# Instagram Post Size in 2026: The Guide to Every Format > Instagram post size in 2026: 1080 × 1350 px at 4:5, stories and Reels at 1080 × 1920, carousels of up to 20 slides, profile grid at 3:4. Every format. Source: https://muffino.ai/en/blog/instagram-post-size/ · Published on September 25, 2026 by the Muffino team ## In short - The recommended size for an Instagram post in 2026 is 1080 × 1350 pixels, in 4:5 portrait format. - Stories and Reels are made at 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16), leaving the top and bottom of the screen clear, since the interface covers them. - An Instagram carousel takes up to 20 photos or videos, and by default every slide takes on the format of the first one. - Since January 2025, the profile grid shows each post at 3:4: a 4:5 post loses about 34 pixels on the left and right, a square post loses 135 on each side. - The profile picture is uploaded at 320 × 320 pixels and shown in a circle, so the corners disappear. The right **Instagram post size** in 2026 is **1080 × 1350 pixels**, in 4:5 portrait format. Stories and Reels are made at **1080 × 1920 pixels** (9:16). A carousel takes up to 20 slides, and your profile grid shows each post at 3:4, which trims the edges slightly. The **aspect ratio** is the relationship between width and height: 4:5 means 4 units wide for every 5 units tall. | Format | Ratio | Recommended dimensions | Use | |---|---|---|---| | Portrait post | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 px | The default feed format | | Square post | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 px | Logo, product, the classic feed | | Landscape post | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 px | Panorama, a wide shot of the dining room | | Vertical photo | 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 px | Photo taken on a phone, posted from the app | | Carousel | 4:5 recommended | 1080 × 1350 px per slide | Up to 20 photos or videos | | Story | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 px | Today's announcement, visible for 24 hours | | Reel | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 px | Vertical video | | Reel cover | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 px | Thumbnail: the grid only shows the central 1080 × 1440 px | | Profile picture | 1:1 | 320 × 320 px | Logo, shown in a circle | | Grid thumbnail | 3:4 | Automatic | Preview of each post on your profile | ## What is the ideal Instagram post size? According to [Instagram's official Help Center](https://help.instagram.com/1631821640426723), a photo keeps its original resolution if it is between 320 and 1080 pixels wide and its aspect ratio falls between 1.91:1 and 4:5, which means a height of 566 to 1350 pixels at 1080 wide. An image wider than 1080 pixels is scaled down. The simple rule: **work at 1080 pixels wide**, then choose the height. ### 4:5 portrait: 1080 × 1350 px This is the **Instagram post format** to go for: posters, prices, quotes, photos of a dish. It takes up more height than a square and is accepted everywhere. ### 1:1 square: 1080 × 1080 px The original format still works, but it takes up 20% less height than a 4:5, and the profile grid crops a quarter of its width. ### 1.91:1 landscape: 1080 × 566 px It looks small in the feed, and the grid only keeps the center. Save it for photos that only make sense wide. ### What about 3:4? Since late May 2025, Instagram has displayed photos at 3:4 without cropping them, both as single posts and in carousels ([Social Media Today](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-support-phone-camera-aspect-ratio-images/749205/)). It is the native format of most phone cameras: 1080 × 1440 pixels. However, [Meta's publishing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/instagram-graph-api/reference/ig-user/media), which scheduling tools rely on, only accepts ratios between 4:5 and 1.91:1. ## Why is 4:5 the best choice for the feed? 1. **More room on screen.** 1350 pixels tall versus 1080 for a square: 25% more height for the same width. 2. **Almost nothing cropped in the grid.** The switch to 3:4 only removes about 34 pixels on the left and right. 3. **Accepted everywhere.** The app, ads ([Meta's ads guide](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/image/instagram-feed) recommends 4:5 for the feed) and the publishing API. A 3:4 visual falls outside these limits as soon as you go through ads or a scheduling tool. 4. **One template.