Instagram Photo Ratio Guide | Feed, Reels, and Story Sizes

Instagram photo ratios depend on where the image appears. Feed photos can be square, portrait, or landscape. Reels and Stories usually work best as 9:16 vertical content.

1. Quick Ratio Table

Use the image resizer if you need to set exact width and height before posting.

2. Feed Photos

Portrait 4:5 often gets more screen space in the mobile feed than a square image. It works well for portraits, products, cards, and informational posts.

Profile grids may still crop previews into square thumbnails, so keep faces, product names, and key text near the center.

3. Reels and Stories

Reels and Stories are vertical full-screen formats. A 9:16 image or video fills the screen cleanly and leaves fewer layout surprises.

For Reels covers, keep the most important text or visual in the center because it may also appear as a cropped profile-grid thumbnail. See the Instagram Reels meaning guide for the difference between Reels, Shorts, and Stories, and the Instagram feed design guide for profile-grid planning.

4. FAQ

Does Instagram only support square feed photos?

No. Instagram feed posts can use square, portrait, and landscape ratios. Portrait 4:5 is often useful on mobile.

What ratio should I use for Reels?

Use 9:16 vertical. A common working size is 1080 x 1920.

Why does my Instagram photo get cropped?

The original ratio and the display placement ratio are different. Profile grids and thumbnails can crop the image even when the full post looks correct.

Should I compress Instagram photos?

If the file is very large, compression can help with upload speed. Use the image compressor, but avoid heavy compression that makes text or faces blurry.