a carefully designed graphic ends up off-center. Getting the Instagram post size right before you upload is the easiest way to avoid that.
Every post type on Instagram- feed, carousel, Story, Reel, profile photo- has its own expected aspect ratio, and the app crops or letterboxes anything that doesn't match. Knowing the number ahead of time means you're the one deciding what stays in the frame, not Instagram's algorithm.
This guide covers the exact dimensions for every post type, in pixels, inches, and centimeters, explains why each number is what it is so you're not just copying numbers blindly, and shows how to resize any image to fit using IMG Search's free photo editor.
Instagram Post Size Cheat Sheet
Here's every Instagram post size in pixels, with width and height side by side, in one place. Use this table as your quick reference, then jump to the sections below for the reasoning behind each format.
| Post Type | Dimensions (px) | Aspect Ratio | Minimum Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square feed post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | 320 px |
| Portrait feed post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 | 320 px |
| Landscape feed post | 1080 × 608 | 1.91:1 | 320 px |
| Carousel post | 1080 × 1080 (or 1080 × 1350) | 1:1 or 4:5 | 320 px |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 320 px |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 500 px |
| Profile photo | 320 × 320 | 1:1 | 110 px (displayed) |
A couple of notes on how to read this table. "Dimensions" is the size Instagram recommends you export at for the sharpest result. "Minimum width" is the smallest size Instagram will accept before it starts upscaling your image, which usually makes it look soft or pixelated. When in doubt, export larger rather than smaller. If any of these numbers look off by the time you're reading this, Instagram's Help Center is the fastest way to confirm, since post specs are exactly the kind of detail platforms adjust without much announcement.
Instagram Feed Post Sizes
Feed posts are the images that show up in someone's main scrolling feed and on your profile grid. Instagram supports three aspect ratios here, and each one serves a different purpose.
Square Posts (1080 × 1080, 1:1)
The square format is the closest thing Instagram has to a standard size. It displays cleanly in the feed and fits neatly into the profile grid without any cropping, which is why a lot of accounts standardize on it for visual consistency.
Portrait Posts (1080 × 1350, 4:5)
Portrait, or 4:5, is the tallest ratio Instagram allows for a single feed image. Because it takes up more vertical space on a phone screen, it tends to get more attention while someone is scrolling. If you only pick one orientation for feed content, this is the one to lead with.
Landscape Posts (1080 × 608, 1.91:1)
Landscape is the widest ratio Instagram supports for feed posts. It's a reasonable choice for wide shots, screenshots, or content you're repurposing from a horizontal video, but it takes up the least vertical real estate on the screen, so it's the least common of the three.
Instagram Carousel Post Size
Carousels can mix multiple images in a single post, but there's a catch worth knowing before you build one. The aspect ratio of your first slide sets the crop for every slide that follows. If your first image is square and slide four is portrait, slide four will get cropped down to match the square frame. Instagram also caps how many images you can add to one carousel, and that limit has moved before, so check the current cap in the app if you're planning a long sequence.
The safest approach is to pick one aspect ratio, square or portrait, and use it consistently across every slide in the carousel. That keeps your carousel uniform and avoids any surprise cropping once it's live.
Instagram Story and Reel Size
Stories and Reels both use a vertical, full-screen format: 1080 × 1920 pixels at a 9:16 ratio. This is the size you'll use for anything meant to fill the entire phone screen rather than sit in the scrolling feed.
The detail that trips people up is the safe zone. Instagram's own interface, profile icon, caption box, stickers, the reply bar, sits on top of your content at the top and bottom of the frame. If you place text or a logo too close to either edge, it can end up hidden behind an interface element. Keep anything important centered in the middle of the frame rather than flush against the top or bottom.
Instagram Profile Photo Size
Your profile photo uploads at 320 × 320 pixels and displays inside a circle, so anything near the corners of a square image gets cropped away. Center your subject and leave some breathing room around it before uploading.
