Instagram Post Size (2026) + Free Resizer

All Instagram sizes at a glance

These are the current Instagram image sizes, checked in September 2026 against Instagram's own upload behaviour. Start at the right pixel size and ratio — Instagram still recompresses every file on upload, but it won't need to crop or stretch it for you first.

4:5 vs 3:4: which should you use

Instagram's feed accepts three post ratios: square (1:1), portrait 4:5 (1080×1350) and portrait 3:4 (1080×1440, native support added in 2025). Landscape 1.91:1 (1080×566) also works, though it shows the least detail per post since it's the shortest frame.

4:5 is still the safer default. It's the ratio Instagram has supported the longest, every third-party scheduler and ads tool expects it, and at the time of writing, 3:4 uploads reportedly can't be boosted as ads. 3:4 is closer to the shape the profile grid actually displays (see below), so a 3:4 photo won't get cropped in the grid preview the way a 4:5 one will — but if you run ads or you're not sure which to pick, stick with 4:5.

The 3:4 profile grid: what changed in 2025

Since 2025, Instagram's profile grid has previewed posts at roughly 3:4 instead of the older 1:1 square. Meta hasn't published the exact ratio it uses; third-party testing puts it at 3:4, so treat that as a close approximation rather than a confirmed spec.

This only affects the grid thumbnail. Open the post itself and it still displays at whatever ratio you uploaded — a square post stays square, a 4:5 post stays 4:5. If you post a square or 4:5 photo, expect the grid tile to crop in slightly from the top and bottom; upload a 3:4 image instead if you want the grid preview to match the full post exactly.

Story and Reel size (9:16)

Stories and Reels both use a 1080×1920 vertical frame at a 9:16 ratio. The Story/Reel preset above includes an optional guide for where Instagram's own interface — the profile photo, caption, sticker tray, and like/share icons — typically sits, so you can keep faces and text out of those zones. Instagram can move or resize that interface at any time, so treat the guide as approximate, not exact.

Curating Highlights instead of a single Story? The highlight cover maker uses the same vertical canvas but keeps your cover icons consistent across albums. Need to grab a Reel you or someone else already posted, rather than resize a new one? Use download-instagram-reels.

Profile picture size

Instagram displays your profile picture as a circle, so upload at least 320×320px and keep the subject centred — anything near the edges gets clipped by the circular crop. The Profile picture preset above shows a live circle preview so you can check the crop before downloading.

Already have someone else's profile picture and just want to save it? Use the profile picture downloader instead — this page is for resizing your own photos.

Carousel rules

Carousels can hold up to 20 slides. Whatever ratio you use for the first slide — square, 4:5, 3:4 or landscape — applies to every slide after it, so resize your first image before you resize the rest. Mixing ratios mid-carousel isn't supported; Instagram crops later slides to match the first one instead.

File formats and quality tips

Export as JPEG for photos — it's smaller, and Instagram is going to recompress the file anyway, so there's little quality benefit to uploading a much larger PNG. Export as PNG when you need transparency, flat colour, or crisp text and graphics, where JPEG's compression can introduce visible artifacts.

Cropping or fitting an image in the resizer doesn't reduce quality on its own — you're just choosing which pixels to keep. Quality only drops if you scale a small photo up to a much larger canvas, since the tool then has to invent pixels that weren't in the original. Start with the highest-resolution version of your photo you have, at least matching the target size (1080px on the long edge for feed posts, 1080×1920 for Stories and Reels).

How to use the resizer

1. Pick a size — Choose square, portrait 4:5, portrait 3:4, landscape, Story/Reel, or profile picture.

2. Add your photo — Drag a photo in or choose a file. It loads straight into your browser and is never uploaded anywhere.

3. Crop or fit — Drag to reposition in Crop mode, or switch to Fit mode and choose a background colour to pad the image instead of cropping it.

4. Choose a format and download — Pick JPEG or PNG and download the finished image at the exact pixel size shown.