Best Settings for Instagram Uploads (2025)
Instagram is notoriously aggressive with compression. Use these exact dimensions to prevent your photos from looking blurry or pixelated.
The Golden Rules of Instagram Sizes
Square Post (1:1)
1080 x 1080px
The classic format.
Portrait Post (4:5)
1080 x 1350px
Takes up more screen space = more engagement.
Stories & Reels (9:16)
1080 x 1920px
Full screen mobile experience.
Landscape (1.91:1)
1080 x 566px
Not recommended (too small on screen).
Why Do My Photos Look Blurry?
If you upload an image wider than 1080px (like a 4000px raw photo), Instagram will brutally crush it down, often ruining the quality. If you upload something smaller than 320px, they will stretch it up, making it pixelated.
The Fix: Resize your image to exactly 1080px width before you upload. This enables you to control the quality yourself.
File Formats
Instagram converts everything to JPG. We recommend uploading high-quality JPGs to begin with to minimize double-compression artifacts. PNGs are okay but will be converted.