Guide

Instagram Post Size: Photo, Carousel, Story and Reel Sizes

The best size for an Instagram post is 1080 by 1350 pixels, a 4:5 portrait. This guide covers the Instagram photo size and ratio range, the size in pixels and inches, the Story and Reel shapes, and how Dripost handles your file.

Instagram post size at a glance

Instagram shares photos at up to 1080 pixels wide. Portrait 4:5 (1080 by 1350) takes the most room in the feed, square is 1080 by 1080, and landscape is 1080 by 566. The Instagram post ratio size Instagram accepts runs from 1.91:1 to 4:5.

Instagram photo size and post size in pixels

For the Instagram photo size, export at 1080 pixels wide in a shape inside that range. A photo between 320 and 1080 pixels wide keeps its size, and a wider one is shrunk to 1080. Smaller than 320 may be enlarged and look soft.

The size in inches

Instagram uses pixels, not inches, so an inch size only matters if you print. At 300 pixels per inch, 1080 by 1350 prints at 3.6 by 4.5 inches. On a screen at 72 pixels per inch, 1080 pixels is 15 inches wide.

Instagram story aspect ratio

The Instagram story aspect ratio is 9:16, 1080 by 1920 pixels, the same as a Reel. Our guide to Instagram Story size lists the safe area to keep text inside.

1. Photos: 1080 pixels wide

Instagram’s help centre (help.instagram.com, “Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram”) says photos are shared at up to 1080 pixels wide; a wider photo is sized down to 1080. A photo between 320 and 1080 pixels wide keeps its resolution when its shape is inside the allowed range.

2. Photos: pick a shape between 1.91:1 and 4:5

The same help page gives the allowed range as 1.91:1 (landscape) to 4:5 (portrait). At 1080 wide that is a height between 566 and 1350 pixels. Square (1080 by 1080) sits in the middle. Portrait 4:5, 1080 by 1350, takes the most room in the feed.

3. Carousels: one shape for every slide

Use one aspect ratio for all the slides in a carousel, so none is letterboxed next to the others. Dripost sends up to 10 items in one post, each file exactly as you uploaded it.

4. Reels: vertical 9:16

Instagram’s help page on Reel size (help.instagram.com, “Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram”) allows ratios from 1.91:1 to 9:16, with a minimum of 30 frames per second and 720 pixels. Full-screen vertical is 9:16; 1080 by 1920 fills it.

5. Check the file before scheduling

When you attach a file in Dripost, the tile shows its size in pixels, and for a video its length. Dripost never re-encodes or crops, so what you see there is what Instagram receives.

6. Mind your storage

Large video files add up. Everything you upload is kept in the Library, where one file can be reused across posts without uploading it again.

Sources

Questions

What is the best size for an Instagram post?

1080 by 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) for a photo that fills the most of the feed, and 1080 by 1920 (9:16) for a Reel, both within Instagram’s own published ranges.

Why is my Instagram photo blurry?

Usually it was smaller than 1080 pixels wide or outside the 1.91:1 to 4:5 range, so Instagram resized it. Export at 1080 wide in range.

Does Dripost crop my photo to fit?

No. It sends your file as it is. Crop to the shape you want before uploading.

What size is an Instagram post in pixels?

1080 by 1080 for a square post and 1080 by 1350 for a portrait one, as the guide above sets out.

What is the size in inches of an Instagram post when printed?

It depends on the print resolution. At 300 dots per inch, 1080 pixels prints at 3.6 inches; at 150 it prints at 7.2 inches.

Try it on your own post.

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