Ultimate guide to 2025 Instagram dimensions & sizes for photos, reels, & stories

Let’s face it: Instagram’s 2024 vertical grid update was the social media equivalent of walking into a room where someone rearranged all your furniture. You’ve spent hours (okay, days) curating a perfect square grid that screams “main character energy,” and now it’s all stretched out like a bad Photoshop job. I mean, thanks, Instagram, but also...why?

But hey, change is inevitable, right? And honestly, this update isn’t all bad. It’s perfect for storytelling, showing off aesthetic pics, and finally embracing video content like the Reel queens we are. So, let’s break down the Instagram dimensions for 2025, complete with tips to make your feed shine brighter than Taylor Swift’s concert lighting.

Understanding Instagram post dimensions

Instagram is now fully vibing with portrait content. If you’re still stuck on square posts or landscape shots, it’s time to level up. Portrait (4:5) is the new gold standard because it takes up more screen space, which means more attention from your audience (and let’s be honest, isn’t that the whole point?).

Here’s a quick overview of Instagram post dimensions:

Content type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect ratio	Why it’s cool
Square posts	1080 x 1080	1:1	Classic, but low-key boring now
Portrait posts	1080 x 1350	4:5	Steals the spotlight on mobile feeds
Landscape posts	1080 x 608	16:9	Great for wide shots
Stories/Reels	1080 x 1920	9:16	The best way to make your content full-screen fabulous

Ideal Instagram post sizes

If you’re still clinging to those square posts like they’re your favorite YA dystopian trilogy (we see you, Hunger Games fans), let this be your moment to evolve. Portrait posts (1080 x 1350 px) are where it’s at. Not only do they take up more screen real estate, but they also grab attention like a good plot twist in a Sally Rooney novel. Whether you’re posting dramatic bookstagram shots, scenic travel pics, or a snap of your cat claiming dominance over your keyboard, the vertical format adds that extra oomph to your content.

Why Portrait is the new queen of the feed: 

• Portrait posts dominate the screen, making your followers stop the scroll (attention span itself).
• They feel modern and immersive, perfectly aligned with how we hold our phones.
• They offer a larger canvas for creativity, whether you’re crafting a captivating quote post or showing off your weekend brunch lineup.

Aspect ratios: 16:9 vs. 4:3 vs 4:5

Choosing the right aspect ratio for your Instagram content can feel like navigating a choose-your-own-adventure book, but each ratio serves a specific purpose. 

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• 4:5 (Portrait): The new black on Instagram. It’s the perfect size for feed posts because it takes up the most vertical space, making your content stand out during scrolling. Whether it’s a detailed book flat lay, a vibrant travel shot, or a close-up of your cat, this ratio is your best bet for engagement.
• 16:9 (Landscape): The thendy cinematic option, ideal for wide-angle shots, scenic landscapes, or video content that feels like it belongs in a movie theater. It’s great for Reels where widescreen videos are needed, but in the main feed and grid, it might look a bit small compared to other formats (especially now that IG has switched to a portrait grid). 
• 4:3 (Traditional): This classic ratio is less common for Instagram but can be handy for certain visuals, like behind-the-scenes shots or casual uploads that don’t need to dominate the screen.
• 9:16 (Full-screen vertical): The king of Stories and Reels. This ratio fills the entire mobile screen, making it the most immersive vertical video or photo option. Whether you’re sharing a day in your life or creating a reel for your favorite playlist, 9:16 is your go-to for storytelling that dominates the viewer's screen.

Whether you're opting for the immersive 9:16 for Reels and Stories, the attention-grabbing 4:5 for feed posts, or experimenting with cinematic 16:9 or nostalgic 4:3, the key is to match the ratio to your content's vibe and purpose. 

Instagram Stories & Reels dimensions

I’ve organically grown my little book blog on Instagram from 1K to 22K followers, and I owe it all to Reels and Stories. These formats are such a fun and creative way to connect with your audience through storytelling. For example, I’ve shared Reels featuring books I’ve read this year (a book wrapped, haha), quotes from my favorite novels, and even one-minute “talking head” book reviews.

That said, it took me a while to figure out how to work with photos and videos without sacrificing quality. So, here’s my go-to guide on the ideal sizes and dimensions to keep your content looking sharp and engaging.

Check out a video tutorial on how to download Instagram videos on a Mac.

Instagram Stories & Reels sizes

Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels or a 9:16 aspect ratio for photos and videos.

Instagram Stories and Reels are where all the fun happens — and let’s be real, we spend most of our time scrolling, too. To nail the full-screen mobile experience, stick to the 9:16 aspect ratio or 1080 x 1920 pixels for both photos and videos. Trust me, anything outside of this guideline is just asking for Instagram to crop or zoom your content into something… less cute.

Reels can be up anywhere from 15 seconds to 15 minutes long and can be uploaded in MP4 or MOV file formats. In addition to your video, Instagram also lets you choose a cover photo. You can either upload a photo at 1080 x 1920 pixels or select a hero frame from your video.

