The Ultimate Instagram Sizing Guide for 2025: What Creators and Small Business Owners Need to Know
BEFORE WE START:
✍🏽 Bookmark this page so you always have Access to the Correct Instagram content sizes
Alright, buckle up because there is a lot you need to know here…
Instagram profile grid size has changed! And that will affect how you create and post content on the platform. We will go over all you need to know and give you the exact sizes for every piece of content.
I personally love this change! The square grid was too busy and crammed. Now we have more space and the grid makes each piece of content more engaging and inviting to click on.
Now let’s look at sizes and size strategy for creating content moving forward.
So drums, please… 🥁
Our New and Updated Instagram Sizing Guide for 2025
If you're an Instagram creator, small business owner, or social media manager, staying updated on platform changes is critical. And if you’ve been on Instagram for a while, you know very well that once we think we got it dialed in, a new Reel from the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri shows up on your scroll with a new feature or Instagram change.
The latest shift is the change in Instagram's grid format, moving from the classic square layout to a taller grid preview.
According to Mosseri in his weekly Stories Q&A, most of the content shared on Instagram is bigger than a square. Like Reels and even 4:5 ratio Instagram posts. By keeping the grid as a square, there was a lot of this content that was being cropped off.
This makes total sense, because we’ve all seen those grids that are just people’s faces with the forhead cut off from their Reels, am I right?
Now, while every social media manager, coach or expert is talking about this update on Instagram, I have not yet seen in-depth information with all the variables and details you need to know, so your content continue to show up perfectly no matter the grid format!
In this guide, we'll break it all down, with the right strategy you need.
📏 Fisrt, about the Instagram's Updated Grid: What Changed?
Instagram has transitioned its grid from the traditional 1:1 square format to a 3:4 taller grid preview. However, this update comes with some nuances that every content creator should understand, that will affect how you create and post content on Instagram, especially feed posts and Carousels:
Old Square Grid Size: 1:1 Ratio (1080 x 1080 px)
New “Taller” Grid Preview Size: 3:4 Ratio (1015 x 1350 px)
Even though the preview on the updated grid is taller, there are key restrictions you should keep in mind.
🎯 Instagram Content Sizes You Should Know
Here’s a quick cheat sheet for creating content that aligns with Instagram's current formats:
Square Posts & Old Grid Content:
Size: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1 ratio)
Ideal for users without the update who still see the classic square grid.
Current Feed Post Size:
Size: 1080 x 1350 px (4:5 ratio)
This is the recommended size for all feed posts and carousels.
Grid Preview on Updated Profiles (do not use to create content!):
Size: 1015 x 1350 px (3:4 ratio)
While the grid preview shows this ratio, Instagram does not allow direct uploads in this format.
Stories, Reels, Instagram Lives and Covers:
Size: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16 ratio)
Optimized for vertical content, ensuring full-screen visibility.
⚠️ Two Key Considerations for Instagram's New Grid
You Can't Upload 3:4 Ratio Content
Even though the new grid preview is taller, Instagram limits content dimensions to a maximum width of 1080 px and a maximum height of 1350 px (4:5 ratio). Stick to the 4:5 ratio for feed posts and carousels.Not Everyone Has the Update Yet, So Many Will Still See Your Content Preview As Squares
People may not realize that, but any Instagram users that have not gotten the update yet, will still see your grid in square format. And Instagram is known to roll our features slowly and sometimes they don’t roll out to everyone, ever. So it’s important to continue to optimize your content for both formats by centering important parts of your visuals and text in the center square (1:1) zone.
If all this gives you a headache and it sounds to you that I am speaking a dead language, you may want to check out our canva template membership, Your Template Club.
A note about Reels Covers:
For Reels Covers, just as with feed posts, make sure you’re still creating a big title and putting it around the center square, that way your title is readable no matter how people see your grid layout!
💡 Best Practices for Instagram Content Creation in 2025
To ensure your content is engaging, easy to read and optimized for the old square or the new taller layout grid on Instagram, you should:
Ditch Square Posts— it’s time: Avoid creating new 1:1 posts or carousels. Instead, adopt the 4:5 ratio.
Optimize for Both Square and Taller Grids: Place text and critical elements within the center square to accommodate users without the update.
Leave Padding: When creating content in the 4:5 ratio format, leave extra space around the boarder of your designs to prevent cropping on the grid preview.
Reminder about Carousels: The only page of a carousel that will ever be in the preview grid is the first page. So when creating Carousels, you can use the space as you wish on the other pages and only optimize the first page, the Carousel cover, for grids.
I know you may have questions:
“But what do I do with my square posts now? Should I archive or delete them? My grid looks awful!”
Please do not archive or delete content just because things may look a little messy in your grid! This change is happening to everyone, so everyone’s grids will have an adjustment period.
Plus we get a lot more benefit from the post or Reel showing up on someone scroll, being shared or found in the explore page or Reels tab, than only people who comes to our profile to look at our content.
Chances are most of your followers won’t even notice. Just start creating content optimized for both grids and your feed’s visual will be updated in no time!
What should I do about Profile Pin Banners and Static Grids?
That’s when it gets a bit trickier. Because different people will see the grids cropped different ways, there’s not one good way to create a static grid or profile pin banner right now. If you must, the best thing to do it to plan those puzzles for the grid in a way that each image is contained in each post, or use color blocking to make it seamless but in a more simple way.
We will be doing some tests in the coming weeks and if we can make profile pin banners still work for both grids, we will update our templates inside Your Template Club.
Why These Changes Matter for Social Media Managers, Creators and Entrepreneurs
Instagram may feel tiring and saturated right now, but it’s still a vital tool for entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners to promote their businesses and connect with our audiences. Staying updated on these technical changes ensures your content appears polished, professional, and optimized for engagement. By following this guide, you can future-proof your Instagram strategy for 2025 and beyond.
Want more Instagram tips? Follow @YourSocialTeam for the latest updates and insights tailored for creators and entrepreneurs.
Let me know if you'd like to add more keywords or modify the structure!
Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, an Instagram training business and content shop to help social media managers and Instagram savvy women entrepreneurs to beat the algorithm and grow their organic engagement (yes, even in 2021).
This year she also launched Your Template Club, a Canva Template subscription to provide social media managers and Instagram savvy business owners with content templates designed for engagement in their inbox.
In 2024 Manu also launched the first ever Reels Award Show, The Reelies Awards, created to recognize small entrepreneurs. Check it out and get involved.