Instagram Post Sizes & Dimensions Guide for 2024-2025

Instagram Post Sizes and Dimensions for 2024 and 2025

Learn about the latest Instagram post sizes and dimensions for 2024 to ensure your photos and videos look their best on the platform!

Instagram champions visual content. Whether it’s stunning beachfront photos or educational videos, the platform inspires creativity and showcases a content creator’s personality at its best. So after investing so much effort, the last thing you want is for poor quality or incorrect sizing to undermine your content.

We’ve gathered the most up-to-date Instagram post sizes and dimensions for 2024 (and beyond!) to help you stay ahead. From feed posts and Stories to Reels and Live videos, this guide has everything you need to optimise your content. So grab your phone, take notes, and let’s dive into the world of Instagram post dimensions!

Understanding Instagram Dimensions

Before we get into Instagram’s various posts specs, let's understand the basics: aspect ratio and pixel size.

Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between an image’s width and height. For instance:

A 1:1 aspect ratio means the image is perfectly square.
A 4:5 aspect ratio means that the image is 4 units wide and 5 units tall, ideal for vertical posts.
A 1.91:1 aspect ratio is a horizontal format, where an image is 1.91 units wide and 1 unit tall. This is ideal for landscape orientated content.

Pixel Size

Pixel size refers to the number of tiny square units that make up an image. The more pixels an image contains, the higher its resolution and quality. For square images, Instagram recommends dimensions of 1080 x 1080 pixels to ensure optimal quality.

In Summary: Aspect ratio defines the shape of your image or video, while pixel size determines the resolution and quality of your content. To get perfect Instagram posts, you must get both right.

Instagram Post Image Sizes

Before diving into the different Instagram post formats, let’s start with a quick snapshot of the recommended specs and dimensions for your Instagram posts. You can always refer to these as a handy guide when creating content.

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Below are the recommended dimensions for various types of Instagram post images:

Instagram Feed Image Specs

Feed posts are the backbone of Instagram, and what people see the most. As such, you’ll want these to look picture-perfect and be as engaging as possible.

Recommended Dimensions:

Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)

Instagram supports these aspect ratios, but if your image doesn’t fit one of these, it will be cropped. To maintain the best photo quality, upload images with a resolution of at least 1080 pixels wide. Instagram compresses images to save bandwidth. Photos wider than 1080 pixels will be resized, while those smaller than 320 pixels will be enlarged, which may result in pixelation.

Pro Tip: Use portrait orientation (1080 x 1350) for your feed posts to take up more screen space and increase visibility.

Instagram Carousel Post Specs

Carousel posts will now allow users to share up to 20 photos or videos in a single post. These are swipeable by the user, making them ideal for e-commerce product listings, step-by-step tutorials, or panoramic images.

Recommended Dimensions (identical to feed image posts):

Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio).
Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio).
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio).

You'll also want to use Instagram’s supported resolution range of 320–1080 pixels to avoid compression issues, and ensure all Carousel images are the same size and style.

Pro Tip: Instagram always uses the first image as its "cover"—so choose one that grabs attention!

Instagram Stories Image Specs

Instagram Stories are a great way to connect with your audience through short-lived, eye-catching content. They can contain both images and videos, with a lifespan of 24 hours.

Recommended Dimensions:

Vertical: 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio).

You can also include interactive features like stickers, polls, and questions to make your Stories more engaging and drive immediate interaction from your audience.

Pro Tip: Ensure your images are high-quality and formatted correctly to avoid distortion. Bright colours and bold text overlays can help grab attention and maximise impact.

Instagram Photo Thumbnail Specs

Thumbnails, while overlooked, can significantly impact your Instagram feed's aesthetic, and click-through rate. These small previews appear in your feed, hashtags, or explore pages, acting as the “front cover” of your posts and Reels.

Recommended dimensions:

Carousels

Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio)
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)

Reels

Thumbnail: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Cover Image: 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)

Pro Tip: When designing your thumbnails, focus on the centre of the image as Instagram often crops the edges in previews.

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What’s the Best Instagram Image Orientation: Square, Vertical, or Landscape?

Most businesses opt for square posts because they work well for symmetrical images. However, you can choose other orientations to enhance specific types of photos:

Vertical Orientation (Portrait, 4:5 Aspect Ratio): Recommended size is 1080 x 1350 px. Ideal for tall subjects like buildings, artwork, or full-frame portraits.
Horizontal Orientation (Landscape, 16:9 Aspect Ratio): Recommended size is 1080 x 566 px. Perfect for wide landscapes, group photos, and full-body shots, eliminating the need for constant scrolling.

Things to Keep in Mind:

Instagram’s profile page grid displays all photos as squares, so cropping may affect how portrait and landscape posts appear in your profile.
Carousel posts must maintain the same orientation as the first image. For example, if your first image is square, all subsequent images must also be square.

Choose the orientation that best suits your content: square for symmetry, vertical for tall subjects or full-length portraits, and horizontal for wide landscapes or group shots.

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Instagram Post Video Sizes

To really skyrocket your engagement levels, most incorporate videos into their content mix. With Instagram's increasing emphasis on video, it's important to stay ahead by leveraging this medium.

