Instagram Reels size in 2026 is 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 aspect ratio, at 30 fps or more. Instagram accepts ratios from 1.91:1 to 9:16 and a minimum of 720 pixels, but only 9:16 fills the Reels player. Keep text out of the top 14%, bottom 35% and side 6% of the frame, and build covers so the centre square survives the 3:4 profile grid crop.
Instagram Reels size in 2026 is 1080 x 1920 pixels: a 9:16 aspect ratio, full screen on a phone held upright, exported at 30 frames per second or more. Instagram accepts other shapes, from 1.91:1 to 9:16, but 9:16 is the only one that fills the Reels player without cropping or blank space.
Checked October 2026 against Instagram's Help Center pages on reel size and aspect ratios, recording a reel and which reels are recommended, the reel specifications in Meta's publishing docs, and Meta's ad guide for Reels. Instagram publishes limits rather than ideal values; where a number is our working pick, it says so.
This is the size reference for our Instagram Reels guide. It covers the shape of the frame and nothing else. Codec, bitrate and editor presets live in Reels export settings.
Instagram reel size: the spec sheet
Every number Instagram and Meta publish about the size of a reel, with where each one comes from.
| Spec | Value | Source (checked October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Working size | 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16) | Publishing docs recommend 9:16 |
| Accepted aspect ratio | Between 1.91:1 and 9:16 | Help Center |
| Minimum resolution | 720 pixels | Help Center |
| Maximum width | 1,920 pixels through the publishing API | Publishing docs |
| Frame rate | At least 30 fps; 23 to 60 fps accepted | Help Center; publishing docs |
| Length | Up to 20 minutes; 3 minutes or less to reach new audiences | Help Center |
| Cover | 420 x 654 recommended (1:1.55); 9:16 through the API | Help Center; publishing docs |
| Safe zone | Keep 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% each side clear | Meta ad guide for Reels |
| File size | 300 MB through the API; 4 GB for Reels ads; no in-app figure published | Publishing docs; ad guide |
- At 1080 pixels wide, 9:16 is 1080 x 1920
- Accepted range: 1.91:1 to 9:16
- Instagram lists vertical filming among the things it looks for in recommended reels
Source: Meta Instagram Platform docs and Instagram Help Center, checked October 2026
Reels aspect ratio: pixel sizes for 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1
A reel can be any shape inside Instagram's accepted range. Only one fills the player. These are the common ratios with their exact pixel dimensions and what happens when you post each as a reel.
| Ratio | Pixels | Where it belongs | As a reel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Reels and Stories | Fills the screen. Export this. |
| 3:4 | 1080 x 1440 | Tallest photo post; the profile grid tile | Uploads, but leaves blank space in the player |
| 4:5 | 1080 x 1350 | Portrait feed post | Uploads, but leaves blank space in the player |
| 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 | Square post | Uploads; a little over half the screen |
| 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | Horizontal video | Uploads; a thin band on a vertical screen |
| 1.91:1 | 1080 x 566 | Widest shape Instagram accepts | The limit, not a target |
Size and aspect ratio get used as if they were one thing. They are two settings, and most editors ask for them in two different places.
- Width compared with height, such as 9:16
- Decides whether the reel fills the screen
- Set on the timeline or sequence, before you edit
- A wrong ratio gives blank space or a crop
- Width by height in pixels, such as 1080 x 1920
- Decides how much detail the file carries
- Set in the export window, after you edit
- A low resolution gives a soft picture
Instagram Reels resolution: 1080p, 1440p or 4K?
Use 1080 x 1920 unless you have a reason not to. Instagram's only published floor is 720 pixels, the publishing API takes video up to 1,920 pixels wide, and Meta's ad guide recommends 1440 x 2560 for Reels ads. Instagram does not say what resolution it plays organic reels at.
Resolution matters to reach as well as looks: Instagram lists blurry and low-resolution reels among those it shows less often. The full ranking picture is in how the Reels algorithm works.
Reels safe zones: what the interface covers
A 1080 x 1920 frame is not 1080 x 1920 of usable space. The account name, caption, audio label and button column sit on top of the video. Meta's ad guide gives the margins to keep clear, and organic reels play in the same player.
| Zone | Keep clear | On 1080 x 1920 | What sits there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% | About 270 px | Account name and header |
| Bottom | 35% | About 670 px | Caption, username, audio label, buttons |
| Each side | 6% | About 65 px | Like, comment and share column on the right |
| Safe centre | The rest | About 950 x 980 px | Nothing. Text and faces go here. |
Pixel values are rounded from Meta's percentages. Instagram also lists reels with most of the image covered by text among those it shows less often, so the safe centre is a boundary, not a space to fill. Placement and timing are covered in Reels text overlay.
Reel cover size and crop rules
One cover image gets shown in more than one shape. The Help Center recommends 420 x 654 pixels (1:1.55). Meta's publishing docs recommend 9:16 and say a cover in any other ratio is cropped to its middle. Since January 2025 the profile grid has shown tall tiles, not squares, at the 3:4 shape of Instagram's tallest photo post (1080 x 1440).
