Instagram sizes and limits in 2026: posts, stories, grid and hashtags
Instagram changed two things that catch a lot of people out: profile grids now show posts as tall rectangles instead of squares, and the hashtag limit dropped from 30 to 5. Here's everything you need to get sizes and captions right.
Image sizes
| Portrait post (4:5) | 1080 × 1350 px. Takes the most space in the feed. |
|---|---|
| Tall post (3:4) | 1080 × 1440 px. Matches the profile grid exactly. |
| Square post (1:1) | 1080 × 1080 px |
| Landscape post (1.91:1) | 1080 × 566 px |
| Story or Reel (9:16) | 1080 × 1920 px |
| Profile photo | At least 320 × 320 px, shown as a circle |
| Carousel | Every slide the same size, usually 1080 × 1350 px |
The Instagram Resizer makes any photo one of these sizes in your browser, with guides showing what will be cropped.
The new 3:4 profile grid
Your profile used to show every post as a square. It now shows them as 3:4 rectangles, slightly taller than wide. That means:
- 4:5 posts lose a thin strip from their edges on the grid. They still look great in the feed.
- Square and landscape posts lose much more on the grid, so keep important details in the middle.
- 3:4 posts show in full on both the grid and in the feed.
If you care how your profile looks, preview your next few posts in the Grid Planner before sharing them.
Story and Reel safe zones
Your profile name sits at the top of a story, and the reply box, buttons and caption sit at the bottom. Keep faces and text at least about 150 px from the top and 250 px from the bottom of a 1080 × 1920 image. The resizer shades those areas for you.
Caption, bio and hashtag limits
| Caption | Up to 2,200 characters |
|---|---|
| Shown before "more" | About the first 125 characters |
| Hashtags | Up to 5 per post or reel (down from 30 since December 2025) |
| Bio | Up to 150 characters |
| Username and name | Up to 30 characters each |
Writing captions that work
- Lead with the hook. Only the start shows before "more", so make the first line count.
- Use space. Short paragraphs with blank lines between them are easier to read. The Caption Formatter keeps blank lines from disappearing when you post.
- Choose 3 to 5 specific hashtags. With only five allowed, pick ones that describe the post precisely rather than huge generic tags.
- Put links in your bio. Links in captions can't be tapped.
Making a grid puzzle
Want one big picture spread across your profile? The Grid Maker splits an image into 3, 6, 9 or 12 tiles in the new 3:4 shape and numbers them in posting order. Post the bottom-right tile first, since new posts always appear at the top-left.