Square, portrait or landscape?
- Portrait (3:4, 1080 × 1440) is the tallest shape, so it takes up the most height in the feed.
- Square (1:1, 1080 × 1080) suits products, quotes and anything you want centred.
- Landscape (1.91:1, 1080 × 566) suits group photos and wide scenes, but looks small on a phone.
- Portrait 4:5 (1080 × 1350) is a commonly used size from Instagram's earlier guidance; it is inside the range, so it is kept as it is.
How the profile grid shows your posts
The profile grid shows a preview of each post that may be cropped differently from the post itself. Instagram's help pages do not publish the grid's shape, so open your profile after posting to see how each preview looks.
If you are planning a whole grid, the Instagram feed planner lets you arrange posts before you publish, and the Instagram photo splitter cuts one wide image into tiles.
Tips
- Export at 1080 pixels wide. Larger photos are reduced to 1080 anyway, so the extra pixels add upload time without adding detail.
- Uploads are typically recompressed, so start from a sharp original rather than a file that has been saved many times.
- Use the same shape for a series of posts so your feed looks consistent.
- Leave some space around faces and text near the top and bottom of a 3:4 photo in case the grid preview trims it.
Common mistakes
- Posting a 9:16 Story shaped image to the feed, which is taller than 3:4 and gets cropped.
- Exporting a panorama wider than 1.91:1 and expecting the whole scene to show.
- Enlarging a small photo to 1080 wide, which adds pixels but no detail.
- Assuming the profile grid preview shows the whole photo.
More size guides and tools
Frequently asked questions
What size should an Instagram post be?
Instagram keeps any ratio from 1.91:1 to 3:4 at up to 1080 pixels wide. That gives 1080 × 1080 for square, 1080 × 1440 for portrait and 1080 × 566 for landscape.
Is 4:5 or 3:4 the right portrait size?
Both are kept without cropping, because both are inside Instagram's range. 3:4 (1080 × 1440) is the tallest shape the current help page allows, and 4:5 (1080 × 1350) is a commonly used older size.
What happens if my photo is smaller than 1080 pixels wide?
Photos between 320 and 1080 pixels wide keep their resolution if the ratio is in range. Photos narrower than 320 pixels are enlarged to 320 wide, which can make them look soft.
Why is my Instagram photo cropped?
Photos wider than 1.91:1 or taller than 3:4 are cropped to fit the range. Resize to one of the shapes above and nothing is cut off.
What size is an Instagram Reel cover?
Instagram's help page recommends 420 × 654 pixels for a Reel cover photo, a 1:1.55 ratio.