Instagram image sizes
Current dimensions for each placement:
| Placement | Size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| Landscape post | 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Reel cover | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Profile picture | 320 × 320 | 1:1 |
| Grid thumbnail | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 (displayed 3:4 in-grid) |
Why 1080 pixels wide, and not more
Instagram caps display width at 1080 pixels. Anything wider is downscaled on their servers with their compression settings, which are optimised for bandwidth rather than for your image.
Uploading at exactly 1080 wide means the only compression applied is Instagram's final encode, not a resize followed by an encode. In practice this is the single biggest thing you can do to keep your photos looking sharp on the platform.
Portrait posts take more screen
The 4:5 portrait format at 1080 × 1350 occupies noticeably more vertical space in the feed than a square, and more screen time correlates with more engagement. It is the default choice for most creators now.
One caveat: the grid crops portrait images. Since the 2024 grid redesign, thumbnails display at 3:4, so a 4:5 portrait loses a thin slice. Keep important detail away from the very top and bottom.
File size and format
Instagram accepts JPEG and PNG and re-encodes both. Upload JPEG at high quality — around 90 — since a PNG photo just gets converted anyway, at a larger upload with no gain.
There is no practical file size limit for feed images at these dimensions. Do not pre-compress aggressively to save Instagram bandwidth; you will only stack your compression artifacts underneath theirs.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Instagram image size?
- 1080 × 1350 (4:5 portrait) for feed posts, because it occupies the most feed space. Use 1080 × 1080 when a square composition suits the image better, and 1080 × 1920 for stories and reels.
- Why does Instagram make my photos look worse?
- Because it re-compresses on upload. You limit the damage by uploading at exactly 1080 pixels wide at high quality, so Instagram does not have to resize before encoding.
- Does Instagram still crop to square?
- No, not since 2015 — portrait and landscape posts display at their own aspect ratio in the feed. Grid thumbnails are still cropped, currently to 3:4.