Honestly, if you’ve looked at your Instagram profile lately and felt like something was... off, you aren’t alone. Maybe your perfectly framed landscape shot now has weird empty bars, or your favorite portrait is getting its head chopped off in the grid. It’s annoying. Instagram changed the rules of the game again, and if you're still designing for 2023, your engagement is probably feeling the weight of it.
The biggest shift? Instagram is finally moving away from its obsession with the square. For years, the 1:1 ratio was the law. Now, the platform is doubling down on verticality to keep up with how we actually hold our phones.
We’re talking about a significant update to the grid and how feed posts are displayed. Let’s get into the specifics of the new Instagram dimensions so you can stop guessing and start posting content that actually fits.
The Big Shakeup: 3:4 is the New Standard
For a long time, we had a choice between square (1:1), landscape (1.91:1), and portrait (4:5). But in a move that frustrated many photographers before becoming the official recommendation, Instagram introduced the 3:4 aspect ratio.
Why does this matter? Because the profile grid—that 3x3 layout on your bio—is transitioning to a 3:4 preview.
If you upload a 4:5 portrait (which was the "gold standard" for a while), Instagram now often crops the sides of that image when someone is looking at your grid. It’s subtle, but it can ruin a composition. To play it safe, many creators are switching to 1080 x 1440 pixels. This is the 3:4 sweet spot. It fills more of the screen than a square but doesn't get "the squeeze" or "the chop" when someone visits your profile.
Feed Posts: A Quick Cheat Sheet
- Tall / Vertical (The New Favorite): 1080 x 1440 pixels (3:4 ratio). Use this if you want your grid to look perfect.
- Traditional Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 ratio). Still works great in the feed, but watch your margins.
- Classic Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 ratio). It’s safe, but it occupies less "thumb-stopping" real estate.
- Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1 ratio). Kinda risky. It looks tiny on mobile screens.
Reels and Stories: Don't Forget the Safe Zones
Reels are the engine of the app now. You already know they should be 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16). That hasn't changed. However, the way people see them has.
When a Reel appears in the main feed, Instagram crops it to a 4:5 ratio. If you put important text at the very top or the very bottom of your 9:16 video, it disappears. Your audience won't see your punchline or your Call to Action.
Pro Tip: Keep your essential visual elements (faces, text, logos) within the "Safe Zone." This is generally the center 1080 x 1420 pixel area.
✨ Don't miss: How to Find a Specific Porn Video When You Only Remember One Scene
If you’re using a tool like Canva or CapCut, imagine a 4:5 rectangle sitting inside your 9:16 frame. If it’s not in that middle box, it might get cut off by the UI—like your username or the caption overlay—or simply cropped out in the feed view.
The Carousel Conundrum
Carousels are still the best way to keep people on your post longer. The algorithm loves "dwell time." But here’s the kicker: Instagram forces every slide in a carousel to match the aspect ratio of the very first image or video.
If your first slide is a square, every slide after it will be cropped to a square.
If your first slide is the new 3:4 vertical, everything follows that.
Don't mix and match. It looks messy. If you have a landscape photo and a portrait photo you want to share together, you’re better off placing the landscape photo on a 3:4 or 4:5 canvas with a background color. This prevents the "accidental zoom" that happens when Instagram tries to force a wide photo into a tall box.
✨ Don't miss: How to recover iPhone contacts from iCloud: What actually works when your list goes blank
Profile Pictures and Thumbnails
Your profile picture is tiny, but it's your digital handshake. Even though it displays as a circle, you should upload it as a square.
The recommended size is 320 x 320 pixels.
Anything smaller looks blurry on high-res Retina displays.
Anything much larger gets compressed into oblivion by Instagram’s servers.
For Reel thumbnails, aim for 1080 x 1440. This ensures that when someone is scrolling through your Reels tab, the preview looks sharp and captures the essence of the video without awkward framing.
Technical Specs You Actually Need to Know
It’s not just about the shape; it’s about the "weight" of the file. Instagram is notorious for crushing your image quality if the file is too big.
- File Formats: Stick to JPG or PNG for photos. For video, MP4 or MOV is the way to go.
- Resolution: Always aim for a width of 1080 pixels. If you upload at 2000 pixels wide, Instagram will resize it, and it usually looks worse than if you did it yourself.
- Color Profile: Use sRGB. If you export in ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB, your colors might look "washed out" or weirdly neon once they hit the app.
Why Quality Matters More in 2026
The competition for attention is higher than it’s ever been. Instagram’s AI recommendations are getting smarter, and they prioritize "high-quality" signals. Blurry, poorly cropped, or incorrectly sized content is a signal to the algorithm that the post isn't professional.
We’re seeing a shift where "lo-fi" is okay for Stories, but the Feed and Reels are becoming more "high-def." If you want to appear in Google Discover or the Explore page, your technical execution has to be flawless.
Real-World Example: The "Landscape" Trap
Let's say you're a travel blogger. You have a stunning panoramic shot of the Swiss Alps. In 2018, you'd just post it as a landscape. In 2026, that landscape post will get scrolled past because it only takes up about 25% of the user's screen. Instead, try "vertical panoramas"—stacking three crops of that photo into a carousel or using a 3:4 crop that focuses on the most dramatic peak. More screen space equals more attention.
Actionable Next Steps
To make sure your content doesn't look like a relic of the past, here is how you should handle your next upload:
- Update your templates: If you use Canva or Figma, change your "Social Media" presets to 1080 x 1440 pixels for standard posts.
- Audit your Reels: Open your current Reels and see if your text is being covered by the "Like" button or the caption. If it is, move it toward the center.
- Check your grid: Look at your profile. If your recent portrait posts look "cramped" or the sides are missing, start using the 3:4 ratio immediately to align with the new grid layout.
- Toggle High Quality: Go into your Instagram settings -> Account -> Data Usage -> and make sure "Upload at Highest Quality" is turned ON. Sometimes an app update turns this off.
The platform moves fast, but once you nail these dimensions, you can stop worrying about the "how" and get back to the "what." Consistency in your layout creates a professional brand that people actually want to follow.