Instagram image sizes
Feed photos, carousels and stories on Instagram, with the width it keeps and the shapes it shows whole, from Instagram's help centre and Meta's developer docs, and a resizer that makes each one.
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Network
Where it goes
- Up to 8 MB
- JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF
- We make 1,080 px wide at most
Drop an image here
or
JPEG, PNG, WebP or GIF. It stays on your device. Nothing's uploaded.
Your image
Your resized image shows up here.
Shape
Shown whole between 3:4 (tall) and 1.91:1 (wide). Anything outside that is cropped to fit.
Fit
Save as
Describe the image for people who can't see it. Copy it into the post with the image. Instagram doesn't say how it counts, so we count the strictest way.
Instagram image sizes at a glance
The app keeps photos whole from 3:4 to 1.91:1, but Meta's API, which scheduling tools post through, still asks for 4:5 to 1.91:1 and JPEG.
| Placement | We make | Shape | File size | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed photo | 1,080 px wide at most | 3:4 to 1.91:1 shown whole | 8 MB | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF |
| Carousel | 1,080 px wide at most | 3:4 to 1.91:1 shown whole | 8 MB | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 8 MB | JPEG |
Feed photos
Instagram keeps a photo up to 1,080 px wide. A wider one is shrunk to 1,080, and one narrower than 320 px is enlarged to 320. Anything in between keeps its own size, as long as its shape is one Instagram supports.
That shape is anything from 1.91:1 (wide) to 3:4 (tall): at 1,080 px wide, between 566 and 1,440 px tall. A photo outside that range is cropped to fit, so the resizer cuts it to the nearest end and lets you drag to choose what stays. 1080 × 1440 takes up the most of the feed.
From a computer you can post JPG, PNG and HEIC/HEIF. Instagram doesn't publish a file size cap for the app. Meta's API takes up to 8 MB, so the resizer keeps files under that.
Posting through a scheduler
Scheduling tools post through Meta's API, and the API hasn't caught up with the app: it still takes 4:5 to 1.91:1, JPEG only, and 320 to 1,440 px wide. If a tool posts for you, make the photo 4:5 (1080 × 1350) and save it as a JPEG. Pick Portrait in the resizer for that shape.
Alt text
Instagram writes alt text for each photo itself, and you can replace it before or after you post. The app doesn't give a limit. Meta's API takes up to 1,000 characters.
Carousels
A carousel holds up to 20 photos and videos. The shape you pick (square, portrait or landscape) applies to every slide, and you can drag each photo inside that frame. Through the API each image is cropped to the first one's shape. Either way, make every slide the same size before you post.
Turning a long post or a list into slides? Our carousel maker makes them at 1080 × 1350, 1080 × 1080 or 1080 × 1440 and saves them in order.
Stories
A story fills a phone screen. Meta recommends 9:16 for story images, which is 1080 × 1920 at the width Instagram keeps. Through Meta's API a story image is a JPEG of up to 8 MB. The help centre doesn't list a size for stories you post from the app.
Profile photo
Instagram doesn't publish a size, format or file cap for the profile photo. The app shows it in a small circle, so a square with your face in the middle is all you need. Pick Feed photo and Square in the resizer for a 1080 × 1080 one.
Why we make these sizes
- Feed photo and Carousel. Instagram keeps photos up to 1,080 px wide and shrinks anything wider to 1,080, so a wider file only adds bytes. Narrower than 320 px is enlarged.
- Story. Meta recommends 9:16 for story images, and Instagram keeps photos 1,080 px wide. 1080 × 1920 is 9:16 at that width.
Does Shaflex post to Instagram?
No. Shaflex doesn't post to Instagram. It's a scheduler for Threads, X, Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn: attach an image once and it's checked against each of those networks' media rules, and the same draft is fitted to each one's limit. The image editor works inside your draft: crop to a network's size, put a screenshot in a device or on a backdrop, and blur what's private.
See how Shaflex schedules for Threads, X, Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn, how one draft goes to every network, and what the free plan includes.
Where these rules come from
Each one is from the network's own documentation, help pages or source code. We last checked them on .
- Instagram Help Center: Post a photo on Instagram (file types from a computer)
- Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform, Content Publishing
- Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform, IG User Media (image, story and carousel limits)
- Instagram Help Center: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center: Edit the alternative text for a post on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center: Share a post with multiple photos or videos on Instagram
More free tools
Each one runs in your browser too.
- Image tool
Image resizer
Crop, pad and compress an image for any network and placement, right in your browser.
Open it - Image tool
Carousel maker
Turn a long post, a thread or a list into a carousel: a cover, a slide per point and a closing slide, for Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or Facebook.
Open it - Image tool
Quote card maker
Turn a post, a tweet or a quote into one image on a gradient or solid background, in square, portrait, landscape or story size, saved as a PNG.
Open it
Questions
What's the best image size for an Instagram post?
1080 px wide. Instagram keeps photos up to 1,080 px wide and shrinks anything wider. For the most room in the feed, go tall: 1080 × 1440 (3:4) is the tallest it shows whole, and 1080 × 1350 (4:5) is the tallest that also works through Meta's API.
Is Instagram 4:5 or 3:4 now?
Both, depending on how you post. Instagram's help centre says the app keeps photos whole from 1.91:1 to 3:4. Meta's API, which scheduling tools post through, still asks for 4:5 to 1.91:1. If a tool posts for you, 4:5 is the safe pick.
What size is an Instagram carousel?
Each slide follows the feed's rules, up to 20 in one post. Every slide takes the shape you pick for the post, so make them all the same size. Our carousel maker makes 1080 × 1350, 1080 × 1080 or 1080 × 1440 slides.
What size is an Instagram story?
Meta recommends 9:16 for story images, which is 1080 × 1920 at the width Instagram keeps. Through its API a story image can be up to 8 MB, as a JPEG.
What size is the Instagram profile photo?
Instagram doesn't publish one. The app shows it in a small circle, so a square with your face in the middle works. A 1080 × 1080 square is more than enough.
Write the next post once.
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