Instagram · Updated October 10, 2026

Instagram reel size (2026): 1080 × 1920 px

An Instagram Reel is 1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 ratio. The cover uses the same size, but your profile grid shows only its middle 1080 × 1440 (3:4) slice, so keep titles and faces inside it.

Last verified October 10, 2026 against Hopper HQ. All sources.

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Size
Fit
Position

1080 × 1920 px · JPG · add an image

Reel video (recommended)
1080 × 1920px
Ratio 9:16
Source: Hopper HQ
Reel cover
1080 × 1920px
Ratio 9:16
Source: Hopper HQ Help (Instagram's vertical grid)
Reels ad video
1440 × 2560px
Ratio 9:16
Source: Meta Ads Guide (Instagram Reels video)
Reels ad image
1440 × 2560px
Ratio 9:16 (1% tolerance)
Source: Meta Ads Guide (Instagram Reels image)

Instagram reel size: every format and limit

Instagram reel size specs by format. Each number was checked against the linked source on October 10, 2026.
FormatSize (px)RatioMinimum / maximumFile types and limitSource
Reel video (recommended)Instagram's help page gives the 1.91:1 to 9:16 range and the 720 px and 30 fps minimums, but not 1080 × 1920 or a file limit. Those come from Hopper HQ, so this row is secondary.1080 × 19209:16Min: 720 px, 30 fps (Instagram Help Center)MP4, MOVLimit: 4 GB (third-party figure)Hopper HQSecondary source
Reel coverShown at 9:16 in the Reels feed, and as a center-cropped 1080 × 1440 (3:4) tile in the profile grid. Instagram's help page states a different cover size, 420 × 654 (last row).1080 × 19209:16Not statedJPG, PNGHopper HQ Help (Instagram's vertical grid)Secondary source
Reels ad video0 seconds to 15 minutes. H.264, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or higher. Primary text 44 characters.1440 × 25609:16Min: 250 px wide under 30 seconds, 500 px at 30 seconds or longerMP4, MOVLimit: 4 GBMeta Ads Guide (Instagram Reels video)Platform's own page
Reels ad imageSame 14%, 35% and 6% safe zone as Reels video. Primary text 44 characters.1440 × 25609:16 (1% tolerance)Min: 500 px wideJPG, PNGLimit: 30 MBMeta Ads Guide (Instagram Reels image)Platform's own page
Cover (Instagram's stated size)Instagram's Reels help page still gives this size and says the cover can't be edited after upload. It is wider than 9:16, so we recommend the 1080 × 1920 cover above, which fills the Reels feed.420 × 6541:1.55Not statedPNG, JPGInstagram Help CenterPlatform's own page

Safe zones and crops

Drawn to scale from the numbers above. Dashed boxes mark what stays visible; hatched areas are cut or covered.

Reel cover in a 3:4 profile grid tile

Reel cover in a 3:4 profile grid tileFrame 1080 by 1920 pixels. Covered area: 240 px cut from the top, 1080 by 240 pixels at x 0, y 0. Covered area: 240 px cut from the bottom, 1080 by 240 pixels at x 0, y 1680. Safe area: Grid shows 1080 × 1440, 1080 by 1440 pixels at x 0, y 240.1080 px1920 px240 px cut from the topGrid shows 1080 × 1440
  • 240 px cut from the top
  • 240 px cut from the bottom
  • Grid shows 1080 × 1440
A 3:4 tile is 1080 wide and 1080 × 4 ÷ 3 = 1440 tall. From a 1920 px cover that removes (1920 − 1440) ÷ 2 = 240 px at the top and bottom.

Cover title that survives both crops

Cover title that survives both cropsFrame 1080 by 1920 pixels. Covered area: Cut by a square crop, 1080 by 420 pixels at x 0, y 0. Covered area: Cut by a square crop, 1080 by 420 pixels at x 0, y 1500. Safe area: Center 1080 × 1080, 1080 by 1080 pixels at x 0, y 420.1080 px1920 pxCut by a square cropCut by a square cropCenter 1080 × 1080
  • Cut by a square crop
  • Center 1080 × 1080
The profile grid used square tiles until January 2025. The center 1080 × 1080 (y = 420 to 1500) sits inside both a 3:4 and a 1:1 crop, so a title placed there survives either.