Let's go through each video format supported by Instagram:

Instagram Video Feed Specs

Video feed posts follow the same aspect ratios as photos, ensuring they fit seamlessly into your feed. Like feed photos, videos can be either square, portrait or landscape, depending on the orientation of your content.

Recommended dimensions:

Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio)
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)

Pro Tip: For best results, keep your video resolution between 720–1080 pixels and ensure the file size is under 4 GB.

Instagram Reels Specs

Instagram Reels are quick, engaging videos designed for mobile viewers. They can be used to promote products or to showcase your creativity, personality.

Recommended Dimensions:

Vertical: 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)

For optimal quality, keep your videos within Instagram’s supported resolution range of 720–1080 pixels and a maximum file size of 4 GB.

Pro Tip: Your Reel’s cover photo matters, as it’s the first thing users see. Use a 420 x 654 pixel (1:1.55 aspect ratio) image to make it stand out!

Instagram Stories Video Specs

Instagram Stories videos share the same dimensions as Stories images, with a vertical format that fits perfectly on mobile screens. These full-screen videos are ideal for capturing your audience’s attention in an immersive format.

Recommended dimensions:

Vertical: 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)

Pro Tip: Add captions or visual elements to make your videos engaging even with the sound off, ensuring they are accessible and consumable for all viewers.

Instagram Live Video Specs

Instagram Live lets you connect and interact with your audience in the moment, allowing for real-time engagement. This video format is great hosting a Q&A, sharing updates, or even selling products.

Recommended Dimensions:

Aspect Ratio: Vertical (9:16)
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels

Pro Tip: Live videos are optimised for mobile viewing, so opt for portrait mode. This ensures your videos fill the screen and are easily viewed by your audience.

Instagram Ads Dimensions

Instagram ad dimensions for videos and posts follow the same guidelines as regular posts. The primary difference doesn’t lie in the dimensions but in the content, presentation, and end-goal. Ads are marked with the word “Sponsored” above the post, making it clear they’re paid promotions.

Instagram Ads Recommended Dimensions

Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio)

Other Important Details:

Minimum resolution: 600 pixels
Maximum file size: 30 MB
Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, and GIF

Pro Tip: Make sure your content really speaks to your audience and that you’re targeting the right demographic. Even the most eye-catching visuals won’t lead to conversions if they’re not reaching the right crowd.

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Maximise Your Instagram Ads with MagicBrief

Creating Instagram ads that capture attention and drive engagement isn’t just about using the right dimensions—it’s about standing out with creative, effective content. MagicBrief provides the tools you need to make it happen, offering inspiration, analytics, and competitor insights to elevate your ad game.

Ad Library for Inspiration: Browse through our collection of successful Instagram ads and filter by format—Video, Image, Carousel, or Mixed. You can also filter by brand and even performance metrics to quickly identify the most impactful ads, giving you instant inspiration for your own campaigns.

Brand Tracking: Monitor competitors' strategies, including the ad formats they use (videos, images, or carousels), as well as the headlines and hooks that drive their success.

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Creative Analytics: Pinpoint which ad sizes and formats resonate most with your audience and create monthly reports. Use this information to optimise your campaigns for maximum engagement.

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With MagicBrief, you’ll have everything you need to create Instagram ads that not only meet size specs but also deliver results. Join MagicBrief today for FREE and take your Instagram advertising to the next level!

Instagram post size FAQs

What is the best fit size for an Instagram post?

Meta recommends sizes based on the post type. However, for most feed posts, 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio) is typically used since it takes the most vertical screen space. However, square posts (1080 x 1080) and landscape posts (1080 x 566) are also commonly used, depending on what you're trying to showcase.

Is 4:3 or 16:9 better for Instagram?

Neither 4:3 or 16:9 is ideal for most Instagram content. For feed posts, portrait images and videos work best with a 4:5 aspect ratio. Stories and Reels require a 9:16 aspect ratio, and square posts use 1:1. If you prefer landscape, 16:9 is supported for feed posts, but it’s less common than the other formats.

Can an Instagram post be 1080x1920?

Not quite! Feed posts should follow Instagram's recommended sizes for the best user experience:

Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1)
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5)
Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1)

However, a 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio) will work for Instagram Stories and Reels. Remember that this format will be cropped when displayed on the feed, so it's best to use the recommended sizes for a seamless experience.

Is 1080x1920 the same as 9:16?

Yes, 1080x1920 pixels correspond to a 9:16 aspect ratio, which represents a vertical orientation. This is most commonly used for Instagram Stories, Reels, and full-screen mobile videos.

What is the difference between 16:9 and 4:3?

The 16:9 aspect ratio is wider, making it suitable for videos and landscape-oriented posts. In contrast, the 4:3 aspect ratio is closer to a square shape but is not natively supported by Instagram. For portrait-oriented posts, Instagram uses a 4:5 aspect ratio instead.

What is the maximum file size for Instagram posts?

Instagram allows photo uploads up to 30 MB and video uploads up to 250 MB. To optimise performance, you can compress images and videos to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality. This improves upload speeds and ensures viewers can quickly access and enjoy your content.

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