Quick answer: The Instagram post sizes that matter in 2026 are: 1080 × 1080 square for feed posts, 1080 × 1350 for the portrait feed (4:5), and 1080 × 1920 for Stories and Reels (9:16).

Instagram uploads everything at 1080 px wide and downscales anything larger, which is why oversized exports can look soft after posting.

Instagram size table

Placement Size (px) Ratio Notes
Square feed 1080 × 1080 1:1 The safest reusable format
Portrait feed 1080 × 1350 4:5 Most vertical space in the feed
Landscape feed 1080 × 566 1.91:1 Accepted, smallest on screen
Story / Reel 1080 × 1920 9:16 Keep ~250 px clear top and bottom
Profile picture 320 × 320 1:1 Displayed in a circle
Reel cover 1080 × 1920 9:16 Keep the feed-safe center

Sizes match the current guides from Influencer Marketing Hub, TimeToPost, and InstantDM, checked late 2026.

Why 4:5 portrait wins the feed

Instagram's feed is vertical. A 4:5 portrait occupies more screen height than a square, so the viewer spends more time on the post before scrolling past. Most marketers default to portrait for that reason. The square is still a good choice if you're reusing the same image across platforms, since 1080 × 1080 is the most universal size.

Stories are a different design

Stories fill the entire phone screen, and Instagram's UI sits on top: the profile info at the top, the reply bar at the bottom. Keep essential text and logos out of the top and bottom ~250 px. The center of the 1080 × 1920 canvas is the safe zone; that's also the band captured by screenshots and previews.

The same rule applies to Reels. Reel covers also appear in profile grids at 1:1, centered on the frame, so keep faces and key text in the middle.

Uploads, compression, and quality

  • Upload 1080 px wide images at the target ratio. Uploading larger won't help quality; Instagram recompresses.
  • JPG is fine for photos; PNG keeps text and UI screenshots crisp.
  • If you post a wide landscape image, the feed shows it small at 1080 × 566.

How launch assets map onto Instagram

For a product launch, most accounts use:

  • A 1080 × 1350 portrait hero post for the announcement.
  • A 1080 × 1920 Story with a product image and a link sticker.
  • A 1080 × 1080 square version for the carousel and cross-platform reuse.

The complete set, including X and LinkedIn sizes, is in the social media image sizes table.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my Instagram photo look blurry after posting? Instagram recompresses and downscales. Upload at 1080 px wide rather than 3000+ px, and use PNG for text-heavy designs.

Can I post 16:9 images on Instagram? Yes, but the feed shows them at 1080 × 566, which is a small strip. Portrait or square works better.

Are Instagram Stories the same size as TikTok? Both are 9:16 at 1080 × 1920.

What size is the Instagram carousel? The same three feed sizes: square, portrait, or landscape. Portrait 1080 × 1350 fills the most screen.

Does the order of carousel images matter? The first image is the thumbnail in the feed; use it for the hook. Neatico generates the full multi-size set, including the feed, Story, and square versions, from a single product description.

Stick with 1080 × 1350 for the feed and 1080 × 1920 for Stories, and keep text in the center band.