Checked against the source
Instagram Reels cover size
Short answer
Make the cover 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16). Instagram says other ratios are cropped to the middle 9:16 rectangle and that the profile grid uses the middle 1:1 square, so put titles inside the central 1080 × 1080.
Key takeaways
- The grid shows only the middle square of the cover: 1080 × 1080 of 1080 × 1920 is 56% of its area (computed).
- The central square spans from row 420 to row 1500 of a 1080 × 1920 cover, so a title belongs between those rows (computed).
- Format and size: JPEG, 8 MB maximum, sRGB (Instagram API documentation).
- Across our six test pictures the 1080 × 1920 result was 273 KB to 556 KB as a JPG at quality 0.92.
The size
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 1080 px |
| Height | 1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 |
What the platform publishes
| What | Published value |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 recommended; other ratios are cropped to the middle 9:16 rectangle |
| On your profile grid / feed | The middle 1:1 square of the cover is used |
| Format and size | JPEG, 8 MB maximum, sRGB (other colour spaces are converted) |
| Koldflux recommendation | 1080 × 1920 px, with titles inside the central square |
Instagram states the ratio and file limits in its API spec, not a pixel size.
Source: Instagram API: IG User Media (image, story and reel cover specifications) (checked 2026-10-05)
Resize it now
Scales and center-crops any image to exactly 1080 x 1920 px, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, there is no file size cap and no daily limit.
Batch is unlimited and free - every image is processed on your device, so there is no queue and no daily cap.
Where to put the title (computed)
Instagram says the profile grid uses the middle 1:1 square of the cover. The rows below are that square and the strips around it on a standard 1080 × 1920 cover.
| Region | Rows (y) | Height | Share of the cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top, outside the grid square | 0 to 420 | 420 px | 22% |
| Middle, shown on the grid | 420 to 1500 | 1080 px | 56% |
| Bottom, outside the grid square | 1500 to 1920 | 420 px | 22% |
What a 1080 × 1920 frame does to common photo shapes
The frame is 9:16. A photo of another shape is scaled until it covers the frame and the excess is cut from the center, which is what the resizer on this page does. This is computed from the shapes.
| Photo shape | Share of the photo kept | What is cut |
|---|---|---|
| 16:9 (1920 × 1080) | 32% | The sides |
| 3:2 (3000 × 2000) | 38% | The sides |
| 4:3 (4000 × 3000) | 42% | The sides |
| 1:1 (2000 × 2000) | 56% | The sides |
| 4:5 (1080 × 1350) | 70% | The sides |
| 9:16 (1080 × 1920) | 100% | Nothing |
Computed.
Measured: six pictures through the resizer
The resizer on this page was run in headless Chromium on six test pictures (public domain NASA scans, a PNG graphic and two small pictures made from them): each is scaled to cover 1080 × 1920, drawn on a white background and saved as a JPG at quality 0.92. SSIM compares each result with a Lanczos crop of the same picture made by ffmpeg (1.0 would be identical); it is blank when the frame has an odd side, which ffmpeg's check cannot compare. Other browsers use their own encoders, so sizes can differ.
| Picture | Pixels | Scale | Result | Time | SSIM | Against the 8 MB limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo, nearly square | 3840 × 3877 | 0.50× | 556 KB | 29 ms | 0.85 | Under |
| Portrait | 2122 × 2644 | 0.73× | 401 KB | 28 ms | 0.94 | Under |
| Wide document scan | 3827 × 1588 | 1.21× (enlarged) | 494 KB | 30 ms | 0.94 | Under |
| Square PNG graphic | 5380 × 5432 | 0.35× | 536 KB | 28 ms | 0.92 | Under |
| Small portrait (1060 px) | 1060 × 1320 | 1.45× (enlarged) | 307 KB | 25 ms | 0.95 | Under |
| Small landscape (640 px) | 640 × 480 | 4.00× (enlarged) | 273 KB | 23 ms | 0.96 | Under |
A scale above 1 enlarges the picture to fill the frame; enlarging adds no detail, so start from a file at least as large as the frame. The limit used above is the 8 MB limit.
Detail decides the file size (measured)
The same frame holds 2.07 megapixels whatever the picture, but the JPG size follows the detail in it. Bits per pixel is the file size in bits divided by the number of pixels in the frame.
| Picture | Result | Bits per pixel |
|---|---|---|
| Photo, nearly square | 556 KB | 2.15 |
| Portrait | 401 KB | 1.55 |
| Wide document scan | 494 KB | 1.91 |
| Square PNG graphic | 536 KB | 2.07 |
| Small portrait (1060 px) | 307 KB | 1.18 |
| Small landscape (640 px) | 273 KB | 1.05 |
Smooth areas and flat color compress to a fraction of what fine detail needs; a photograph full of texture is the expensive case. If a size limit matters, check your own picture, not an average.
Using the Instagram Reels cover size
- Start from a file at least 1080 × 1920 pixels so nothing is enlarged.
- Keep faces, logos and text away from the edges; every crop above cuts the edges.
- Check the platform's own page before you rely on a figure; sizes change.
- The resizer above does the crop and the JPG in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Reels cover?
1080 × 1920 pixels, 9:16. Other ratios are cropped to the middle 9:16 rectangle.
Why is my cover cut on the grid?
The grid uses the middle 1:1 square, which is 56% of a 9:16 cover. Keep titles in the central 1080 × 1080.
How much of a 16:9 photo is kept in 1080 × 1920?
32% of its area (computed).
What is the aspect ratio of 1080 × 1920?
9:16, 2.07 megapixels.
How big will the file be?
Our six test pictures came out between 273 KB and 556 KB as JPGs at quality 0.92; detailed photographs are the large end.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. The resizer runs in your browser.
Other Instagram sizes
Sources
- Instagram API: IG User Media (image, story and reel cover specifications) (checked 2026-10-05)
- Wikimedia Commons: Buzz salutes the U.S. Flag (NASA, public domain), one of the test pictures (checked 2026-10-10)
- MDN: HTMLCanvasElement.toBlob() (JPEG quality) (checked 2026-10-10)
