Cropping & sizing
Instagram text cut off? Fix posts, Reels, Stories, captions
Short answer
Instagram cuts text in five different places, and each has its own fix. Feed posts are cropped when they are not between 1.91:1 and 3:4; the profile grid shows every post as a 3:4 thumbnail; Reels and Stories are covered by the caption, profile name and buttons; and long captions are folded behind "more". Design posts at 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440, keep Reel text inside the safe area (14% from the top, 35% from the bottom, 6% from the sides), and put the key line of a caption first.
Key takeaways
- Instagram keeps a photo at its original size if it is 320 to 1080 px wide and between 1.91:1 and 3:4, that is 1080 × 566 to 1080 × 1440 (Instagram Help). Other shapes are cropped.
- The profile grid shows 3:4 thumbnails: a 1080 × 1350 post loses 34 px on each side there, a square post 135 px, and a 1080 × 1920 Reel cover 240 px at the top and bottom.
- Reel and Story text is usually covered, not cropped. Meta's guidance keeps the top, bottom and sides of 9:16 creative free of text; our Reels figures are 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% sides.
- Captions can be up to 2,200 characters (Instagram API), with up to 5 hashtags per post (Instagram Help). The feed folds long captions behind "more".
- On screens taller than 9:16, Meta may zoom vertical creative to fill the screen, which can crop areas outside the safe zone.
Text cut off in Instagram posts
Instagram's help says photos between 320 and 1080 px wide keep their original resolution as long as the aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4, which means 1080 px wide and 566 to 1440 px tall. A design that is taller (for example a 9:16 story-size graphic posted to the feed) or wider is cropped to fit, and the text near the cropped edge goes with it.
When you add the photo, the crop screen lets you move the photo and adjust how it fits within the frame. Check there that nothing important falls outside before you tap Next.
- Design at 1080 × 1350 (4:5) or 1080 × 1440 (3:4); both are inside Instagram's range.
- Keep text at least 60 to 80 px from every edge so the grid crop and rounded previews do not touch it.
- Export PNG or high-quality JPG at exactly that size; scheduling tools and Canva can resize on export if the size is not locked.
Free tools:Instagram portrait post sizeAll social image sizes
Find your case
| What you see | What it usually means | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Text at the bottom hidden behind the caption | The caption, username and audio line sit over the lower third | Move text above the bottom 35% (step 1) |
| Text at the right edge hidden | Like, comment, share and audio buttons cover the right side | Keep text 6% or more from the sides (step 1) |
| Text cut on the profile grid but fine in the Reel | The grid shows a 3:4 crop of the cover | Center cover text inside a 3:4 area (step 2) |
| Edges cut on one phone only | The screen is taller than 9:16, so the app fills height | Leave extra side margin (step 3) |
| Text is missing from the file itself | It was cropped during export | Check the original export (step 4) |
| Feed post (photo or Canva design) | Cropped if wider than 1.91:1 or taller than 3:4 | Design at 1080 × 1350 (4:5) or 1080 × 1440 (3:4) |
| Story | Profile bar at the top, reply field at the bottom | Leave the top and bottom of the 9:16 frame clear |
| Carousel | Slides shown at one shape | Make every slide the same size |
Fix it step by step
Keep text inside the Reels safe area
Meta's Reels ad guidance keeps text, logos and faces out of the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side. Organic Reels use a very similar layout; Meta publishes the numbers for ads.
Design the cover for the 3:4 grid
Since January 2025 Instagram profiles show thumbnails as 3:4 rectangles instead of squares. A 9:16 cover is cropped top and bottom on the grid, so keep cover text in the middle 1080×1440 area.
Leave room for taller phones
On screens taller than 9:16 the Reel may be scaled to fill the height, trimming a little from each side. The 6% side margin covers typical phones; add a little more for text that must never be touched.
Rule out an export crop
Open the exported file before uploading. If the text is already cut there, the editor's canvas or crop removed it, and Instagram is not the cause.
