Instagram Story Size 2026: Dimensions, Safe Zones and Reels Cover Rules
Instagram story size is 1080x1920 (9:16). Learn the exact safe zones for text and stickers, how Reels covers get cropped, and how to resize any image without cut-off.
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Instagram stories, Reels and vertical video all use the same canvas: 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 aspect ratio. The canvas is simple; the problem is what Instagram draws on top of it. Your profile picture and name sit at the top, the reply bar and icons sit at the bottom, and on Reels the caption, audio name and side buttons cover even more. Anything you place in those areas is hidden.
This guide gives the exact numbers and a quick way to resize any image into the safe area with the Social Media Image Resizer.
Instagram story size
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Size | 1080 x 1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 |
| Minimum | 600 x 1067 px (will be upscaled and look soft) |
| Max file size | 30 MB image, 4 GB video |
| Video length | up to 60 seconds per story segment |
| Formats | JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV |
Upload at exactly 1080 x 1920. Larger files are downscaled; smaller ones are upscaled and lose sharpness. Images that are not 9:16 get cropped or letterboxed with a blurred background.
Story safe zones
Instagram’s own guidance for stories: keep text and key elements out of the top 250 px and the bottom 250 px.
1080 x 1920 canvas
┌──────────────────┐ 0
│ profile + name │ avoid: 0-250 px
├──────────────────┤ 250
│ │
│ SAFE AREA │ 1080 x 1420
│ │
├──────────────────┤ 1670
│ reply bar │ avoid: 1670-1920 px
└──────────────────┘ 1920Stickers, polls and link stickers that you add in the app can go anywhere, because you place them after upload. The safe zone applies to text and logos baked into the image.
Reels safe zones (stricter)
Reels show more UI: the caption, audio name and your handle on the bottom-left, and the like, comment, share and more buttons on the right. Instagram’s published safe zone for Reels:
- Top: avoid the first 220 px
- Bottom: avoid the last 420 px (caption and audio area)
- Right: avoid the last 120 px (action buttons)
- Left: avoid the first 60 px
So the usable area for text on a Reel is roughly 900 x 1280 px in the centre-left. If you add captions in CapCut or Premiere, place them above the bottom 420 px, otherwise the Instagram caption overlaps them.
Reels cover: the hidden crop
The Reel cover you pick is shown in three places with three different crops:
- Reels tab: full 9:16.
- Profile grid: cropped to 4:5 since 2025 (previously 1:1), centred.
- Feed preview: 4:5.
Design the cover so the subject and any title text sit inside the central 1080 x 1350 area, and ideally inside the central 1080 x 1080 square for older grid layouts. The Social Media Image Sizes chart lists this as “Reel cover (grid crop 1:1 safe)”.
Feed post sizes for comparison
| Placement | Size | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Feed post, portrait (best) | 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 |
| Feed post, square | 1080 x 1080 | 1:1 |
| Feed post, landscape | 1080 x 566 | 1.91:1 |
| Profile picture | 320 x 320 (upload 1080) | 1:1 |
| Carousel | all slides must share one ratio | 4:5 recommended |
Since the grid moved to 4:5 previews, square posts get their top and bottom cropped on your profile. Portrait 4:5 is the safe default for everything in the feed in 2026.
How to resize an image for a story without cut-off
- Open the Social Media Image Resizer.
- Choose your image and tick “Instagram Story / Reel”.
- Pick Fill if you want the image to cover the whole screen (edges cropped), or Fit with a background colour if the whole image must stay visible (product shots, screenshots).
- Download and upload. Add text in the Instagram app, which automatically respects the safe zones.
For a product grid or a big reveal across several posts, use the Instagram Grid Maker with 4:5 tiles.
Video specs for stories and Reels
- Resolution: 1080 x 1920, 30 fps (60 fps is downsampled)
- Codec: H.264, AAC audio
- Bitrate: 5 to 10 Mbps is plenty; Instagram recompresses anyway
- Length: stories 60 s per segment, Reels up to 3 minutes (90 s recommended for reach)
Export from CapCut or Premiere at these settings rather than the maximum quality; a smaller clean file survives Instagram’s compression better than a huge one.
Common mistakes
- Text at the very bottom. Hidden behind the reply bar on stories and the caption on Reels.
- Landscape video in a story. Shows as a thin strip with a blurred background. Shoot vertical or crop in an editor.
- Reel cover text in the lower third. Cropped off in the grid.
- Uploading 4K. No benefit; Instagram outputs 1080p maximum.
FAQ
What is the Instagram story size in pixels? 1080 x 1920 pixels, 9:16.
Is the Reels size the same as stories? Yes, 1080 x 1920. The safe zones differ because Reels show more interface elements.
Why does my story look blurry? The source was smaller than 1080 x 1920, or heavily compressed. Export at full size and under 30 MB.
What size should an Instagram story highlight cover be? 1080 x 1920, with the icon or text inside the central circle (about 600 px diameter) because highlights are shown as circles.