** Single posts and carousels share the same format, so the feed stays consistent. ## What are the dimensions of an Instagram story and a Reel? **Instagram story dimensions** and Reel dimensions are the same: **1080 × 1920 pixels**, in 9:16, the whole phone screen. Instagram raised the maximum Reel length to 3 minutes in January 2025 ([Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-swoops-in-with-3-minute-reels-and-rectangular-profile-grids-as-the-tiktok-ban-gets-real-201316339.html)). [Meta's documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/instagram-graph-api/reference/ig-user/media) for publishing through the API accepts Reels up to 15 minutes long and video stories up to 60 seconds. ![Chez B 9:16 Instagram story: a dark photo of a wooden table, the headline “La carte d'automne arrive” (“The fall menu is coming”) in large cream letters, the line “Cuisine de saison · Produits du marché” (“Seasonal cooking · Market produce”), then the booking number and the logo at the bottom of the image](https://muffino.ai/assets/posts/chezb-story-automne.webp "Chez B 9:16 story: the headline and the booking number stay clear of the top and bottom of the screen, where the account name and the reply field appear.") ### Where does the interface cover a story or a Reel? A **safe zone** is the part of the image that no Instagram button or text covers. Everything that matters (headline, price, date, logo) has to fit inside it. - **Story**: the top shows the progress bar, your profile picture and your name; the bottom shows the reply field and the buttons. Leave about 250 pixels clear at the top and bottom ([Buffer](https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-image-size/)), which leaves a safe zone of about 1080 × 1420 pixels in the center. - **Reel**: the bottom is busier (caption, account name, audio title), with a column of buttons on the right. For its 9:16 ad formats, Meta asks you to keep at least 14% clear at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on the sides ([Meta's ads guide](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-reels)). On 1080 × 1920, that comes to about 270 pixels at the top, 670 at the bottom and 65 on each side. > Meta's margins are the most cautious: stick to them and your text stays readable in stories and Reels alike. ## What size is an Instagram carousel? The **Instagram carousel size** is the same as a post: **1080 × 1350 pixels per slide**, at 4:5. A carousel can hold **up to 20 photos or videos** ([Instagram Help Center](https://help.instagram.com/269314186824048/)). The limit went from 10 to 20 in August 2024 ([Social Media Today](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-expands-carousels-to-20-frames/723792/)). Three rules to know: - **One ratio for every slide.** By default, Instagram applies the format of the first slide to the whole carousel: if it is square, the following slides are cropped to square. An option keeps each photo's original format ([Lindsey Gamble](https://www.lindseygamble.com/blog/instagram-rolls-out-the-ability-to-share-photos-in-their-original-aspect-ratio-to-more-users)), but for a carousel with text, keep every slide in the same format. - **Scheduling tools have their own limits.** [Meta's documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/content-publishing) still lists a maximum of 10 items per carousel published through the API, cropped to match the first image. - **The first slide does all the work.** It is the one that shows up in the feed and in the grid. It carries the hook and signals that there is more to come. ![Boostigo carousel cover on a purple background: the headline in white capitals “Préparez-vous au rush des fêtes” (“Get ready for the holiday rush”), the subtitle “Les clients affluent : captez leurs avis 5 étoiles” (“Customers are pouring in: capture their 5-star reviews”), a “Swipe” button and a 1 / 5 counter at the bottom](https://muffino.ai/assets/posts/boost-carrousel.webp "Boostigo 4:5 carousel cover: a short hook, a “Swipe” button and a 1 / 5 counter that signal there is more to come.") ## What size is an Instagram Reel cover? A Reel cover is made at **1080 × 1920 pixels** ([Buffer](https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-image-size/)). But the profile grid only shows its center, at 3:4, an area of 1080 × 1440 pixels ([Hootsuite](https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-image-sizes-guide/)). The top and bottom 240 pixels disappear. Place the title in the central band, between 240 and 1680 pixels from the top. ## What size is an Instagram profile picture? Upload a square image of at least **320 × 320 pixels**: Instagram shows it in a circle about 110 pixels across on mobile ([Hootsuite](https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-image-sizes-guide/)). The corners are lost. Center your logo with some margin around it, and forget the tagline, which is unreadable at that size. ## What does the 