Safe area for a 1080×1920 video
| Edge | Keep text out of | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% | 269 px |
| Bottom | 35% | 672 px |
| Left | 6% | 65 px |
| Right | 6% | 65 px |
Official guidance (approximate). Source: Sales Video Ad Specs on Instagram Reels (Meta Ads Guide), checked 2026-10-05. Meta publishes this for Reels ads; organic Reels can differ.
Text cut off on the profile grid
Instagram profiles show thumbnails as 3:4 rectangles (announced in January 2025). The grid keeps the center of each post, so anything near the edges of a wider or taller image is hidden there even though the post itself is complete. These are the computed margins for common sizes:
| Post size | Shape | Hidden on the grid | Safe text area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080 × 1440 | 3:4 | Nothing | Whole image |
| 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 | 34 px left and right | 1012 × 1350 |
| 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | 135 px left and right | 810 × 1080 |
| 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 | 328 px left and right | 424 × 566 |
| 1080 × 1920 Reel cover | 9:16 | 240 px top and bottom | 1080 × 1440 |
Instagram's API documentation adds one more case: when a Reel is shared to the feed, the cover is cropped to its middle 1:1 square, so keep cover text in the center 1080 × 1080 as well.
Text cut off in Reels and Stories
Meta's safe-zone guidance for 9:16 creative in Stories and Reels is to keep the top, bottom and sides free of key elements, text and logos, so the interface does not cover them. On screens taller than 9:16, Meta says it may zoom the creative to fill the screen, which can crop areas outside the safe zone, or show it at 9:16 on a black background.
For a 1080 × 1920 Reel that means text below the top 269 px, above the bottom 672 px and at least 65 px from the sides. Stories have a profile bar at the top and a reply field at the bottom, so the same top and bottom margins work there too.
Free tool:Instagram Reels safe-zone overlay
Caption cut off with "more"
Instagram shows the first lines of a caption and folds the rest behind "more". That is not an error, and the full caption is kept. Instagram's API allows up to 2,200 characters per caption, and Instagram's help allows up to 5 hashtags on a post. If your caption seems cut at the end, count it: anything over 2,200 characters cannot be posted.
Free tool:Instagram caption limit checker
Safe text area for every Instagram format
| Format | Canvas | Keep text inside |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | Central 1012 × 1350 (grid), 60 px from each edge |
| Tall portrait post | 1080 × 1440 | Whole canvas on the grid, 60 px from each edge |
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | Central 810 × 1080 (grid) |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 | Below 269 px, above the bottom 672 px, 65 px from the sides |
| Reel cover on the grid | 1080 × 1920 | Central 1080 × 1440 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | Away from the top and bottom, middle of the frame |
Check the preview before publishing: the crop screen for posts and the Reel preview show where Instagram will place the edges.
Design checklist so nothing gets cut
- Pick the canvas for the placement first: 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440 for posts, 1080 × 1920 for Reels and Stories.
- Keep a margin of at least 60 px on every side of a post.
- Place Reel text inside the safe area and away from the right-hand buttons.
- Check the post on the 3:4 profile grid after publishing.
- Keep the caption's first line meaningful; the rest folds behind "more".
- Export at exactly the canvas size, PNG for text-heavy graphics.
Text across carousel slides
Carousels are shown at one shape, so a design that spans slides only lines up if every slide has the same size. Keep important words away from the edges where one slide meets the next, since people swipe at different speeds and the edges move first. Instagram's profile grid shows only the first slide, cropped to 3:4.
Free tool:Instagram carousel size
Text rules for Instagram ads
- Meta's safe-zone guidance for 9:16 ads in Stories, Reels and Feed: keep the top, bottom and sides free of key elements, text and logos.
- Reels ads with disclaimers: leave the bottom 40% free of text, logos and other key elements.
- Instagram Feed ads in 1:1 or 4:5: keep the bottom and side edges free.
- Turn on the Safe zone guardrail in Ads Manager to see the safe area on your creative.
