Instagram photo uploads support widths from 320 to 1080 pixels and ratios from 1.91:1 to 4:5 for sure. Newer Instagram guidance lists 3:4 as the tallest in-app ratio, but 4:5 remains the broadly compatible portrait choice, including scheduling tools. Choose the shape before exporting: a supported pixel width cannot prevent cropping when the composition is too wide or too tall.
Official Instagram dimensions at a glance
The photo figures below come from Instagram’s photo resolution documentation. The video and cover figures come from Instagram’s Reels documentation. A recommended cover size is not a required video export size.
| Asset | Official number | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Feed photo width | 320 to 1080 pixels | Original resolution retained within the supported ratio range |
| Feed photo ratio | 1.91:1 to 4:5; newer in-app guidance lists 3:4 | Use 4:5 across publishing workflows; 3:4 only for direct app posting |
| Photo height at 1080 wide | 566 to 1350 pixels; up to 1440 for 3:4 in the app | 1080 × 1350 is the broadly compatible tall portrait |
| Reel ratio | 1.91:1 to 9:16 | Video upload aspect ratios |
| Reel quality minimums | 720 pixels and 30 FPS | Resolution and frame rate are separate checks |
| Reel cover | 420 × 654 pixels | Recommended cover dimensions |
Choose a feed shape before choosing pixels
A ratio describes width relative to height. A square photo has equal sides, while a portrait photo has more height than width. The supported Instagram range includes square, landscape, and portrait compositions. It does not mean every camera image fits without editing. A very tall screenshot or a very wide panorama can still need a crop.
For example, a square export at 1080 × 1080 fits inside the documented range. This is a calculation from the supported width and square ratio, not an additional Instagram requirement. The useful question is whether the shape protects your subject. A square may suit a product centered on a table, while a portrait crop may preserve more of someone’s outfit.
Instagram Help has listed 1.91:1 through 4:5, and newer guidance lists 3:4 (1080 × 1440) as the tallest in-app ratio. Meta’s publishing API, used by scheduling tools, still stops at 4:5. For a tall portrait that works across those workflows, choose 4:5 (1080 × 1350). Use 3:4 only when posting directly in the app, and inspect its preview before sharing. Do not assume consumer-app guidance defines every API or advertising placement.
If ratios are unfamiliar, read aspect ratios explained before setting an export. Understanding the shape makes it easier to tell whether an upload problem needs cropping, resizing, or a different original photograph.
Prepare an Instagram photo in numbered steps
- Start with the original. Use the camera file or original design export rather than a screenshot of an existing post. Check whether the face, product label, or other important detail is actually sharp before doing any sizing.
- Choose the intended placement. Decide whether you are preparing a feed photo or a Reel cover. They are different assets. Do not use the Reel cover recommendation as the dimensions for an ordinary feed photograph.
- Set the composition. Open Instagram Crop, choose a supported feed shape, and move the frame until the important subject fits. Review hands, hair, packaging edges, and text rather than judging only the center.
- Set the output dimensions. Use Crop Image to Size if you need an exact export. Crop first, then resize the selected area. Keep an untouched original so another composition remains possible later.
- Review the uploaded preview. Confirm the subject and text remain visible in the actual publishing interface. Inspect the image itself as well as any thumbnail preview before sharing it.
Understand what Instagram changes
Instagram says it enlarges photos narrower than 320 pixels to that width. Enlargement does not restore missing detail. A small downloaded thumbnail can meet the resulting dimensions while still looking soft. Finding a larger original usually helps more than repeatedly increasing the same small file in an editor.
Photos wider than 1080 pixels are sized down to 1080 pixels. That is different from cropping an unsupported ratio: resizing changes the scale, while cropping removes part of the composition. A supported shape avoids that particular ratio-driven crop, but it is not a promise that every preview surface will display the entire image identically.
For a photograph that needs more space around a person, first consider whether a different supported crop works. If it does not, add a deliberate background around the image rather than stretching the person to fit. Our guide to cropping an Instagram photo without cutting it off explains that composition decision.
Prepare Reels and covers separately
Instagram accepts Reel aspect ratios between 1.91:1 and 9:16. Its Help page specifies a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS and minimum resolution of 720 pixels. These are video requirements, so a still-image cropper cannot verify or repair the frame rate. Check those settings in your video editor before exporting.
The same official page recommends 420 × 654 pixels for the cover. Select a still that remains understandable at a glance. A cover full of small subtitles may be technically the right size but difficult to read. Keep the main subject clear and preview how the selected cover appears wherever the app shows it.
Do not assume matching the cover dimensions makes the video itself compliant. Maintain separate working files for the video and cover, and check both during upload. Instagram also provides a highest-quality upload setting for Reels; the Help page notes that higher-quality uploads can take longer.
Stories: Stories are full-screen vertical. As common practice, not an official Instagram Help Center size, use 9:16 (1080 × 1920) and keep text away from the top and bottom edges.
Profile picture: Instagram does not publish an official profile picture size in its Help Center. It appears as a small circle, so upload a square photo with the face centered and leave room around the head.
Common problems
The top of the photo disappears. Check the aspect ratio before changing the pixel width. Making a very tall image wider does not change its shape when proportions are locked. Reframe it inside the supported range or preserve the full picture on a suitable background.
The picture looks blurry. Inspect the original at its natural size. Avoid taking a screenshot of a compressed social download and then enlarging it. Export once from the best available source, and compare fine details before upload so you know whether softness existed beforehand.
A group photo loses someone at the edge. Zoom out while choosing the crop and examine both sides. If no supported crop includes everyone, select another image or use added background space. Distorting the photo to force everyone into the frame changes faces and rarely looks natural.
The Reel cover looks wrong even though the video works. Review the cover as a separate design. The recommended cover dimensions do not describe every thumbnail treatment. Choose a focal subject that remains recognizable when the cover is displayed smaller, and check the publishing preview rather than relying on the editor alone.
Frequently asked questions
What image width does Instagram support?
Instagram lists photo widths from 320 to 1080 pixels. Ratios from 1.91:1 to 4:5 are the broadly supported range; newer guidance lists 3:4 for direct in-app uploads. Use 4:5 when publishing through scheduling tools.
Does Instagram support 3:4 photos?
Newer Instagram guidance lists 3:4 (1080 × 1440) as the tallest in-app photo ratio. Use it only when posting directly in the app. For a tall portrait that works across the app and scheduling tools using Meta’s publishing API, choose 4:5 (1080 × 1350).
What happens to an Instagram photo wider than 1080 pixels?
Instagram says it sizes a photo wider than 1080 pixels down to a width of 1080 pixels.
What are the minimum Reel resolution and frame rate?
Instagram says Reels should have a minimum resolution of 720 pixels and a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS.
What is the recommended Instagram Reel cover size?
Instagram recommends a Reel cover photo size of 420 × 654 pixels.
Last checked November 8, 2026.