The ultimate guide to Instagram post sizes

Create a great first impression on your existing and potential followers through your stellar-looking Instagram feed!

’Grammers focus on snapping just the right photo and editing it to perfection, to the extent that their IG feeds start to look like a string of tempting advertisements for travel destinations, meals and fashion.

And many people posting on Instagram aren’t professional photographers. So how are they pulling off those magazine-finish posts? That’s because they emphasize composition when taking a picture, use filters and other editing features as well as crop and size their image correctly.

It’s important to not only post a great shot on Instagram but also size it correctly. The right image or video dimensions ensure crisp, high-quality posts that boost user engagement and skyrocket through IG’s algorithm.

Learn the best Instagram post sizes, why getting them right is essential, and how to resize images.

Why is it important to get the right size on Instagram?

It’s easy to post on Insta. You take a photo with your smartphone and drop a filter on it (or opt for the unfiltered look), and the post usually looks great. But this is a stroke of good luck and powerful technology. Other times, a picture may look a bit off when you upload it, and it may have to do with its odd dimensions. Here’s why you should check photo sizes before posting.

• To ensure important info isn’t cropped out: Instagram automatically crops and resizes your photo to fit into the 3x3 grid. The app will cut off the top and bottom of an image to make it into a square or a squat rectangle. If you take snaps on your phone, chances are they’re long rectangles, and the app will crop them.
• To avoid stretching and compression: While stretched or compressed photos can look grainy or pixelated, low-quality images are unprofessional and unappealing – and neither is easy on your viewers’ eyes.
• To keep photos looking fresh for time to come: Average-quality images look dated. Leverage Instagram’s many filters, such as Claredon, to edit images and make them look bright and new. But if you use high-quality pictures, you won’t need much editing. And part of ensuring that high quality is using a correctly sized image.
• To boost engagement: Instagram deprioritizes low-quality Reels so upload the correct dimensions if you want your videos to fare well with the algorithm.

The right size for each type of post on Instagram

Instagram gives users various ways to post: feed photos (more commonly called just “posts”), ephemeral Stories and video Reels. Here’s our ultimate size guide for any type of Instagram post.

Instagram post dimensions

The following sizes for Instagram photos and videos appear in feeds and grids.

Instagram post size in pixels

Landscape: 1080x566 pixels

Portrait: 1080x1350 pixels

Square: 1080x1080 pixels

Instagram post size ratio

The framing of an IG post is also known as its aspect ratio, which compares an image’s width to height. Here are the aspect ratios for image posts.

Landscape images: 1.91:1

Portrait images: 4:5

Square images: 1:1

Instagram Story dimensions

These ephemeral photos and videos live at the top of the app’s homepage. There’s only one set of dimensions for Instagram stories, 1080x1920 pixels.

Instagram Reels sizes

Instagram Reels also come in only one size, which is vital to remember when filming so you don’t accidentally have to crop out essential content in your take. The Instagram video post size is 1080x1920 pixels.

FAQs

Learning to size your photos properly for Instagram is a step toward making more compelling posts. But it likely raises questions about getting your images right. Hopefully, the following answers to FAQs will dispel them.

Does Instagram lower image quality?

Instagram resizes images, potentially resulting in quality alterations. The app sizes down images larger than 1080x1350 pixels and sizes up any photo measuring fewer than 320 pixels in width. The best way to preserve a picture’s quality is to adhere to the file size guidelines and prevent the application from modifying your photo.

How do I upload high-quality photos on Instagram?

If you’re worried about graininess when posting large files, try turning on Instagram’s high-quality upload feature. Here’s how.

• Open your mobile app settings.
• Navigate to “Account,” then “Data Usage.”
• Toggle on the “High-quality uploads,” and Instagram will post the best version of your content even if it takes longer.

How do I resize an image on Instagram without cropping it?

You can fit an entire photo, no matter its dimensions, into Instagram’s image size constraints by using a third-party application. Apps such as InFrame, Canva, and Fotor help you put an image on a plain black or white backdrop or into a template with some flair. The background measures the correct size for the type of IG post you’re making, so the photo’s dimensions don’t have to.

Why does Instagram crop photos?

To keep feeds and story scrolls looking uniform, Instagram has standard frame sizes. To ensure consistency, Instagram crops any photo or video that doesn’t fit into them. When creating content for Instagram, it’s wise to keep every post’s dimensions in mind. Also, center the most critical information in your photos and videos so that you don’t lose content even if Insta crops it.

Why can’t I find updated Instagram video size information?

In July 2022, Instagram announced all videos would be Reels. Before that, videos and Reels were separate content forms on the app. Now that they’re the same thing, the only video sizing information is of Reels. If you see other sizing parameters on the web for horizontal, square or vertical videos, this information is likely out of date.

Become a pro at the 'gram with Linktree

Instagram has made content creation super easy with its version updates, launching new features and filters. And posting good-quality content can organically drive traffic to your profile.

Head to The Linktree Blog and learn how to edit your photos well, take great-looking food snaps, set your photo location, or write the perfect caption. We’ll also show you how to navigate the settings and features of the app. You can find out how to see who’s liked your posts, track your insights, and archive old content.

While you browse our website, don’t forget to claim your free Linktree URL and bring all your socials under one roof. This makes your content’s cross-promotion and overall social media management simple and seamless.