How to Size Photos for Instagram

The wrong photo size on Instagram can turn your carefully crafted image into a blurry, awkwardly cropped mess. Instead of letting the algorithm make a choppy edit for you, this guide gives you the exact dimensions and aspect ratios you need for every type of post. We'll cover everything from Feed posts to Stories, Reels, and beyond so your content looks sharp and professional every time.

Why Instagram Photo Sizing Actually Matters

You might wonder, "Doesn't Instagram just resize it for me?" It does, but not always in the way you want. When you upload an image that doesn't fit Instagram's recommended dimensions, a few things happen, and none of them are good for your brand:

• Forced Auto-Cropping: Instagram will automatically crop your photo to fit its feed. This can lead to important parts of your image being cut off, destroying your composition and potentially removing critical context. Your perfectly framed product shot could suddenly have half the product missing.
• Ugly Compression and Quality Loss: If you upload a file that's too large or has an unsupported aspect ratio, Instagram's compression algorithm has to work overtime. This process often reduces the image quality, resulting in pixelation, blurriness, or lost detail. Your sharp, high-resolution photo can end up looking soft and amateurish.
• Wasted Screen Real Estate: Using the wrong orientation - for example, a wide landscape photo in the vertical-first feed - means your post will take up a tiny sliver of a user's screen. Larger, correctly-sized photos command more attention, stop the scroll, and generally perform better.

Taking a few moments to size your photos correctly is an investment in your brand's professionalism. It shows you care about the details and ensures your audience sees your work exactly as you intended.

Forget Pixels, Think Aspect Ratios First

While we'll absolutely give you the exact pixel dimensions to aim for, the secret to mastering Instagram sizing is to think in aspect ratios first. An aspect ratio is simply the ratio of an image's width to its height. Instagram primarily supports three key ratios for the main feed:

• 1:1 (Square): The classic Instagram format.
• 4:5 (Portrait): The vertical format that gives you the most screen space.
• 1.91:1 (Landscape): The horizontal format, often used for panoramic shots.

For the best quality, Instagram recommends a width of 1080 pixels for your images. By starting with this number, you can easily calculate the ideal height for each aspect ratio. Getting comfortable with these three ratios is more than half the battle.

The Complete Instagram Size Guide for 2024 and Beyond

Here are the step-by-step sizing requirements for every type of content you might publish on Instagram. Keep this guide handy, and you'll never have to guess again.

Instagram Feed Posts: Maximizing Your Impact

The main feed is your brand’s visual storefront. Your goal should be to take up as much screen space as possible to grab your audience’s attention. That’s why the Portrait orientation is almost always the best choice.

Portrait Post (The Winner)

• Aspect Ratio: 4:5
• Optimal Dimensions: 1080 x 1350 pixels

Pro Tip: This is the golden ticket. A 4:5 image fills up the most vertical space on a mobile screen without getting cut off in the feed view. Whenever possible, compose and crop your primary feed content for this size. It’s more immersive and effective at stopping the endless scroll.

Square Post (The Classic)

• Aspect Ratio: 1:1
• Optimal Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 pixels

Pro Tip: The original Instagram size is still a perfectly safe and reliable option. It’s ideal for graphics with text, some product shots, and images where the composition is naturally centered. However, it concedes valuable screen estate compared to the 4:5 portrait.

Landscape Post (Use Sparingly)

• Aspect Ratio: Up to 1.91:1 works, but 16:9 is common.
• Optimal Dimensions: 1080 x 566 pixels

Pro Tip: Landscape posts are a little tough on Instagram. They occupy the least amount of vertical screen space, making it easy for users to scroll right past them. While they can be effective for certain panoramic scenes or wide-angle shots, consider if the image can be cropped to 1:1 or 4:5 without losing its impact first.

Instagram Stories & Reels: Go Vertical

Stories and Reels are designed for full-screen, vertical viewing. They share the same dimensions, making it easy to repurpose content between the two formats. Getting this one right is absolutely vital for a professional look.