How to optimize Instagram Reels and Stories for maximum impact

Just remember that Instagram will automatically crop your reel or video to a 4:5 portrait, and that’s the thumbnail your audience will see when looking at your profile grid. Center all important information and avoid placing anything near the edges that might not be seen when cropped.

If your raw pictures or files don’t match the criteria, don’t worry — there are tools to help with everything from resizing to touch-ups. I’ll dive into the apps (only the ones I use for my book blog) that can take your Stories and Reels from good to “OMG, how did they do that?” in the next section.

High-quality visuals for social media platforms: apps review

Running a book blog on Instagram has taught me one big lesson: good visuals matter. 

But let’s keep it simple. I’m sharing four of my favorite apps today — the ones I use all the time to make my posts look amazing and professional without overcomplicating things.

Squash — for quick and easy fixes 

Resizing and compressing images is basically my side hustle at this point — whether it’s for my book blog or work projects. My secret weapon? Squash. (I mean, the name alone screams, “fix your images, quick!”). Over the years, Squash has evolved from a simple compression tool into a mini photo editor. It lets you resize, adjust, add effects, and even watermark your images, which is a dream for someone juggling blog posts, Instagram content, and Setapp writing deadlines (yup, that’s me).

For bloggers or anyone who works with website content, this app is the glow-up your workflow needs. It’s simple, fast, and doesn’t make you feel like you need a degree in graphic design to get things done.

How I use Squash:

1. Download and open the app on your Mac.
2. Drag in your image(s) — yes, it’s that easy.
3. Choose your action: resize, tweak brightness, slap on a watermark, you name it.
4. Click Export Image As.

And voilà! All set, no stress.

Whether I’m resizing photos of my latest book haul or prepping visuals for work, Squash just gets the job done.

Capto — my go-to for screen recording and video editing

As a book blogger, I’ve found some pretty creative uses for screen recordings — like sketching out a book plot in Notes or grabbing a clip from a movie adaptation to add some flair to my content. For all that, Capto is my ride-or-die app. It’s hands-down one of the easiest ways to record screen videos on Mac, and when you need to polish those recordings with annotations or a voiceover, it shines.

One of my favorite features? Capto lets me set the perfect Reels aspect ratio right from my Mac, so my content is Instagram-ready without a ton of extra steps. I also love that it’s versatile enough to create tutorials with voiceovers and even adds a camera overlay if you want that face-to-screen action.

Plus, if your videos need resizing (and let’s be honest, they always do), Capto’s got your back there, too.

PhotoBulk — resize and watermark photos

If you’re running a blog like mine, you know the struggle: endless photos to edit, resize, watermark, and rename. Enter PhotoBulk, the app that’s basically the fairy godmother of batch photo editing. Whether I’m prepping book covers for Instagram carrousel or adding a subtle watermark to my blog’s images, this app does it all without breaking a sweat — or making me break one.

What I love most is how simple it is. You drag in a folder of photos, tweak a few settings, and you’re done. The real-time preview feature is a lifesaver because who wants to redo 50 photos because a watermark was too big? And the dark, user-friendly interface? My eyes are thankful after late-night editing marathons (yeah, I’m an owl).

Another great thing is multiple watermarks. I can brand my blog while giving credit to collaborators in one go. And let’s not forget the bulk renaming feature — it’s a godsend when you’re drowning in filenames like “IMG_9284.JPG.”

TouchRetouch — fix photos and remove objects quickly

You know this feeling. You snap what seems like the perfect photo, and then you notice a trash can in the background or some random person wandering into the shot. That’s when TouchRetouch comes to the rescue. It’s my favorite app for fixing photos quickly and easily — no special skills are required.

The app is really simple to use. The Clone Stamp tool is perfect for tricky edits, and I love the crop and color tools to make my pictures Instagram-ready. It even works with all the common file types like JPG, PNG, and RAW, so you can edit your photos straight from your camera.

TouchRetouch integrates with Photos on Mac, so you don’t have to switch between apps to clean up your images. It’s my go-to for quick edits, and it saves so much time.

So, here’s how you delete an object from an image:

1. Download and open TouchRetouch.
2. Upload your photo.
3. Click Object Removal.
4. Draw around the object you want to remove.
5. Click Go.

This is my picture before: 

And this is my picture after:

The difference? Almost impossible to spot!

Solved: Instagram dimensions and sizes 2025 guide

Instagram can be a little chaotic, especially with all the changing formats and dimensions in 2025. But once you get the hang of it, it’s like unlocking the cheat codes to a perfectly curated feed. Whether you’re snapping book flat lays, filming Reels with main character energy, or creating Stories that make your audience pause mid-scroll, understanding dimensions is a game-changer.

Apps like Squash and TouchRetouch take the stress out of resizing, editing, and cleaning up your photos, while tools like Capto and PhotoBulk make sure your videos and images are Insta-ready. 

With the 2024 shift to portrait-first content, there’s no better time to experiment, adapt, and maybe even outsmart the algorithm.

And hey, all the apps I mentioned? You can test them out on Setapp for free during a 7-day trial.