How to Make an Instagram Video Full Screen

Nothing's more frustrating than spending hours on a video only to have Instagram awkwardly crop it, cutting off important visuals or text. You want your content to fill the screen and grab attention, but it can be tricky to figure out the right settings. This guide will walk you through exactly how to make your Instagram videos full screen for Reels, Stories, and your feed, with simple, actionable steps you can use today.

Why Your Videos Get Annoyingly Cropped: A Quick Guide to Aspect Ratios

Before we get into the "how," it helps to understand the "why." That awkward cropping usually comes down to something called an aspect ratio. Think of it as the shape of your video, defined by its width compared to its height. Instagram uses different aspect ratios for various parts of its platform, and if your video doesn't match the specific shape, the app has to either shrink it or - more commonly - crop it to fit.

Getting a true "full screen" experience on mobile means creating your video in a vertical format. Here are the key aspect ratios you need to know:

Instagram Reels & Stories: The Vertical Standard (9:16)

For Reels and Stories, the magic number is 9:16. This is a tall, vertical orientation that is designed to fill your entire phone screen when held normally. Videos in this format look professional and immersive. Any other shape, like a horizontal video from a camera or a square video, will either have black borders or be cropped to fit into this 9:16 space. So, when people say they want a video to be "full screen" on Instagram, they are almost always talking about the 9:16 aspect ratio.

• Ideal Dimensions: 1080 pixels wide x 1920 pixels tall.
• Perfect For: Making your content feel native, professional, and engaging in the platform’s most popular formats.

Instagram Feed Videos: The Flexible Zone (1:1 to 4:5)

When you scroll through your main feed, Instagram gives you a bit more flexibility. You can post videos in a few different shapes:

• Square (1:1): The classic Instagram look (e.g., 1080 x 1080 pixels). It's a safe bet but doesn't take up as much screen space as a portrait video.
• Landscape (1.91:1): You can post horizontal videos, but they perform poorly. They create tiny little rectangles on a vertical screen, leaving huge empty spaces above and below. Avoid this for feed posts if you want to capture attention.
• Portrait (4:5): This is the sweet spot for the feed. A 4:5 video (e.g., 1080 x 1350 pixels) takes up the most vertical space possible on the main feed without being as tall as a 9:16 Story. It pushes other content out of the way and gives your video more real estate to work with.

While 4:5 is great for the feed, if your goal is versatility and a single video format that works everywhere, creating for 9:16 is still your best bet, as it can be easily adapted for the feed.

The Golden Rule: Start with the Right Dimensions from the Get-Go

The easiest way to get flawlessly full-screen Instagram videos is to prevent the problem from ever happening. Instead of trying to fix a video after the fact, start your creative process with the 9:16 aspect ratio in mind.

Step 1: Film Vertically on Your Phone

This is the simplest, most effective habit you can build. Just hold your phone vertically when you record. Modern smartphones are designed to capture high-quality video in this orientation, and the footage will already be in or very close to the 9:16 aspect ratio you need for Reels and Stories. This single step eliminates 90% of formatting headaches later.

Step 2: Set Up Your Project Correctly in an Editing App

If you're editing your clips before posting, starting your project with the right settings is essential. Whether you’re using a mobile app like CapCut or a desktop program like Adobe Premiere, the process is largely the same.

1. Start a New Project: As soon as you open your editor, create a new project.
2. Select the Correct Aspect Ratio: Before you even import your footage, the app will ask you to choose a format. Look for buttons or presets labeled "9:16," "TikTok," or "Instagram Reels." Picking this option sets up your canvas as a tall, vertical rectangle.
3. Import Your Vertical Footage: Now, bring in the clips you filmed on your phone. They should fit perfectly into the 9:16 frame you’ve created, with no cropping and no black bars.

Common Editing Apps and Where to Find the Setting:

• CapCut: On the home screen, tap "New Project," and before you select a clip, look for the "Aspect Ratio" option at the bottom. Choose "9:16."
• VN Video Editor: Create a project, and the ratio settings will be at the very top of the editing timeline. Tap it and select "9:16."
• Adobe Premiere Rush: When creating a new project, you can define the aspect ratio at the start.

My Video Was Filmed Horizontally! Now What?

It happens. You have a great piece of content - a landscape video from a DSLR, a Zoom interview, or a cinematic clip - but it's horizontal (16:9). You don’t have to throw it away. Here’s how to convert it for a full-screen vertical world.