- 1Start on a 1080 x 1920 canvas
The same 9:16 frame as the reel, so the cover matches the first thing viewers see in the player.
- 2Mark the centre 1080 x 1440
The 3:4 grid crop. It trims about 240 pixels from the top and the bottom.
- 3Put the title inside the centre 1080 x 1080
A centred square survives a 3:4, a 4:5 and a 1:1 crop. Face and headline go here.
- 4Add it under Cover photo when you share
Pick the image from your device instead of a frame from the clip, then check the tile on your profile once it is live.
To see the crop before you post, drop the cover into our free Crop and Grid Preview and look at the 3:4 tile. One discrepancy to know about: Instagram's Reels guide says the cover can be edited after posting, while the size page still says it cannot. Set it before you share and you never need to find out which applies to your account.
Instagram Reels size 2026: getting it right from shoot to upload
Size goes wrong in one of four places. Fix the earliest one and the rest follow.
- 01Shoot
Phone upright. Vertical footage is 9:16 before you touch it.
- 02Timeline
Create the project at 1080 x 1920. Export cannot fix a horizontal timeline.
- 03Export
1080 x 1920, 30 fps or more, square pixels.
- 04Cover
1080 x 1920, title in the centre square.
The frame is the easy part. What goes inside it is the work, and Instagram Ignited covers that side: the phone studio setup, batch filming and the CapCut edit.
- Project or sequence is 1080 x 1920, not a horizontal timeline with bars
- Frame rate is 30 fps or more and matches the footage
- No borders, letterbox bars or another app's watermark in the frame
- Text and faces sit inside the safe centre, roughly 950 x 980 pixels
- Nothing important in the bottom 670 pixels
- Cover is 1080 x 1920 with the title inside the centre square
- Reel is 3 minutes or less if it is meant for people who do not follow you
Related terms
- Bitrate. How much data each second of video carries. Instagram's ceiling is 25 Mbps; see export settings.
- Safe zone. The part of the frame the interface does not cover; see text overlay placement.
- Post size. Photo and carousel dimensions are a different set of numbers; see the Instagram post size guide.
- Letterboxing. Bars added to make a wide video fit a tall frame. Instagram lists borders among the things it shows less often, so crop or reframe instead.
Instagram Reels size: FAQ
What size should an Instagram reel be in 2026?
Export a reel at 1080 x 1920 pixels, which is a 9:16 aspect ratio, at 30 frames per second or more. Instagram's Help Center accepts any ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16 with a minimum resolution of 720 pixels, and Meta's publishing docs recommend 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank space. Checked October 2026.
What aspect ratio do Instagram Reels use?
Reels play full screen at 9:16, the shape of a phone held upright. You can upload anything between 1.91:1 (wide) and 9:16 (tall), so 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5 videos all post, but they do not fill the Reels player. Instagram also lists vertical filming among the things it looks for when recommending reels, so 9:16 is the ratio to shoot and export.
What resolution does Instagram Reels support?
Instagram's Help Center sets a floor of 720 pixels and publishes no playback resolution. Meta's publishing docs cap reel width at 1,920 pixels, and its ad guide for Reels recommends 1440 x 2560. In practice 1080 x 1920 is the safe default, and 1440 x 2560 is a reasonable export when the footage is 4K. Instagram re-encodes every upload either way.
What is the Instagram reel cover size?
Instagram's Help Center recommends 420 x 654 pixels, a 1:1.55 ratio, and Meta's publishing docs recommend a 9:16 cover. Our working size is 1080 x 1920 with the title and face inside the centre 1080 x 1080 square. That centre survives the 3:4 crop on the profile grid, which trims about 240 pixels from the top and the bottom of a 9:16 cover.
What is the safe zone for Instagram Reels?
Meta's ad guide for Reels says to keep at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and key elements. On a 1080 x 1920 frame that is about 270 pixels at the top, 670 at the bottom and 65 on each side, leaving a safe centre of roughly 950 x 980 pixels. Checked October 2026.
Can I post a square or 4:5 video as a reel?
Yes. Any ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16 uploads, including 1:1 (1080 x 1080) and 4:5 (1080 x 1350). The video will not fill the vertical Reels player, though: Meta's docs recommend 9:16 specifically to avoid cropping or blank space. If the footage only exists as a square, place it on a 1080 x 1920 canvas yourself so you control what fills the rest.
The frame is the right size. Now fill it with something worth watching.
Instagram Ignited, included in All Access, covers what goes inside the 1080 x 1920: the phone studio setup, batch filming, the CapCut edit, hooks and the weekly metrics review. The same subscription includes the other three programs, live coaching and the private community.
Check the crop before you post
Preview a cover on the 3:4 profile grid with the free Crop and Grid Preview, and get Instagram spec changes in the free Telegram channel as they land.