Clear CortexInstagram post size: feed, carousel and story dimensions
the best Instagram post size for most feed posts is 1080×1350, a 4:5 portrait. it takes up the most room in the feed that an ad can also use. Instagram also accepts a taller 3:4 (1080×1440) for organic posts, which is what the profile grid now shows, and Stories and Reels are 9:16 at 1080×1920.
this page covers feed posts, carousels and stories, organic and paid, because the limits differ. every size on every platform is in the social media specs hub. checked November 2026.
the short answer
| format | ratio | organic size | ad size (Meta recommends) |
|---|---|---|---|
| feed post, portrait | 4:5 | 1080×1350 | 1440×1800 |
| feed post, tall portrait | 3:4 | 1080×1440 | not offered; ads stop at 4:5 |
| feed post, square | 1:1 | 1080×1080 | accepted; 4:5 recommended |
| feed post, landscape | 1.91:1 | 1080×566 | accepted; 4:5 recommended |
| carousel | same as feed | 1080×1350 a slide | 4:5 for image carousels, 1:1 for video carousels |
| story | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 1440×2560 |
| reel | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 1440×2560 |
Instagram feed post size
Instagram's Help Centre says a photo keeps its original resolution if it is between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 3:4 (portrait) and is shared at a width of 1080 px. outside that range Instagram crops it to fit. at 1080 wide, that gives a height anywhere from 566 px to 1,440 px.
within that range, taller is usually better, for a simple reason: a portrait post fills more of a phone screen as people scroll. 4:5 is the safe default because it works for both organic posts and ads. 3:4 is taller still, and since January 2025 it is the shape of the tiles on your profile grid, so a 3:4 post shows there uncropped. a 4:5 post loses about 34 px from each side on the grid, and a square loses about 135 px each side. the diagram is in Instagram safe zones.
for anything with text on it, keep the words clear of the outer 40 px on each side, so the grid crop never touches them.
Instagram carousel size
a carousel is one post with several slides, and every slide shares one shape. design every slide at the same ratio, ideally 1080×1350; mixing ratios means some slides get cropped to match.
- how many slides, organic: Instagram raised the limit from 10 to 20 photos and videos in 2024, and that is what the app offers. one of Instagram's own Help Centre pages still says 10, so if your app shows fewer, that is the reason.
- how many cards, ads: Meta's Ads Guide gives 2 to 10 cards for an Instagram Feed carousel ad.
- ad carousel shape: 4:5 for carousels with only images; carousels containing video support 1:1 only. at least 1080×1080, images up to 30 MB, videos up to 4 GB and 1 second to 2 minutes each.
the 1:1 rule for video carousel ads is the one that catches people out. a set of 4:5 slides that worked as an image carousel has to be re-exported square the moment one card becomes a video.
Instagram story size
stories are 9:16, at 1080×1920 for organic stories. Meta recommends 1440×2560 for Stories ads, which is the same shape at a higher resolution. each story clip runs up to 60 seconds and a longer video is split into clips.
the frame is not all yours. for ads, Meta asks you to keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% at each side free of text and logos, which is 269 / 672 / 65 px at 1080×1920. how long stories last, scheduling them and Highlights are in the Instagram Stories guide.
organic posts against ads
the same post can have three different sets of rules depending on how it is shown:
- organic feed: 1.91:1 to 3:4, at 1080 wide.
- feed image ads: Meta recommends 4:5 at 1440×1800, and accepts down to 1.91:1. 3:4 is not on Meta's ad pages.
- feed video ads: Meta's Instagram Feed video page now lists 9:16 at 1080×1920, while its Facebook Feed video page says 4:5. the two pages disagree; the Meta ad specs guide sets out both.
so a 3:4 organic post that does well cannot be put behind spend as it is. it gets cropped. the people running ads know the result too well:
"meta cropped your image to a square and cut off the product"
and one agency account made the broader point, which holds for posts as much as ads:
"A feed ad and a story ad are not one ad in two sizes."
the practical routine: make the concept once and export a 4:5 for feed and a 9:16 for Stories and Reels, with the words placed for each. if you make the images in Clear Cortex, the image studio exports 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1. the video studio makes 9:16 and 1:1 but not 4:5, so a feed video is a 9:16 master framed with the feed crop in mind, or a square.
the summary
- feed: 1080×1350 (4:5) works for posts and ads. 1080×1440 (3:4) shows whole on the grid but is organic only.
- carousel: one ratio for every slide. up to 20 organic; 2 to 10 cards in an ad, and 1:1 if any card is video.
- stories and reels: 1080×1920 (9:16). ads recommend 1440×2560; keep text out of the top 14% and bottom 35%.
- the platform changes these quietly. check before a big launch.
back to the social media specs hub for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook.