How to Change the Preview Photo on Instagram

That frustrating moment when you hit “publish” on an Instagram video only to realize the preview photo is a blurry, awkward, mid-sentence frame is a feeling every creator knows. Your cover image is the first thing people see on your grid and the Reels tab, and a bad one can stop a great video from ever getting watched. This guide will walk you through exactly how to change the preview photo for your Instagram Reels and videos, both before and - in some cases - after you post.

Why Your Instagram Cover Photo Matters More Than You Think

Think of your Instagram cover photo (also called a "preview photo" or "thumbnail") as the book cover for your video content. It’s a tiny piece of real estate with a huge job: to grab attention, communicate value, and convince someone to stop scrolling and tap play. A stellar cover photo does three things exceptionally well:

• It Creates a Professional First Impression: On your profile grid, every post is a tile in a larger mosaic. Cringe-worthy, random cover photos make your entire grid look chaotic and unprofessional. A cohesive set of covers, on the other hand, signals intentionality and makes your brand look polished and authoritative.
• It Boosts Clicks and Watch Time: On the Reels tab and the Explore page, your video is competing against millions of others. An intriguing, clear, and well-designed cover stops a user from scrolling past. It sets an expectation for the video's quality and can dramatically increase the likelihood that someone will actually watch it.
• It Reinforces Brand Identity: Consistent cover photos that use your brand's fonts, colors, and style help build brand recognition. When someone sees one of your video covers, they should instantly know it’s yours. This repetition builds trust and turns casual followers into loyal fans.

Neglecting your cover photos is like spending hours creating an amazing product but putting it in a plain, unmarked box. You’re leaving clicks, views, and followers on the table. Fortunately, getting it right is easier than you think.

The Easiest Way: Setting Your Cover Photo Before You Post

The best way to avoid a cover photo disaster is to set it deliberately before your video ever goes live. This gives you complete control over how your content first appears to the world. The process is slightly different depending on whether you're uploading a Reel or a standard in-feed video.

For Instagram Reels

Instagram gives you great flexibility for choosing a Reel cover, including the ability to upload a completely custom image from your camera roll. This is a game-changer for branding.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Create Your Reel: Record or upload your video clips, add audio, text, and any other effects in the Reel editor. Tap “Next” when you’re ready to move to the final sharing screen.
2. Tap “Edit cover”: On the share screen (where you write your caption and tag people), you'll see a small preview of your Reel with the text “Edit cover” layered on top of it. Tap it.
3. Choose Your Cover: You now have two primary options.
   • Select a frame from the video: At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a slider with a film strip of your entire video. Drag your finger along the slider to scrub through the video and find the perfect, non-blurry frame. This is a good quick option if there's a clear, impactful moment in your video.
   • Upload a custom image: For a more branded look, tap “Add from camera roll.” This lets you select any image from your phone’s photo library to serve as the cover. Creators often use this to add titles or teaser text, creating a consistent look across all their Reels.
4. Adjust Profile Grid View: At the top of the cover editing screen, tap the “Profile grid” tab. This lets you see a preview of how the cover will be cropped to a 1:1 square on your main profile grid. You can drag the image up or down to reposition it perfectly, ensuring the most important parts aren't awkwardly cut off.
5. Tap “Done”: Once you're happy with your selection and its grid placement, tap “Done” in the top right corner. Now you can finish your caption and share your Reel with confidence.

For In-Feed Videos

The process for standard, non-Reel video posts is very similar, though sometimes the "add from camera roll" feature can be less consistent depending on your app version. Your best bet is usually to pick a great frame directly from the video.

1. Create Your Post: Tap the plus (+) icon, select your video from your gallery, and proceed to the editing and filter screens. Tap "Next."
2. Find the Cover Option: On the final share screen, you’ll see your video preview. At the bottom, tap on the "Cover" tab.
3. Select Your Frame: Just like with Reels, you’ll see a slider at the bottom. Drag it left or right to find a crisp, engaging frame to use as the preview image.
4. Save Your Choice: Tap “Done” to set the cover, then share your video post.

The Million-Dollar Question: Can You Change a Cover Photo After Posting?

This is where things get interesting, and the answer is a relieving “yes” for Reels but a frustrating “no” for regular videos. Let’s break it down.

For Instagram Reels: Yes, You Can!