Method 1: Using Instagram's Built-In Resizing Tools

Instagram gives you a few quick tools to manage this, though they come with some limitations.

For Instagram Reels:

1. Open the Reels editor and select your horizontal video.
2. Instagram will automatically place it in the center of the 9:16 frame, cropping off the left and right sides.
3. From here, you can use a "pinch-to-zoom" gesture directly on the video preview. This allows you to zoom in or move the clip left and right to reframe your shot and choose what part gets cut off.
4. Look for the "fit to screen" icon: In some versions of the editor, there might be an icon with two arrows pointing outward (usually in the bottom left). Tapping this will zoom out to show the full horizontal clip, but will add black bars at the top and bottom. This is not ideal for engagement, but it prevents content from being cropped.

The main downside here is quality loss. When you "pinch" to zoom in on a small part of a larger video, you're essentially stretching the pixels, which can make the video look blurry or less sharp.

Method 2: Adding Borders in an Editing App (The Polished Fix)

A much better method is to manage this in a video editor before you even get to Instagram. This gives you far more creative control and looks more intentional and professional.

The Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Create a 9:16 project in your editor. Just like we mentioned before, start with a blank vertical canvas (1080x1920 pixels).
2. Import your horizontal (16:9) video. The app will automatically place it in the center of your vertical canvas. Naturally, this will create empty space above and below your video clip.
3. Style the background. This is where you can get creative. Leaving the background black is okay, but here are some better options:
   • Blurred Background: This is a popular and clean look. In apps like CapCut, go to "Canvas" > "Blur" and select a blurred version of your own video to fill the empty space. It makes the empty areas feel like a natural part of the content.
   • Solid Colors or Gradients: You can also choose "Canvas" > "Color" to add your brand colors to the top and bottom sections. This helps with brand consistency.
   • Use the Space for Text: This is a brilliant tactic. Place the horizontal video a bit lower on the frame to leave a larger space at the top. Use this area to add a bold, attention-grabbing headline or "hook" - like "3 Mistakes Everyone Makes" or "You Won't Believe This." This makes your video more compelling right from the first second. You can also use the bottom area for captions or subtitles.
4. Export your newly formatted video. You now have a 9:16 video file that’s ready to be uploaded directly to Reels or Stories with no unwanted surprises.

Common Mistakes and Pro Tips to Get It Perfect Every Time

Knowing the technical details is great, but a few best practices will elevate your video content even more.

Mistake 1: Forgetting the on-Screen "Safe Zones"

A full 9:16 video fills the screen, but Instagram’s interface overlays on top of it. Your username, the caption, and the like, comment, and share buttons all cover up parts of your masterpiece. The "safe zone" is the area of your screen where nothing important will be covered.

• Keep crucial text and visuals away from the very bottom of the screen. The bottom ~20% is cluttered with UI elements.
• Avoid the right edge. This is where the engagement icons live.
• Remember the top. Your profile name and other information are at the top. Keep subject faces and important titles out of the extreme corners.

Mistake 2: Missing the Grid Preview Opportunity

When you post a 9:16 Reel, Instagram automatically shows a cropped 4:5 version of it on your main profile grid. If your cover image or the opening shot has the best stuff on the very top or bottom, it might look awkward on your grid.

When you're on the final posting screen in Instagram, tap "Edit Cover." You’ll see a slider to choose a frame from your video, as well as a "Profile Grid" tab. Here, you can drag your full-screen cover up and down to select which 4:5 portion will be displayed on your feed. Use this to ensure the main subject is centered, creating a cleaner-looking and more cohesive profile.

Final Thoughts

Making your Instagram video full screen ultimately comes down to preparing it in the right aspect ratio - specifically 9:16 for Reels and Stories. The most foolproof strategy is to film and edit vertically from the very start. But if you’re working with horizontal footage, using an editing app to reformat your clip with an engaging background gives you a professional result that feels right at home in the feed.

As you scale your content, managing different formats for different platforms can feel like a chore. That's why we designed an experience that puts today’s most popular formats first. With Postbase, we handle the technical headaches of scheduling video, so you can upload your work once and seamlessly post it to Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts without format or compression errors. Our visual calendar makes it easy to plan your content and feel confident that every video will go live exactly as you intended, letting you focus more on doing what you do best: creating.