Checked against the source
Instagram story size
Short answer
Use 1080 x 1920 px. Instagram recommends 9:16 for story images specifically to avoid cropping or blank space, and accepts JPEG up to 8 MB in sRGB. A 4:5 feed post gains 570 px of padding when fitted into that frame, which is why extending it is worth the extra work.
Key takeaways
- 1080 x 1920 px is 9:16 exactly: 1080 / 1920 = 0.5625, and 9 / 16 = 0.5625.
- Instagram recommends 9:16 for story images to avoid cropping or blank space, which is the clearest thing it says about the frame.
- A 1080 x 1350 px (4:5) source gains 285 px of padding above and 285 px below (computed: 1920 − 1350 = 570, split evenly).
- A 1080 x 1080 px source gains 420 px top and 420 px bottom (computed: 1920 − 1080 = 840).
- Keep text in the middle 60% of the frame. The Instagram pages we read give no reserve heights, so that band is a design rule, not a specification.
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 to avoid cropping or blank space |
| Format and size | JPEG, 8 MB maximum, sRGB |
| Story video | MOV or MP4, HEVC or H.264, 23-60 fps, up to 1920 px wide |
| Koldflux recommendation | 1080 × 1920 px (9:16 at the 1080 px width Instagram shares photos at) |
Figures come from the Instagram API spec, which describes the publishing API rather than the phone app; the two Instagram help pages we read on 2026-10-07 give a width rule rather than a story frame.
Source: Instagram API: IG User Media (image, story and reel cover specifications) (checked 2026-10-05)
To scale
What each viewport shows
| Viewport | Visible height | Width of the asset shown | Cropped away |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 Pro, 393 px | 698.7 px | 393 px of 1080 | 610.7 px top and bottom |
| Pixel 8, 412 px | 732.4 px | 412 px of 1080 | 593.8 px top and bottom |
| Phone SE, 375 px | 666.7 px | 375 px of 1080 | 626.7 px top and bottom |
What a mismatched source gets
| Source | Scale to fit | Shown at | Padding | Padding | Total padding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed post, 4:5 (1080 x 1350) | 1 (min(1080 / 1080, 1920 / 1350)) | 1080 x 1350 px (1080 and 1350 scaled by the factor above) | 285 px top, 285 px bottom ((1920 - 1350) / 2) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 570 px (all four bars added) |
| Square export (1080 x 1080) | 1 (min(1080 / 1080, 1920 / 1080)) | 1080 x 1080 px (1080 and 1080 scaled by the factor above) | 420 px top, 420 px bottom ((1920 - 1080) / 2) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 840 px (all four bars added) |
| Camera, 16:9 at 1080 px (1080 x 608) | 1 (min(1080 / 1080, 1920 / 608)) | 1080 x 608 px (1080 and 608 scaled by the factor above) | 656 px top, 656 px bottom ((1920 - 608) / 2) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 1312 px (all four bars added) |
Computed letterbox fit into this page's 1080 x 1920 px frame.
What this frame costs to upload
| Format | File size | Against PNG |
|---|---|---|
| PNG, lossless | 2,189,050 bytes (2138 kB) | the reference |
| JPEG, `-q:v 5` | 227,500 bytes (222 kB) | 10% of the PNG |
| WebP, `-q:v 75` | 86,700 bytes (85 kB) | 4% of the PNG |
| Instagram maximum file size, if that is the cap | 8,388,608 bytes (8192 kB) | the PNG is 26% of it |
ffmpeg 6.1.1. Upper bounds: a flat logo or a soft portrait compresses much further. The full method is in the evidence file.
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.
What Instagram states
The Instagram API reference for user media is the source here, and it is worth being precise about what it is: a specification written for the publishing API rather than the phone app.
It gives the story aspect ratio as 9:16 recommended, to avoid cropping or blank space. It gives the format as JPEG and the file limit as 8 MB, in sRGB, with other color spaces converted. For story video it gives MOV or MP4, HEVC or H.264, 23 to 60 fps, up to 1920 px wide.
The gap is that the API reference we read gives dimensions for the publishing API, not for the phone app, and the two Instagram help pages we read on 2026-10-07 give a width rule rather than a story frame. 1080 x 1920 px is therefore the 9:16 frame at the 1080 px width those pages state, a recommendation derived from two published facts rather than a figure Instagram gives for this asset.
