Quick Answer
Instagram image sizes in 2026 are 1080 by 1080 for square posts, 1080 by 1350 for portrait posts, and 1080 by 1920 for Stories and Reels. Portrait 4:5 is the safest default now that the profile grid is taller. Always upload at 1080 pixels wide so Instagram's compression has the least to do.
The best all-round Instagram image size in 2026 is 1080 by 1350 pixels, the 4:5 portrait ratio, with 1080 by 1080 for square posts and 1080 by 1920 for Stories and Reels. Upload the wrong size and you get cropped edges, soft photos, or a post that sits awkwardly in the feed (W3C). The big shift this year is the move toward vertical: Buffer now recommends 1080 by 1350 as the default feed size, a change driven by Instagram dropping its square grid. Here are the exact dimensions for every format, plus how to keep your photos sharp.
Advertisement
What are the Instagram image sizes for 2026?
Here's the full reference for every Instagram format this year. Every dimension is 1080 pixels on its shortest relevant side, because that's the width Instagram displays at (Meta for Developers).
| Format | Dimensions | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 x 1080 | 1:1 | Classic format |
| Portrait post Best default | 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 | Most feed space |
| Landscape post | 1080 x 566 | 1.91:1 | Least feed space |
| Story | 1080 x 1920 | 9:16 | Full screen vertical |
| Reel | 1080 x 1920 | 9:16 | Same as Story |
| Grid thumbnail | 1080 x 1440 | 3:4 | New taller preview |
| Profile photo | 320 x 320 | 1:1 | Upload 400 x 400+ |
Notice that almost everything starts at 1080 pixels wide. Get that width right and you're most of the way there. For sizes on other networks, see our social media image sizes guide.
What size should Instagram posts be?
For feed posts you have three choices, and in 2026 the recommendation has clearly shifted to portrait. According to Metricool, the recommended Instagram feed size is now 1080 by 1350 pixels, the 4:5 portrait ratio.
The reason is simple: a portrait post takes up more vertical space in the feed, so it fills more of the screen and holds attention longer as people scroll. Square (1080 by 1080) still works and keeps your grid tidy, and landscape (1080 by 566) is fine for wide photos, but it takes the least screen space. If you're not sure, go portrait. It's the safest default for reach.
What size are Instagram Stories and Reels?
Stories and Reels are both 1080 by 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio that fills the whole phone screen. That part is easy. The trick is the safe zone.
Instagram's interface covers the top and bottom of a Story with profile info, buttons, and reactions. Buffer recommends leaving roughly 250 pixels clear at the top and bottom for anything important, so keep your text, logos, and calls to action in the middle of the frame. Crop to 9:16 first, then check that the key content sits centrally. Our image cropper makes the 9:16 crop quick.
📏 Resize for Instagram Free →How did the Instagram grid change in 2026?
This is the biggest change in years. Instagram officially ditched its iconic square grid in 2025 and moved to a taller 3:4 preview, with grid thumbnails now cropping to 1080 by 1440 pixels, as covered by Hootsuite. After more than a decade of square-first thinking, that's a real shift.
What it means for you is practical. If you post 4:5 portrait images, the grid shows a 3:4 slice of them, so keep faces, text, and logos centered vertically. Anything you park right at the top or bottom edge risks getting cropped out of the grid preview. Compose with the center in mind and both the feed and the grid look right.
Why does Instagram reduce image quality?
Instagram compresses every image you upload, and how much damage it does depends partly on your file. Upload a 4000-pixel-wide photo for a 1080-pixel display and Instagram has to scale it down hard, which tends to introduce artifacts. Upload at exactly 1080 pixels wide and you give the algorithm far less room to make things worse.
The fix is to size and compress the image yourself before posting. Resize to 1080 pixels wide, then export at around 80% JPG quality, which keeps the file small and clean. Instagram accepts JPG and PNG up to 8MB, but you rarely need anywhere near that. Our image compressor handles the compression step in your browser.
How do you resize images for Instagram?
You don't need Photoshop. The whole job takes a minute in a browser:
- Pick your format. Portrait 1080 by 1350 for most feed posts, 1080 by 1080 for square, or 1080 by 1920 for Stories and Reels.
- Resize to 1080 wide. Drop your photo into our image resizer and set the width to 1080, with the height matching your chosen ratio.
- Crop if needed. Use the cropper to lock the exact aspect ratio so nothing important gets cut.
- Compress to about 80%. Run it through the compressor so the upload is fast and Instagram's own compression has less to chew on.
That's the full workflow: resize, crop, compress, post. For resizing across other platforms too, our complete image resizing guide has every standard size in one place.