Feed portrait (recommended)
Recommended1080×1350 4:5
Best default for Instagram feed photos and carousels on mobile. Tallest common organic frame.
Use in toolInstagram · Image size
Instagram Post Size
Instagram’s feed rewards taller frames on phones. Crop to 1080×1350 (4:5), keep faces and type inside a safe margin, then download a sharp JPG without leaving your browser—no signup, no upload to our servers.
Based on Instagram UI as of 2026-08-10. Exact crops and pixels can shift—preview before you publish.
Browser tool · nothing leaves your device
Crop your Instagram feed post
Output 1080 × 1350
- 1Upload or try the sample
- 2Drag so the subject stays in the mobile guide
- 3Download 1640×624 (or your selected size)
Click to upload
Upload a photo—or try the sample—then keep faces and type inside the margin. Prefer 4:5 unless the scene is already square.
Drop an image onto the canvas, click inside it, or try the sample
Size specs
Prefer 4:5 for organic feed presence. Keep every carousel slide on the same aspect ratio so Instagram does not reframe mid-swipe. Landscape is listed so you know the trade-off.
Publish
Export this for Instagram upload.
Square post
1080×1080 1:1
Classic square when the scene is already tight. Slightly less feed height than 4:5.
Use in tool| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed portrait (recommended) Recommended | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | Best default for Instagram feed photos and carousels on mobile. Tallest common organic frame. | Use in tool |
| Square post | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | Classic square when the scene is already tight. Slightly less feed height than 4:5. | Use in tool |
What Instagram shows
Reference sizes and crops—not always separate upload files.
Landscape post
1080×566 ~1.91:1
Allowed, but looks smaller in the mobile feed than 4:5. Prefer portrait when you can.
Use in tool| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape post | 1080×566 | ~1.91:1 | Allowed, but looks smaller in the mobile feed than 4:5. Prefer portrait when you can. | Use in tool |
Why 4:5 is the feed default
On a phone, Instagram’s feed is a tall scroll. A 4:5 image (1080×1350) uses more vertical space than a wide landscape frame, so the same photo feels more present without needing louder design or heavier filters. That extra height is free attention—use it.
Landscape posts around 1080×566 are allowed, but they shrink into a shorter strip between captions and comments. If your goal is a photo people pause on while scrolling, start with portrait. Use square only when the crop is already tight and stretching to 4:5 would cut something important.
Instagram also re-encodes every upload. Soft, noisy, or oversharpened exports look worse after compression. Keep the subject clear, avoid microscopic captions on the image itself, and leave a small margin so like counts, menus, and slight re-frames do not clip faces or logos.
Carousels multiply the problem: if slide 1 is 4:5 and slide 2 is square, the viewer sees jump cuts while swiping. Export every slide from the same preset and keep subject scale consistent across the set. Your profile grid also shows a center square thumbnail—keep the hero near the middle so the grid still reads.
Good vs weak crop
Same feed frame—keep the subject inside the margin phones actually show.
Holds attention in-feed
- One clear subject inside the margin
- Short headline large enough for phones
- Same ratio across carousel slides
Looks tiny or clipped
- Ultra-wide image shrunk in the feed
- Tiny paragraphs of text on the photo
- Mixing 4:5 and landscape in one carousel
Before you upload
Tick these off against your crop preview—nothing is saved.
Related surfaces compared
Similar-looking slots often use different ratios—do not reuse one export for all of them.
Feed photo post
1080 × 1350
This page. Best organic feed size for photos and carousels.
Story / Reels still
1080 × 1920
Full-screen vertical—taller than a feed post; different UI chrome.
Profile photo
320 × 320 display · 640 × 640 upload
Circular avatar on your grid—not a feed post crop.
Grid thumbnail
Square crop of your post
Profile grid often shows a center square; keep the hero near the middle.
| Surface | Typical size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Feed photo post | 1080 × 1350 | This page. Best organic feed size for photos and carousels. |
| Story / Reels still | 1080 × 1920 | Full-screen vertical—taller than a feed post; different UI chrome. |
| Profile photo | 320 × 320 display · 640 × 640 upload | Circular avatar on your grid—not a feed post crop. |
| Grid thumbnail | Square crop of your post | Profile grid often shows a center square; keep the hero near the middle. |
Carousel and multi-image posts
Instagram carousels work best when every slide shares one aspect ratio. Mixed ratios force awkward letterboxing or unexpected crops mid-swipe, and people often drop off after the first frame.
