Instagram image sizes: resize photos for posts and stories.

Instagram sizes at a glance

Instagram's Help Center says photos upload at best quality up to 1080 pixels wide, that photos with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 4:5 keep their original resolution, and that other ratios are cropped to a supported one. The Help Center also says smaller photos are enlarged to 320 pixels wide. Some third-party guides cite a taller 3:4 feed option after layout changes, and the profile figure of 320 × 320 is a common recommendation, not an official requirement. Because apps change, check the current in-app guidance if exact sizing matters.

Which shape should you pick?

• Portrait 4:5 takes up the most vertical space in the feed, which suits people, products and phone photos.
• Square 1:1 is a safe all-rounder and displays predictably in grids.
• Landscape 1.91:1 suits wide scenes but looks small on a phone screen.

Phone photos are usually 3:4 or 4:3, so they sit close to the portrait shape. If you upload a ratio outside the supported range, Instagram crops it for you, and you may not like which part it keeps. Prepare the shape yourself and you choose what stays.

Step 1: crop to the right shape

Open Crop image, rotate first if the photo is sideways, then pick a shape or enter pixel values and move the frame over the important part. For a 4:5 crop of a 3,000 × 4,000 photo you could crop a 3,000 × 3,750 area; for a square, 3,000 × 3,000. Leave breathing room around faces and text.

Step 2: resize to 1080 wide

Use Resize image and set the maximum width to 1080. It keeps your crop's proportions, so a 4:5 crop comes out at 1080 × 1350. It never enlarges, so a small original stays as it is; start from the largest copy you have. Uploading far more than 1080 pixels wide does not give you extra sharpness on Instagram, so smaller files are fine.

Stories and Reels: leave safe margins

Stories and Reels fill a tall 9:16 screen, but buttons, captions and your profile name overlay the top and bottom. Keep faces and text away from the very top and bottom edges. A common rule of thumb is to leave roughly the top 250 and bottom 250 pixels of a 1080 × 1920 frame free of important content; this is a design habit, not an official figure, so preview in the app. A feed photo posted as a Story will leave empty bars unless you crop it to 9:16 first.

File format and size

JPG is the safest format for photos. PNG works for graphics with sharp edges but can be heavy. If a file is large, run it through Compress image with a modest target, such as 1 MB, and compare the preview to check detail. See PNG vs JPG vs WebP if you are unsure which format to export. For a whole set of photos, batch resizing saves repeating the steps.

Instagram recompresses uploads, so a very heavily compressed file gets compressed again and can look worse. Upload a clean, moderately sized JPG rather than one squeezed to a tiny size.

Other platforms

Sizes differ elsewhere. See LinkedIn image sizes and YouTube thumbnail size for those. All WORDMIO image tools run in your browser, so your photos are not uploaded to prepare them.

Quick checklist

1. Pick the placement and ratio: 4:5, 1:1, 1.91:1 or 9:16.
2. Crop a copy with Crop image.
3. Resize to 1080 wide with Resize image.
4. Export as JPG; compress only if the file is unusually large.
5. Preview in the app before posting.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best size for an Instagram post?

1080 pixels wide is the standard. 1080 × 1350 (4:5 portrait) uses the most feed space, while 1080 × 1080 is square.

What size should an Instagram Story be?

1080 × 1920 pixels at a 9:16 aspect ratio, the same as Reels.

What aspect ratios does Instagram support for photos?

Instagram's Help Center lists a range from 1.91:1 (landscape) to 4:5 (portrait). Some newer layouts may allow taller shapes, so check the app.

Why does Instagram crop my photo?

If the ratio falls outside the supported range, Instagram crops it to fit. Crop it yourself first to control what stays visible.