What Meta says to keep clear
- For 9:16 ads in Stories, Reels, Feed and Facebook in-stream reels, keep the top, bottom and side edges free of key creative, text and logos.
- For Instagram Feed ads in non-9:16 shapes such as 1:1 or 4:5, keep the bottom and side edges clear.
- For disclaimers on Reels ads, leave the bottom 40% of the frame free. On a 1080 × 1920 frame that is the lowest 768 px, so text sits in the top 1152 px.
That guidance is written for ads, but it describes the same interface elements that cover an organic Reel: the caption, buttons and profile name.
How big your text really appears
Computed: a 1080 px wide frame is shown on a phone about 390 to 430 points wide, so every pixel is drawn at roughly 0.36 to 0.40 points. A 48 px line of text therefore reads as about 17 to 19 points, and a 30 px line shrinks to about 11 to 12 points. Keep on-screen text at 48 px or larger in a 1080 px frame, with high contrast, and use short lines so none run into the side margins.
A last check before you post
- Pause the exported file on the frame with the most text and look at it at phone size, not on a large monitor.
- Cover the bottom third and the top 10% of the screen with your hand: anything you can no longer read is in the unsafe area.
Frequently asked questions
What is the safe zone for Instagram Reels text?
For a 1080×1920 Reel: keep text below the top 269 px (14%), above the bottom 672 px (35%) and at least 65 px (6%) from each side.
Why are my Instagram captions cut off?
Long captions are truncated with "…more" in the feed and on Reels; that is the post caption, not text in the video. Put the key line first.
Why does Instagram crop my Reel cover on my profile?
The profile grid shows 3:4 thumbnails. Keep cover text inside the central 1080×1440 area of the 1080×1920 cover.
Why is my Instagram post text cut off?
The design is not between 1.91:1 and 3:4, so Instagram crops it, or the text sits near an edge that the 3:4 grid hides. Design at 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440 with text away from the edges.
How many characters can an Instagram caption have?
Up to 2,200 characters (Instagram API), with up to 5 hashtags per post (Instagram Help). Long captions are folded behind "more" in the feed.
Why is my Instagram Story text cut off?
The profile bar covers the top and the reply field covers the bottom, and tall phones may zoom the Story. Keep text in the middle of the 9:16 frame, away from the edges.
Why is text cut off when I post from Canva?
The Canva design size is outside Instagram's 1.91:1 to 3:4 range, or the export was resized. Use a 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440 design and check the crop screen before posting.
What is Instagram's caption word limit?
Instagram limits captions by characters, not words: up to 2,200 characters per caption (Instagram API), with up to 5 hashtags per post.
Why is my Instagram screen cut off?
If the app itself looks cut off, check your phone's display zoom and text size settings, then update Instagram. If only a post is cut, its shape is outside Instagram's range.
Why is my carousel text cut off on Instagram?
The slides are not all the same size, or text sits near the edges. Make every slide 1080 × 1350 (or 1080 × 1440) and keep text 60 px or more from each edge.
Why is my Reel caption cut off on Instagram?
The caption is folded behind "more" after the first lines, and the on-screen caption area covers the bottom of the video. Put the key line first and keep on-screen text above the caption area.
Why is text cut off in my Instagram Story?
The profile bar covers the top and the reply field covers the bottom, and tall phones may zoom the Story. Keep text in the middle of the frame.
Sources
- Meta Business Help: Reels ads safe zone (official, checked 2026-10-03)
- Business Today: Instagram head announces 3:4 profile grid (Jan 2025) (news report, checked 2026-10-04)
- Instagram Help: Image resolution of photos you share (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- Instagram Help: Crop your photo on Instagram (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- Instagram API: IG User Media (Reels, Stories and caption limits) (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- Instagram Help: Use hashtags on Instagram (up to 5 per post) (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- Meta Business Help: Text overlays and the safe zone for ads on Facebook and Instagram (official, checked 2026-10-06)
Reviewed 2026-10-06. Steps not attributed to a source are general video practice or computed above.