Instagram story size and specs for 2026
The Instagram story size is 1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio that fills a phone screen. Reels use the same size, so a story image doubles as a Reel cover. Feed posts are different: the tallest feed post is 4:5 (1080 × 1350).
| Format | Size (px) | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Feed post, portrait | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| Feed post, square | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Feed post, landscape | 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 |
Instagram story safe zones
A story is full screen, but not all of it is clear. Your profile picture, name and the progress bar sit across the top, and the reply field and share buttons cover the bottom. Meta's guidance is to keep roughly the top and bottom 14% (about 250 pixels each on a 1080 × 1920 image) free of text, logos and faces.
That leaves a safe area of about 1080 × 1420 in the middle. When you set the focus point, aim it so the important part of the photo sits in the middle band, not at the very top or bottom of the frame.
- Text and stickers: keep them inside the middle band.
- Link stickers and polls: place them in the lower middle, above the reply bar.
- Faces: center them vertically, a little above the middle.
How to post a landscape photo to your story without cropping it badly
Instagram doesn't let you choose the crop of a landscape photo in a story precisely; it zooms in to fill the screen, and pinching out leaves a blurred or colored background. Resizing first to 1080 × 1920 gives you a full-screen story with the exact crop you chose.
If you'd rather show the whole landscape photo, don't crop: add it to the story as is and put a color behind it, or post it to the feed instead. This tool always crops to fill the frame and never stretches the image or adds bars. Instagram compresses every story upload, so start from the sharpest original you have.
Posting several photos in a row? Crop them all here first so each story frames its subject the same way, and the sequence feels planned rather than random.