• Aspect Ratio: 9:16
• Optimal Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels

The "Safe Zone" Warning: This is the single most important tip for Stories and Reels. While your image or video is 1080 x 1920 pixels, Instagram overlays interface elements like your username, captions, stickers, the comment field, and Like/Share buttons. Any text, logos, or critical information in these areas will be covered up and potentially unreadable. Keep your important content in the central "safe zone" of the screen, away from the top and bottom edges.

Instagram Carousel Posts

Carousels are a fantastic way to tell a story or showcase multiple products. The sizing rules are simple with one big catch: every slide in the carousel must be the same aspect ratio.

• You can choose from any of the standard feed sizes:
  • Portrait (4:5): 1080 x 1350 px
  • Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 px
  • Landscape (1.91:1): 1080 x 566 px

You cannot mix and match a 4:5 portrait with a 1:1 square in the same carousel. Instagram will force you to crop everything to match the dimensions of the first slide. For maximum impact, make all your slides 4:5 portrait to take up the most space.

Pro Tip for Panoramas: You can create incredible seamless panoramas with carousels. Create a new image with a width that is double or triple the standard size (e.g., 2160 pixels wide for two slides) while keeping the height the same (e.g., 1080 px for a square). Place your panoramic photo in this wide canvas and then slice it into equal 1080 x 1080 pixel squares. When uploaded in order, they’ll create a swipeable, immersive experience.

Instagram Profile Photo

Your profile picture is your digital handshake. It might be small, but a crisp, clear one makes a huge difference. Though it’s displayed as a circle, you should always upload a square image.

• Display Size: 110 x 110 pixels on mobile
• Recommended Upload Size: At least 320 x 320 pixels (or larger)

Uploading a larger square file (like 1080 x 1080 pixels) will give you a sharper image and future-proof it for any potential Instagram UI changes. Remember that the corners will be cropped out to form a circle, so keep your face or logo centered and away from the edges.

Quick Cheatsheet & Universal Best Practices

Here’s a quick-reference list to bookmark for later, along with some best practices that apply to all Instagram content.

The Numbers at a Glance:

• Portrait Feed Post: 1080 x 1350 (4:5)
• Square Feed Post: 1080 x 1080 (1:1)
• Landscape Feed Post: 1080 x 566 (1.91:1)
• Stories & Reels: 1080 x 1920 (9:16)
• Carousel Post: Match all slides to Square, Portrait, or Landscape.
• Profile Photo: Upload 320 x 320 px or larger (1:1)

Universal Best Practices:

• Start with High Resolution: Always use the highest resolution photo you have. It’s better to scale a large image down than to try and blow up a small one. Instagram works best when your photo width is 1080 pixels.
• Use The Right File Type: Instagram supports JPEG and PNG files. JPEGs are generally better for photographs, while PNGs are ideal for graphics with sharp lines, text, and transparent backgrounds.
• Prioritize The Feed Grid Thumbnail: For non-square images (like portrait or landscape), Instagram will create a 1:1 square thumbnail for your profile grid. Make sure the center of your image looks good when cropped this way. You can adjust the crop for your feed thumbnail when posting.

Mastering Instagram photo sizes isn’t about memorizing a hundred numbers, it’s about understanding the core aspect ratios that drive the platform. By tailoring your content for 4:5 portraits on the feed and 9:16 for Stories and Reels, you give your brand a polished edge and improve your content's performance. Take these few extra minutes to size your assets, and you’ll avoid the platform’s unforgiving auto-crop for good.

To help with this, we’ve designed our visual content calendar inside of Postbase to make planning easier. When you schedule posts, you get a bird’s-eye view that shows exactly how each image will look in your feed, whether it’s a square, portrait, or carousel. It removes the guesswork and helps you arrange your feed aesthetically, ensuring all your perfectly-sized photos fit together seamlessly before you hit publish.

For more tips on ensuring your visuals look their best, check out our guide on how to post high-quality pictures to Instagram.