3:4 profile grid crop? Since January 2025, the profile grid has shown rectangles instead of squares ([Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-swoops-in-with-3-minute-reels-and-rectangular-profile-grids-as-the-tiktok-ban-gets-real-201316339.html)), in **3:4 format** ([Buffer](https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-image-size/)). In the feed, each post keeps its format. On your profile, its thumbnail is cropped to the center: | Published format | Visible in the grid | What disappears | |---|---|---| | 4:5 (1080 × 1350) | about 1012 × 1350 px | about 34 px on the left and right | | 1:1 (1080 × 1080) | 810 × 1080 px | 135 px on each side, a quarter of the width | | 9:16 (1080 × 1920) | 1080 × 1440 px | 240 px at the top and bottom | | 1.91:1 (1080 × 566) | about 425 × 566 px | more than half the width | | 3:4 (1080 × 1440) | everything | nothing | Instagram lets you adjust the preview after posting, from the post's “…” menu: crop, zoom in or add borders ([Planoly](https://www.planoly.com/blog/guide-to-instagrams-new-vertical-grid)). Better not to need it. ### How do you keep important text in the safe zone? - **On a 4:5 post**, keep headlines, prices and the logo at least 60 pixels from the left and right edges: 34 are cropped, the rest gives breathing room. - **On a square post**, everything that matters fits in the central 810 pixels. - **On a Reel cover**, center the title vertically. - **Write big and short**: with three columns, each thumbnail is a third of the screen's width. - **Check your profile** right after posting. Fixed margins are part of good [Instagram brand guidelines](https://muffino.ai/en/blog/instagram-brand-guidelines/). That is Muffino's approach: its posts are composed natively at 4:5 and its stories at 9:16, with the text inside the area that stays visible in the grid. The Chez B post at the top of this article is an example: headline, logo and labels all stay well away from the edges. ## How do you export Instagram visuals without losing sharpness? - **Width: 1080 pixels.** It is Instagram's reference width. Meta accepts images up to 1440 pixels wide through the API and recommends 1440 × 1800 for feed ads, but 1080 is enough for a post. - **PNG for text, JPEG for photos.** PNG keeps letters and flat colors sharp; high-quality JPEG is lighter for a photo. Both are accepted ([Meta's ads guide](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/image/instagram-feed)). Instagram reprocesses every file on upload, so start from a clean image. - **Colors in sRGB.** It is the color space Meta's API requires. Another profile, such as Adobe RGB, can shift the colors. - **A reasonable file size.** Meta caps images at 30 MB for ads and 8 MB through the API. A well-exported 1080 × 1350 pixel visual stays far below that. - **Video in MP4.** For a Reel or a video story: MP4 at 1080 × 1920, H.264 compression, a constant frame rate and AAC audio, as [Meta's ads guide](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-reels) recommends. ## Posts in the right formats, no calculator needed Learning these numbers is useful once; applying them to every post takes time. Muffino reads your website (logo, colors, fonts, photos) and builds a design system that looks like your brand, delivered as 4:5 posts, carousels, 9:16 stories and Reels exported as MP4. [See how it works](https://muffino.ai/en/#comment). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the ideal Instagram post size in 2026? 1080 × 1350 pixels, in 4:5 portrait format. It is the tallest format accepted by the app, by ads and by scheduling tools alike, and the profile grid crops almost nothing from it. ### What size is an Instagram story? 1080 × 1920 pixels, in 9:16, which is the whole phone screen. Leave about 250 pixels clear at the top and bottom: your name and the reply field appear there. ### How many photos can you put in an Instagram carousel? Up to 20 photos or videos in the app, since August 2024. If you publish with a scheduling tool, check its limit: Meta's API documentation still says 10 items. ### Why are my posts cropped on my Instagram profile? Since January 2025, the profile grid shows 3:4 thumbnails. A square or landscape post is cropped to the center; you can adjust the preview from the post's “…” menu. ### Should you post at 3:4 instead of 4:5? Since May 2025, 3:4 displays without cropping for photos posted from the app. But the publishing API and in-feed ad formats stop at 4:5, which remains the safest choice for a visual with text. ### PNG or JPEG for Instagram? PNG for visuals with text, a logo or flat color, because the edges stay sharp. High-quality JPEG for photos. Either way, export in sRGB at 1080 pixels wide.