Instagram post sizes in 2026: feed, Story, Reel and carousel
Instagram post sizes for 2026: feed photos from 1.91:1 to 3:4, Stories and Reels at 9:16, and what really happens to a scheduled photo outside 4:5.
Short answer
Instagram feed photos can be anything from 1.91:1 to 3:4: 1080 x 1080 square, 1080 x 1440 portrait or 1080 x 566 landscape. Stories and Reels are 9:16 (1080 x 1920). Meta's API reference lists 4:5 to 1.91:1 for scheduled photos, but PostDaily's own 3:4 and 9:16 posts published uncropped.
Instagram sizes at a glance
| Format | Shape | Size at 1,080 px wide | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed photo, portrait | 3:4 (Meta's API reference lists 4:5) | 1080 x 1440 (1080 x 1350 at 4:5) | - |
| Feed photo, square | 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 | - |
| Feed photo, landscape | 1.91:1 | 1080 x 566 | - |
| Carousel | One shape for every item | As for feed photos | Up to 20 items in the app |
| Reel | 9:16 (1.91:1 to 9:16 accepted) | 1080 x 1920 | Up to 20 minutes in the app; 15 through the API |
| Story | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Video clips of up to 60 seconds |
| Reel cover | - | 420 x 654 | - |
Feed photos: square, portrait and landscape
Instagram keeps a feed photo as it is if its shape falls between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 3:4 (portrait), and crops anything outside that range. It keeps widths from 320 to 1,080 pixels, enlarges smaller photos and shrinks larger ones to 1,080 wide. So upload at 1,080 pixels wide or more; at that width a photo can be 566 to 1,440 pixels tall.
3:4 is the newest option: Adam Mosseri announced 3:4 photos in May 2025, a few months after the profile grid became taller in January 2025. 4:5 is still the tallest shape Meta's API reference lists for scheduling tools, though the API itself takes taller ones.
Scheduled photos: Meta's rule and what publishes
Scheduling tools publish through Meta's Instagram API. Its reference says a feed photo has to be a JPEG of up to 8 MB, from 4:5 to 1.91:1, and 320 to 1,440 pixels wide. On paper, that leaves out the app's 3:4.
PostDaily's own posts say otherwise. Feed photos at 3:4, 2:3 and 9:16, on their own and in carousels, published between July and October 2026, and the files Instagram stored are uncropped. None of our posts has failed because of its shape. Nothing wider than 1.91:1 has been tried, and the app crops wider photos. If you want to stay inside Meta's documented rule, 1080 x 1350 does.
PostDaily converts PNG and WebP to JPEG and resizes large photos. It doesn't hold back a photo because of its shape, since Instagram hasn't refused one. The other publishing limits are on Instagram's limits.
Carousel size
In the app, a carousel holds up to 20 photos and videos, and the shape you pick (square, portrait or landscape) applies to every item. Through the API, Meta crops every image to the shape of the first one, square by default. So make every slide the same size, and put the slide with the shape you want first. Meta's API takes 20 items too: its error-code page still says 10, but PostDaily published a 20-photo carousel through the API on 11 November 2026. PostDaily takes up to 20 photos, or 10 on an account connected through a Facebook Page, within your plan's media per post.
Reel size and length
A Reel is a vertical video at 9:16, although the app accepts anything from 1.91:1 to 9:16, at least 720 pixels wide and 30 frames a second. In the app a Reel can run up to 20 minutes, but Instagram says Reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. Through the API, a Reel can be 3 seconds to 15 minutes and up to 300 MB. The cover image is 420 x 654 pixels.
Story size and length
A Story is 9:16, which is 1080 x 1920 at 1,080 pixels wide; Meta's ads guide recommends 1440 x 2560 for Story ads, the same shape at a higher resolution. In the app, a Story video of up to 60 seconds shows as one clip, and a longer one is split into several. Through the API, a Story video has to be 3 to 60 seconds and up to 100 MB.
Safe zones for Stories and Reels
Meta publishes a safe zone only for ads: keep text and logos out of the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side of a Story or Reel. It publishes none for ordinary posts, but the same buttons, captions and profile name cover the same parts of the screen, so the ads safe zone is a sensible guide for organic Stories and Reels too.
Profile grid and profile photo
Since January 2025 the profile grid shows taller thumbnails than the old squares, and Mosseri said you would be able to adjust how each post is cropped there. Meta hasn't published the grid's shape or a profile photo size, but the grid shows every post cropped to 3:4. The profile photo shows as a circle, so keep the face or logo in the middle.
Instagram size questions
What size is an Instagram Story?
9:16, which is 1080 x 1920 pixels at 1,080 wide. Keep text out of the top 14% and bottom 35%, where Instagram's own buttons sit.
What size is an Instagram carousel?
Every slide uses the same shape: square (1080 x 1080), portrait (1080 x 1440, or 1080 x 1350 if you schedule it) or landscape (1080 x 566). The app takes up to 20 slides.
How long can an Instagram Reel be?
Up to 20 minutes in the app, but Instagram says Reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. A scheduled Reel can be 3 seconds to 15 minutes.
What happens if my photo is the wrong size?
In the app, Instagram crops a photo that is wider than 1.91:1 or taller than 3:4. Meta's API reference lists 4:5 to 1.91:1 for scheduled photos, but PostDaily's own posts at 3:4, 2:3 and 9:16 published uncropped. The profile grid shows every post cropped to 3:4.
Before you upload a Reel, the free video checker shows whether Instagram will take its format, size and length. To schedule it, how to schedule Instagram posts covers the app, Business Suite and schedulers.
Last checked against Instagram's help centre, Meta's ads guide and Instagram API reference, Adam Mosseri's announcements, and PostDaily's own Instagram posts.