How Instagram shows your image

  • A Reel plays full screen at 9:16. The username, caption, audio label and the like, comment, share and save buttons sit over the frame, so keep important content away from the top, the bottom and the right edge.
  • The cover appears at 9:16 in the Reels feed, but the profile grid shows a taller-than-square tile, measured at 3:4 by the guides we checked.
  • Reels accept ratios between 1.91:1 and 9:16, per Instagram's help page, but anything other than 9:16 leaves empty space or gets cropped.
  • Meta's ad zones for Reels are 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side. Hopper HQ and Postfa.st apply the same percentages to organic Reels.
  • Instagram announced taller grid tiles in January 2025, but we found no Instagram page that states the ratio. Hopper HQ, Postfa.st and Kapwing all give 3:4; before the change the grid was square.

How to resize and upload

  1. 01Shoot or export the video at 1080 × 1920, 9:16, MP4 or MOV, at 30 fps or higher.
  2. 02Open the resizer above and pick Reel frame, ad zone. Drop in a still from the video to check where your text sits.
  3. 03Move on-screen text into the dashed box so captions, audio labels and buttons do not cover it.
  4. 04For the cover, choose Cover 9:16 and place the title inside the dashed 3:4 box. Switch to Cover, square-safe if you want it readable in any crop.
  5. 05Download the cover as JPG for a photo frame or PNG for a title card with text.
  6. 06In Instagram, upload the Reel, choose Edit cover and select the file before you share. Instagram's help page says the cover can't be edited after upload. Then check the tile in your profile grid.

Common mistakes to check before you post

  • Putting the cover title at the top. At y = 100 it sits inside the 240 px cut from the top of the 3:4 grid tile.
  • Posting 16:9 footage as is. At 1080 px wide it is 608 px tall, so about 1312 px of the frame is empty.
  • Relying on the Reel's first frame as the cover. Auto-picked frames often have a face off-center or half a word.
  • Forgetting the button rail. Hopper HQ puts the like, comment, share and save buttons over the rightmost 21% (about 230 px) of the bottom 40% of the frame, so right-aligned text low in the frame gets covered.
  • Assuming organic Reels have more room than ads. Instagram publishes no organic zone, and the guides we checked apply Meta's 14%, 35% and 6% to organic Reels too.
  • Exporting a Reels ad at 1080 × 1920 when your source is 1440 × 2560 or larger. Meta recommends 1440 × 2560 for Reels ads.

Reel cover size and the profile grid crop

The cover is the one Reel asset where the crop surprises people. It is 1080 × 1920 in the Reels feed, but your profile grid shows a center-cropped 1080 × 1440 (3:4) tile (Hopper HQ's grid explainer). The arithmetic: 1080 × 4 ÷ 3 = 1440, so 1920 − 1440 = 480 px is cut, 240 px from each end.

A title at y = 100 therefore disappears from the grid, while one centered at y = 960 sits in the middle of every crop. If the cover is ever cut to a square, as the grid did before January 2025, the center 1080 × 1080 is the only band that survives, from y = 420 to y = 1500.

We found no Instagram page that states the tile ratio, so the square band is the cautious choice for titles. The resizer's two cover presets draw both boxes on your image.

What goes where inside the frame

Meta's Reels ad page asks you to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements (Meta Ads Guide). On a 1080 × 1920 frame that is 269 px, 672 px and 65 px, leaving a 950 × 979 box starting at x = 65, y = 269.

Instagram publishes no zone for organic Reels. Hopper HQ applies Meta's percentages to organic Reels as well and adds one detail: the like, comment, share and save buttons cover the rightmost 21% (about 230 px) of the bottom 40% of the frame. Designing to the ad zone keeps one asset safe for both.

