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Image sizes for Instagram: posts, stories and reels
The common Instagram image sizes and aspect ratios for square, portrait, and landscape posts, stories, reels, and profile pictures — plus a free cropping tool.
Updated 2026-06-14
Post a photo to Instagram at the wrong size and the app crops it for you — usually cutting off the part you wanted to keep, or squeezing a wide shot into an awkward box. Getting the size right before you upload keeps your composition intact and your feed looking deliberate.
Instagram uses a few standard aspect ratios across its formats. Here are the common sizes, what each is for, and how to crop to them in seconds.
Note: platforms adjust their exact pixel requirements from time to time. Treat these as the common, widely-used values rather than permanent rules, and check the app if something looks off.
Feed posts
Instagram feed posts come in three shapes.
Square post — 1:1
- Size: 1080 × 1080 px
- Ratio: 1:1
- Use: the classic Instagram look; safe and predictable in the grid.
Portrait post — 4:5
- Size: 1080 × 1350 px
- Ratio: 4:5
- Use: takes up the most vertical space in the feed, so it stands out as people scroll. A favorite for reach.
Landscape post — 1.91:1
- Size: 1080 × 566 px
- Ratio: about 1.91:1
- Use: wide shots and scenery. It is the smallest in the feed, so use it when the composition really is horizontal.
Stories and Reels — 9:16
- Size: 1080 × 1920 px
- Ratio: 9:16 (full vertical screen)
- Use: Stories and Reels fill the whole phone screen. Keep important content away from the very top and bottom, where the interface buttons sit.
Profile picture — 1:1 circle
- Size: at least 320 × 320 px
- Ratio: 1:1 (displayed as a circle)
- Use: crop to a square first, with the subject centered, since the corners get cut into a circle.
Quick reference
| Format | Ratio | Pixel size |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 |
| Portrait post | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 |
| Landscape post | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 |
| Story / Reel | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Profile picture | 1:1 | 320 × 320+ |
Why cropping yourself beats letting Instagram do it
When you upload an off-ratio image, the app decides what to keep. That often means a person’s head gets clipped, or a wide landscape becomes a tight center square. Cropping first puts you in control of the composition — you choose exactly what stays in frame.
It also lets you optimize the file. A phone photo is far larger than Instagram needs; cropping and compressing first means a faster upload, especially on mobile data.
How to crop for Instagram for free
You can crop to any of these ratios in the browser without installing an app, and your photo stays on your device.
Use the free tool to crop an image for Instagram: pick the ratio for a post, story, or reel, drag to frame the shot, and export. For a profile picture specifically, crop an image to a square with the subject centered.
If you want to crop and compress in one go — handy for a batch of photos — the full image optimizer does both, with a live preview of the final file size.
A simple posting workflow
- Decide the format: square, portrait, landscape, or story/reel.
- Crop to the matching ratio, framing the subject the way you want.
- Keep important content clear of the screen edges for stories and reels.
- Export, then upload — the app now has nothing to crop.
The bottom line
Instagram runs on a handful of ratios: 1:1 and 4:5 for feed posts, 1.91:1 for landscape, and 9:16 for stories and reels. Crop to the right shape before you post and you keep control of your composition, avoid awkward auto-crops, and upload faster.