For a long time, this wasn't possible, causing endless frustration for creators. Thankfully, Instagram updated the app, and you can now easily edit your Reel’s cover photo after it has already been published. This is perfect for fixing mistakes or updating old content to match a new brand aesthetic.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Navigate to your Reel: Find the Reel you want to edit on your profile grid or within the Reels tab.
2. Tap the three-dot menu: In the bottom right corner of the screen, tap the (...) icon to open the options menu.
3. Select “Edit”: From the pop-up menu, choose the “Edit” option.
4. Tap “Cover”: You'll be taken to the Reel editing screen. Look at the top left corner of the video preview itself, you'll see the word “Cover.” Tap it.
5. Choose Your New Cover: You are now back in the same cover editor you used before publishing! You can either drag the slider to a new frame from the video or tap “Add from camera roll” to upload a brand-new custom image. You can also adjust the profile grid crop here.
6. Save Your Changes: Tap “Done” in the top right, and then tap “Done” again to save all your edits. Your Reel will now appear on your profile with its brand new cover.

For In-Feed Videos (Non-Reels): The Unfortunate News

Unfortunately, for regular in-feed video posts that are not Reels, you cannot change the cover photo after you've published it. This is a long-standing limitation on Instagram, and there are no hidden settings or tricks to get around it. If you’ve posted a video with a terrible cover, you only have one real option.

The "Delete and Repost" Method

This is the harsh reality. The only way to fix the cover image on a non-Reel video post is to delete the entire post and upload it again, this time being careful to select the correct cover image before publishing.

• The Pro: You'll have the exact cover photo you want, preserving your grid’s aesthetic.
• The Con: You will lose all the engagement the original post received - every like, comment, save, and share will be gone forever. The post's reach and data in your analytics will also be reset to zero.

This creates a trade-off: is the visual offense of a bad cover image worth sacrificing the social proof you've already built? If the post has only been live for a few minutes and has minimal engagement, deleting and reposting is a no-brainer. But if it's an older video with hundreds of likes and meaningful comments, you may have to decide to live with the imperfect cover.

Best Practices for Designing a Killer Instagram Cover Photo

Simply knowing how to change your cover isn't enough. You need to know what makes a cover *good*. Here are some actionable tips for creating previews that stop the scroll.

• Add High-Value Text Overlays: Don't just rely on a frame from the video. Use a simple design tool like Canva or even Instagram Stories to create a custom cover image with a bold, readable title. Think of it like a magazine headline or a YouTube thumbnail. A title like "3 Hacks to Double Your Bicep Growth" is far more compelling than a random frame of you lifting a weight.
• Prioritize Clarity and Quality: Your cover must be a high-resolution image. A blurry, pixelated, or dark image looks spammy and unprofessional. Choose a shot that is bright, in focus, and instantly easy to understand.
• Maintain Brand Consistency: Your video thumbnails should look like they belong together. Use your brand’s designated fonts and color palette on every cover. When someone lands on your Reels tab, the visual harmony of your covers should be immediately apparent, reinforcing your brand’s professionalism.
• Design for the Center Square: Always remember the profile grid crop. While your cover appears in full 9:16 portrait mode in the Reels tab, it gets cropped to a 1:1 square on your main feed. Place any critical text or visual elements in the center of the image so they are not cut off.
• Create Curiosity (Without the Clickbait): A great cover photo piques interest. It might ask a provocative question, show the surprising "after" of a transformation, or tease the final result of a project. The key is to make it intriguing while ensuring the cover accurately represents the video's content. Misleading your audience with clickbait is a quick way to lose their trust.

By putting a little strategic thought into your cover images, you transform them from a technical afterthought into a powerful tool for growth.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, having control over your video's preview image is vital for maintaining a polished, professional Instagram presence. Setting the right cover photo before publishing is always the best practice. For Reels, you have the fantastic flexibility to make changes later, but for standard feed videos, you’re locked in - forcing a tough choice between fixing a bad cover and erasing your hard-won engagement.

Getting your content right the first time is always the goal, and that’s a big reason why we built our platform with a focus on simple, visual planning. When you’re juggling dozens of posts across multiple platforms, small details like a cover photo can easily slip through the cracks. Our visual calendar lets you see exactly how every piece of content, including Reels and their cover images, will look on your grid before it ever goes live. By planning and scheduling ahead with Postbase, you can approve every detail in one place, avoiding those last-minute cover photo regrets, and keeping your brand consistently on point.