Social media image sizes can be a bit of a challenge with their constant changes. To make matters worse, finding reliable information on official dimensions and image sizes can be as tricky as reaching out to Facebook support.

But don't you worry—this guide to Instagram image sizes covers all the important assets, making it easy for you to stay up to date. We'll cover everything from posts and stories to profile pics. Check out the current Instagram formats and sizes below.

Instagram Post Image Size

• Instagram post images can be square, landscape, or vertical. However, all images will be cropped to a square in the feed anyway.

• The perfect size for square post images is 1080px by 1080px, 1:1 aspect ratio.

• For landscape posts, the ideal size is 1080px by 566px at an aspect ratio of 1.91:1.

• Size vertical images at 1080px by 1350px at a 4:5 aspect ratio.

Instagram Profile Image Size

An ideal Instagram profile pic is a square image sized at 360 x 360 px.

Instagram Video Image Size

• As for the aspect ratio, you can upload videos of the same sizes as the images above, so anywhere between a 1.91:1 to 4:5 aspect ratio.

• The ideal dimensions for a horizontal video are in a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is the format your smartphone uses when recording a video in landscape mode. Keeping your video at its original size ensures that it appears most naturally.

• Make sure your videos aren’t larger than 4 GB.

• Video posts can be up to 60 seconds long.

Instagram Stories Size

• The ideal size is to go full screen with content sized at 1080px by 1920px, maintaining a 9:16 aspect ratio.

• Pictures show up for five seconds, and videos show up in chunks of 15 seconds, so you can shoot a video for a whole minute, split into four 15-second pieces, but you have to hit record again after a minute.

Reels Video Sizes

• Instagram likes videos that take up the whole screen, so go for a video that's 1080px by 1920px, making it a 9:16 aspect ratio.

• This aspect ratio is not just for vertical videos; even horizontal ones can use the same size. They'll look regular in landscape mode, but if you turn your phone sideways and hit the expand button, they'll go full screen.

• In your regular feed, these videos will show up in a 4:5 aspect ratio. But on your Instagram grid, they'll be square with a 1:1 shape. And if you check the Reels tab, the video thumbnails will be in a 9:16 ratio.

Instagram Reels Thumbnail Size

You can use any image from your phone as a thumbnail for Instagram Reels but mind the dimensions and aspect ratio for the perfect thumbnail.

• Thumbnail dimensions: 1080 pixels x 1080 pixels for the main feed grid and 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels for the Reels feed.

• Cover aspect ratio: 1:1 for the main feed grid and 9:16 for the Reels feed.

Here's an important detail about getting the right size for your Reel thumbnail: although Reel thumbnails have two aspect ratios, you can only edit the 9:16 version for display on the Reels feed. The 1:1 aspect ratio will trim your original thumbnail, making it blend in with other Instagram posts. So, keep this in mind when choosing the thumbnail for your next Reel.

How to Optimise an Image Size for Instagram If It’s Too Big

If your image is too large for Instagram, you can optimise with third-party image compression tools. 4K Image Compressor is one of such apps. This is a desktop app compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux computers that can optimise any JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and WEBP images in mere seconds with no quality and colour loss.

If you want to reduce the size of your pictures, follow the steps below.

1. Launch 4K Image Compressor.

2. Select the output format and value in the settings bar.

3. If you selected the Percent value, enter the number of percents you want to compress the file by. If you selected the Size value, enter the number and unit (B, KB, MB).

4. Click the Compress button located in the middle of the application window.

5. In the opened window, select the image for compression and click Open.

Your image will be immediately uploaded and compressed.

Hover the cursor over the compressed image preview and click the folder icon to find the file on your computer. Easy!