Instagram displays feed posts at 1080 pixels wide. Anything larger is resized and re-compressed on their side, and that is when photos turn soft or blotchy. Uploading at exactly 1080 pixels wide, at a high JPEG quality, leaves less for Instagram to change.
This page sets a max width of 1080, JPEG output and quality 90. Crop to 4:5 portrait, 1:1 square, or 1.91:1 landscape before you start, because Instagram will crop for you otherwise.
How to prepare a photo for Instagram
Crop to the ratio
4:5 portrait takes the most screen space in the feed. Crop in your photo app first.
Resize here to 1080
The width is preset. A 4:5 crop comes out at 1080 × 1350.
Transfer and post
Move the file to your phone without re-compression (cloud drive or cable), not through a messenger that shrinks it again.
Why 1080 pixels
Less re-processing
A photo already at the display size is changed less by Instagram’s pipeline.
Predictable crops
Cropping to the ratio yourself means the feed shows exactly what you framed.
Stories and Reels covers
Stories and Reels are 9:16, which is 1080 × 1920 pixels. Crop to that ratio and use the same 1080 width here.
Instagram’s recommended sizes change from time to time. If the app starts showing taller posts, crop to the new ratio and keep the 1080-pixel width.
Instagram sizes
| Format | Ratio | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait post | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 |
| Square post | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 |
| Landscape post | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 |
| Story or Reel | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
Instagram image questions
What size should Instagram photos be?
1080 pixels wide. Portrait 1080 × 1350 shows largest in the feed.
Why does Instagram make my photos blurry?
It re-compresses and resizes uploads. Uploading at 1080 pixels wide as a high-quality JPEG reduces how much it changes.
Should I upload PNG to Instagram?
Instagram converts uploads to JPEG anyway. A high-quality JPEG gives you control over that step.
Is my photo uploaded here?
No. The resize happens in your browser; you upload to Instagram yourself.