Instagram Post Size in Inches and Centimeters
Pixels are what Instagram actually uses, but if you're designing in a program that works in physical units, here's the conversion at the standard 72 pixels-per-inch that most web and social graphics are built at.
| Post Type | Pixels | Inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square (1:1) | 1080 × 1080 | 15 × 15 in | 38.1 × 38.1 cm |
| Portrait (4:5) | 1080 × 1350 | 15 × 18.75 in | 38.1 × 47.6 cm |
| Landscape (1.91:1) | 1080 × 608 | 15 × 8.4 in | 38.1 × 21.4 cm |
| Story / Reel (9:16) | 1080 × 1920 | 15 × 26.7 in | 38.1 × 67.7 cm |
If you're designing at a higher resolution, say 300 DPI for print-quality source files, the inch and centimeter values will shrink even though the pixel count stays the same. What matters for Instagram is the pixel dimensions and aspect ratio, not the DPI setting, so don't worry about matching a specific inch measurement exactly as long as the pixel dimensions and ratio are right.
How to Resize an Image for Instagram Without Losing Quality?
The most common mistake here has less to do with picking the wrong aspect ratio and more to do with stretching or squeezing an image to force it into one. Stretching distorts faces and straight lines in a way that's hard to unsee once you notice it.
A better process:
- Start with the highest-resolution version of your image you have. You can always scale down; scaling up a small image makes it blurry.
- Crop to the aspect ratio you need instead of stretching. Cropping keeps everything in proportion; stretching doesn't.
- Export at the exact recommended dimensions from the cheat sheet above.
- Keep your subject away from the edges of the frame, especially for Stories and Reels, so nothing important lands in the safe-zone area.
- Save as JPG for regular photos; it's smaller, and Instagram compresses images on upload anyway. Use PNG for graphics with text, logos, or sharp lines, where JPG compression can introduce visible artifacts.
FAQ
What is the ideal size for Instagram feed posts?
For most feed posts, 1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5, portrait) gives you the most screen space and tends to perform best for visibility. Square (1080 × 1080) is a safe, consistent alternative if you want your grid to look uniform, and landscape (1.91:1) is fine for wide shots but shows up smallest on screen.
Is the Instagram grid 4:5 or 3:4?
The individual post you upload is 4:5 at most (1080 × 1350). What you see in your profile grid preview is a separate, cropped thumbnail, and the exact preview ratio Instagram uses has changed more than once. Check Instagram's official Help Center for the current grid preview ratio before you design around it closely, since this is one of the details that shifts over time.
What size should Instagram Reels be?
Reels use the same 1080 × 1920 pixel, 9:16 vertical format as Stories. Keep key content out of the top and bottom safe zones, since Instagram's interface overlays those areas.
What dimensions should my Instagram profile picture be?
Instagram recommends uploading a profile photo at 320 × 320 pixels. It displays in a circle, so keep your subject centered with some space around the edges.
How do I make a picture fit Instagram without cropping?
You can't fully avoid Instagram's crop if your image's aspect ratio doesn't match one of its supported formats. The fix is to crop the image yourself, ahead of time, to 1:1, 4:5, or 9:16, so you control exactly what stays in frame instead of letting Instagram decide. A photo editor with Instagram-specific crop presets makes this a lot faster than measuring and cropping by hand.
Can I use different aspect ratios in a carousel?
Technically you can upload different ratios per slide, but Instagram crops every slide to match your first image's aspect ratio. To avoid unexpected cropping, use the same aspect ratio across all slides in a carousel.
Final Thoughts
Match your export to what the platform actually displays, and Instagram shows your image the way you intended instead of cropping around it for you. Bookmark the cheat sheet above, and for anything not covered here, or if a number looks off, Instagram's own Help Center is the source to check.
When you're ready to resize, IMG Search's free online photo editor has social presets built in, so getting from source photo to the right size takes a few clicks, not a calculator.