Keep a consistent safe margin and similar subject scale so the set feels like one story, not a random stack of crops from different tools. Put the strongest visual first—many people never swipe at all.
- Export all slides at 1080×1350 (or all at 1080×1080)—never mix.
- Put the strongest slide first; use later slides for detail or proof.
- Avoid stuffing every slide with dense text; use caption space.
- Check the last slide: CTAs near the edge can get clipped after upload.
Composition for the mobile feed
Most people see your post on a phone while scrolling quickly. High contrast, a single focal point, and readable type beat busy collages or thin grey captions on busy photos.
Leave a little space at the edges. Like counts, “more” menus, and slight re-frames can nibble at the frame—especially after Instagram’s own crop tools. Also remember the profile grid: a center square crop may hide edge detail that looked fine in the tall feed view.
- Place faces toward the center-upper third when possible.
- Keep logos inside the safe margin, not on the extreme edge.
- Prefer fewer words on the image; say the rest in the caption.
- Check how the center square will look on your profile grid.
File requirements
Photos usually look best as JPG in sRGB. PNG can help for flat graphics with hard edges, but large PNGs may get compressed aggressively after upload without looking sharper.
A clean 1080-wide export is enough for feed posts. Giant camera dumps often get crushed harder and do not look better once Instagram re-encodes them.
- Recommended post
- 1080 × 1350 px (4:5)
- Square option
- 1080 × 1080 px
- Landscape option
- 1080 × 566 px (~1.91:1)
- Formats
- JPG or PNG (sRGB)
- Color
- sRGB
- Carousel rule
- Same aspect ratio on every slide
Common mistakes
- Posting 16:9 or ultra-wide photos that look short in the feed.
- Mixing ratios inside one carousel.
- Uploading a Story/Reels 9:16 still and accepting heavy letterboxing.
- Heavy filters that crush detail after Instagram compresses again.
- Packing legal disclaimers into the image at unreadably small sizes.
- Designing only for the tall feed view and forgetting the square grid thumbnail.
How to use the crop tool on this page
Upload your photo, choose Feed portrait (1080×1350) unless you have a reason to go square or landscape, then drag so the subject sits inside the margin. Download when text and faces still look clear at phone size.
- Switch presets without re-uploading to compare 4:5 vs square.
- For carousels, repeat the same preset for every slide.
- Nothing leaves your device—cropping stays in the browser.
- When the post is done, use the Story or Reels guides if you need those surfaces next.
After you download
From this download to a live upload in a few minutes.
- 1
Download the JPG from the tool (prefer 1080×1350).
- 2
Open Instagram → new post → select the file (or all carousel slides in order).
- 3
Avoid extra zoom in the Instagram editor if this crop is already final—extra pinch often clips edges.
- 4
Put detail in the caption—not as microscopic type burned onto the photo.
- 5
Preview once on your phone: confirm feed height, caption readability, and that carousel slides share the same height while swiping.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Instagram post size in 2026?
For organic feed photos, 1080×1350 (4:5) is the practical default. Square 1080×1080 also works; landscape frames around 1080×566 usually look smaller on phones.
Can I post landscape photos on Instagram?
Yes—about 1080×566 (~1.91:1) is a common landscape option—but they use less vertical space. Prefer 4:5 when you want more feed presence.
What size should Instagram carousel images be?
Keep every slide on the same aspect ratio—ideally all 1080×1350. Mixed ratios cause uneven crops and jump cuts while people swipe.
Does Instagram compress images?
Yes. Start with a sharp, reasonably sized export in sRGB. Extreme oversharpening and noisy screenshots often look worse after upload.
Is Instagram post size the same as Stories?
No. Stories and Reels use 1080×1920 (9:16). Feed posts are shorter at 1080×1350 (4:5) or square. Do not stretch one export into the other.
How does my post look on the profile grid?
The grid often shows a square thumbnail cropped from the center. Keep the main subject near the middle so it still reads on your profile even if the feed view is 4:5.
Should I use PNG or JPG for Instagram posts?
JPG for photographs; PNG for logos or flat graphics with hard edges. Prefer sRGB either way, and keep file weight reasonable for mobile networks.