Reels ads: spec differences

For paid Reels, Meta lists 1440 × 2560, 9:16, MP4 or MOV, up to 4 GB and 0 seconds to 15 minutes (Meta Ads Guide). Image ads in Reels use the same 1440 × 2560 shape, at least 500 px wide and up to 30 MB (Meta Ads Guide).

An organic Reel you already made can run as an ad if it is 9:16 and clears the zones. The Meta ad specs cheat sheet lists every other placement, and the Instagram story size guide covers the same 9:16 frame for stories.

Length and file size: what we could and could not confirm

Instagram raised the Reel limit from 90 seconds to 3 minutes in January 2025, when Adam Mosseri announced it (Business Today). Hopper HQ, in a guide dated September 2026, says the in-app camera caps most accounts at three minutes and some at 90 seconds, while uploading a file from your camera roll allows most accounts up to 15 minutes. Instagram's help page gives the 1.91:1 to 9:16 range, a 720 px minimum and 30 fps, but no length or file-size limit.

For paid Reels the ceiling is documented: 15 minutes and 4 GB. For organic Reels, Hopper HQ gives 4 GB as the file limit. Check the length counter in the app's upload screen, which reflects your account's current limit.

What we could not confirm

  • Instagram's Reels help page gives the 1.91:1 to 9:16 range, a 720 px minimum and 30 fps, but no pixel size, file-size limit or length limit. 1080 × 1920 and 4 GB are third-party figures (Hopper HQ, Postfa.st).
  • Instagram's help page recommends a 420 × 654 (1:1.55) cover, which fits neither the 9:16 Reels feed nor the 3:4 grid tile. We follow the third-party 1080 × 1920 figure and could not confirm which size the upload screen expects.
  • Organic length limits vary by account. Hopper HQ reports 3 minutes in the app for most accounts (90 seconds for some) and up to 15 minutes for uploads; Postfa.st says up to 20 minutes. We could not confirm these on an Instagram page.
  • We found no Instagram page that states the grid tile ratio. Hopper HQ, Postfa.st and Kapwing say 3:4 for the grid; Hopper HQ's help article says regular posts show at 4:5 there while Reel covers show at 3:4.
  • Meta states percentages for the Reels ad safe zone; the pixel values are our arithmetic. The organic safe area is third-party.

Instagram reel size FAQ

What size is an Instagram Reel?

1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 ratio, as MP4 or MOV. Instagram's help page sets the minimums at 720 pixels and 30 fps.

What size should a Reel cover be?

1080 × 1920 (9:16), with titles inside the center 1080 × 1440 so the 3:4 profile grid tile does not cut them.

What is the Reels safe zone?

For ads, Meta says 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side. That is a 950 × 979 box on 1080 × 1920. Organic Reels have no official figure; the guides we checked use the same percentages.

How long can an Instagram Reel be?

For most accounts, 3 minutes when recorded in the app and up to 15 minutes when you upload a file, according to Hopper HQ; some accounts are still capped at 90 seconds. Instagram raised the in-app limit from 90 seconds in January 2025. Meta states 0 seconds to 15 minutes for Reels ads.

Can I upload a landscape video as a Reel?

Yes, but at 16:9 and 1080 px wide it is 608 px tall and leaves empty space above and below. Crop to 9:16 for a full-screen Reel.

Where do the like and share buttons sit on a Reel?

Along the right edge, low in the frame. Hopper HQ puts the like, comment, share and save buttons over the rightmost 21% (about 230 px) of the bottom 40% of a 1080 × 1920 Reel. Instagram does not publish this, so keep right-aligned text out of the lower part of the frame.

Sources and dates

Published October 10, 2026 · Updated October 10, 2026 · Specs last verified October 10, 2026 by the AdFlint team. Platforms change sizes without notice; if a number here no longer matches the linked source, the source wins.

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