Image sizes

Instagram post size (2026): exact dimensions

Instagram post size

1080 × 1350px

Aspect ratio

4:5

Use 1080 × 1350 px (4:5 portrait) for feed posts — it takes up the most screen space and survives the 3:4 grid crop well.

Last verified June 2026

Instagram accepts four feed-post shapes in 2026, but they are not equal. Portrait formats dominate because they fill more of the phone screen while someone scrolls — and since Instagram switched profile grids from squares to 3:4 previews, tall images also look better on your own profile. The 4:5 portrait (1080 × 1350 px) remains the workhorse recommendation; the newer 3:4 option (1080 × 1440 px) matches both the grid preview and most phone-camera defaults, so it needs no cropping at all.

All Instagram post specs

Instagram post dimensions, last verified June 2026.
VariantDimensionsRatio
Portrait (recommended)1080 × 1350 pxMaximum feed height before 2025’s 3:4 addition; still the most-used format.4:5
Tall portrait1080 × 1440 pxMatches the profile-grid preview and most phone camera defaults.3:4
Square1080 × 1080 px1:1
Landscape1080 × 566 pxSmallest on screen — use only when the image demands it.1.91:1
Grid preview crop1080 × 1440 pxHow every post is cropped on your profile since Instagram’s grid update.3:4

Safe zones: what gets cropped

Since Instagram moved profile grids to 3:4 previews, every post you publish gets cropped to 3:4 on your profile. Square and landscape posts lose their left and right edges in that preview; 4:5 posts lose a sliver of top and bottom. Keep faces, product shots, and text within the central area of the image so it reads in both the full feed view and the grid crop — dead-center composition is the only placement that survives every surface.

File types & limits

  • Photos: JPG or PNG (HEIC/HEIF from mobile is converted on upload).
  • Width is what counts: Instagram stores up to 1080 px wide and scales everything else down.
  • Below 320 px wide, Instagram upscales your image — expect visible quality loss.
  • Caption limit: 2,200 characters; five-hashtag cap rolling out since December 2025 (counted across caption and comments).

Getting the most out of the format

Do: design at 4:5 or 3:4, export at exactly 1080 wide

Instagram re-compresses every upload, and the less work its compressor does, the better your image survives. Export at exactly 1080 px wide in the final aspect ratio — don’t upload a 4000 px file and hope. If your shots come straight off a phone camera, the new 3:4 format means you can post them uncropped for the first time, which is the simplest reason to adopt it.

Don’t: put text near the edges

Between the 3:4 grid crop, feed rounding, and the small gap where the like/comment bar overlays tall images, edge text is the most common way a well-designed post breaks. Keep headlines inside roughly the middle 80% of the canvas. If a post must work as a grid thumbnail (e.g. a cover for a series), preview it at 3:4 before publishing.

Pick one ratio per content series

Mixed ratios make a profile grid look chaotic because every preview is force-cropped to 3:4. Pick 4:5 or 3:4 as your house format, build templates at that size, and reuse them. A scheduler with a visual preview helps here — SocialKit shows how each post will sit before it publishes, on Instagram and the other 10 platforms it posts to.

Quick questions

What is the best Instagram post size in 2026?

1080 × 1350 px (4:5 portrait) is the safest all-round choice — maximum screen presence in the feed and a near-lossless 3:4 grid crop. The newer 1080 × 1440 px (3:4) is equally good and matches phone-camera defaults exactly.

Are square posts dead on Instagram?

No — 1080 × 1080 px squares still publish fine and suit some grids. But they occupy less screen than portrait posts and get padded or cropped in the 3:4 profile preview, so portrait is the better default for reach.

What happens if I upload a bigger image?

Instagram scales everything to a maximum of 1080 px wide and re-compresses it. Uploading larger files just gives the compressor more to throw away — export at exactly 1080 px wide for the cleanest result.

Sized right, scheduled once — on Instagram and 10 more

Upload your visuals at the right dimensions, preview exactly how each post will look, and let SocialKit publish to all 11 platforms on schedule.

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