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 recommended, to avoid cropping or blank space |
| Format | JPEG |
| File size | 8 MB maximum |
| Color | sRGB; other color spaces are converted |
| Story video | MOV or MP4, HEVC or H.264, 23 to 60 fps, up to 1920 px wide |
The padding a feed post gets, which is the real cost
Almost everyone making stories already has a 4:5 feed post. Fitted into a 9:16 story frame it is not cropped, it is padded: the source scales to the frame width and the leftover height splits evenly above and below.
The numbers below are computed. For a 1080 x 1350 px source the frame is 570 px taller, so 285 px lands top and bottom. For a square it is 840 px, so 420 px each side. Either way the artwork occupies a strip in the middle of the screen with the story background above and below it.
If the source is landscape the problem reverses: a 1920 x 1080 px frame fitted to width becomes 1080 x 608 inside the 1920 px story height, leaving 1312 px of padding. Cropping instead loses 64% of the picture area, computed as 1 − 1080 x 608 / 1920 x 1080.
So extending a 4:5 design to 1080 x 1920 is better than fitting it. You add 285 px of background above and below, which on a story is usually a gradient or a solid color, and you keep the whole artwork.
The band the interface covers
The Instagram pages we read on 2026-10-07 give no reserve height for the profile row, the progress bar or the reply bar, so no pixel figure can be quoted. What can be computed is the share of the frame a given reserve takes, because that depends only on the device width.
On a 393 x 852 pt phone, a 120 px top reserve is 120 / 1920 × 852 = 5.3% of the screen height, and a 250 px bottom reserve is 13.9%. On a 375 x 667 pt phone the same reserves are larger shares: 7.2% and 18.8%.
The design rule that follows does not depend on a guess about those numbers: put text in the middle 60% of the frame, roughly 384 to 1536 px down in a 1080 x 1920 design. Everything above and below is optional.
Link stickers, polls and music stickers all place their own content, and the reply bar sits at the bottom. A caption in the bottom 15% of a story is the one most likely to be covered on the smallest phones.
Format and size in practice
In the measured run on this page, a 1080 x 1920 px story frame costs 227 kB as JPEG and 87 kB as WebP, against 2.1 MB for the same frame as PNG. That is the upper bound on a high-frequency image; a flat graphic compresses far further.
The 8 MB limit is therefore never the binding constraint on a story image. The 1080 px width is: Instagram sizes anything wider than 1080 px down, so exporting at 1440 px throws away the extra pixels without gain.
Use JPEG. Instagram specifies JPEG for story images, and the format ladder above shows what PNG costs for the same frame.
Where stories and feed posts differ
A story is temporary and full-screen, so the frame is 9:16 and the whole screen is the canvas. A feed post is permanent and scrolls, so 4:5 is the taller option there. Instagram keeps any ratio from 1.91:1 to 3:4 for a shared photo, which is why both work as photos but only 9:16 avoids padding on a story.
Carousel posts inherit one orientation for every slide, so exporting the whole set at 1080 x 1350 px is the way to keep the grid consistent. Instagram states the orientation you choose applies to every photo and video in the post.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an Instagram story?
1080 x 1920 px, which is 9:16 exactly. Instagram recommends 9:16 for story images to avoid cropping or blank space, and accepts JPEG up to 8 MB in sRGB.
Can I post a 4:5 photo to Instagram Stories?
Yes, but Instagram will not stretch it. A 1080 x 1350 px source fitted into a 1080 x 1920 px story gains 285 px of padding at the top and 285 px at the bottom, computed as 1920 − 1350 = 570, split evenly. Extending the design to 1080 x 1920 px is better.
What is the maximum file size for an Instagram story?
8 MB, stated in the Instagram API reference. A measured 1080 x 1920 px JPEG at a normal export quality is about 227 kB on a high-frequency image, so the limit is not usually the constraint.
Does Instagram crop 9:16 stories?
Not if you upload 9:16. Instagram states that 9:16 is recommended specifically to avoid cropping or blank space, so a correctly sized story is shown full-screen.
Should a story be PNG or JPEG?
JPEG. Instagram specifies JPEG for story images, and PNG costs about ten times as much for the same frame: 2.1 MB against 227 kB in the measured run on this page.
How much of a 1080 x 1920 story is covered by the interface?
The Instagram pages we read on 2026-10-07 give no reserve height for the interface, so no exact figure can be quoted. The practical rule is to keep text in the middle 60% of the frame, roughly 384 to 1536 px down, because the profile row and the reply bar sit outside that band on most phones.
Other Instagram sizes
Sources
- Instagram API: IG User Media (image, story and reel cover specifications) (checked 2026-10-07)
- Instagram Help: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram (checked 2026-10-07)
- Instagram Help: Share a post with multiple photos or videos (checked 2026-10-07)