Instagram Video Size Guide: Best Aspect Ratios for Feed Video, Reels, Stories, and Covers
If you mean video, not photo posts, the short answer is: use 1080 × 1920 at 9:16 for Reels, Stories, and most modern Instagram video. Square and landscape still upload, but they are fallback shapes now, not the default.
The direct answer
Best default for Instagram video: 9:16 vertical at 1080 × 1920.
Best default for feed video: still treat 9:16 as the modern starting point, because Instagram's video surfaces are now heavily vertical-first.
Fallback shapes: 1:1 at 1080 × 1080 and 1.91:1 landscape only when you are intentionally repurposing older footage.
What Instagram officially says: the Instagram Help Center Reels page says you can upload a Reel between 1.91:1 and 9:16, with a minimum 30 FPS and minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The Meta Ads Guide feed-video page recommends 9:16 at 1080 × 1920, and the Stories video page recommends 9:16 plus safe-zone breathing room.
Safest creator export path: export 1080 × 1920, keep key text away from the top and bottom UI zones, and design the cover separately so the Reel still looks clean in-grid.
This topic gets messy because people mix together consumer upload support, Meta ad specs, and the video formats that feel most native in the app right now. Those are not the same thing. So this page now stays explicitly video-first: it shows the official source first, then translates that into the export choice most creators actually need.
Official links: Instagram Help Center: Reel size & aspect ratios · Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Feed video specs · Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories video specs · Meta Business Help: safe zones for Stories and Reels
What Instagram officially allows for video
“You can upload a reel with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16.”
The same page also says Reels should have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS and minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
“Ratio: 9:16 · Resolution: 1080 × 1920 pixels.”
This is Meta's feed-video guidance, which is narrower than general consumer upload support but still useful because it reflects a vertical-first video workflow.
“Consider leaving roughly 14% (250 pixels) of the top and 20% (340 pixels) of the bottom of the video free from text, logos, or other key creative elements...”
This source is ad-specific, but it is still the clearest official UI-overlap guidance for vertical Instagram video.
Important distinction: Instagram's consumer help pages tell you what the platform accepts. Meta's video-spec pages are narrower in scope, but they are still extremely useful for vertical defaults, safe zones, and creator layout decisions. That is why this guide uses both — but does not pretend they are identical kinds of source.
Best Instagram video dimensions by format
Fast visual cheat sheet
If you want one glance instead of five tabs, remember the hierarchy: 9:16 first, then square or landscape only when you are intentionally adapting an older asset.
| Surface | Official support | What to actually use | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed video | Meta Ads Guide: 9:16 and 1080 × 1920 recommended for Instagram Feed video | 1080 × 1920 (9:16) | If you are optimizing for modern Instagram video behavior, vertical is the cleanest default. |
| Reels | Instagram Help Center: 1.91:1 to 9:16, minimum 30 FPS, minimum 720 px | 1080 × 1920 (9:16) | It is the most native-looking canvas and the safest starting point for creator video. |
| Stories | Meta Ads Guide: 9:16, recommended 1440 × 2560, plus top/bottom safe-zone guidance | 1080 × 1920 with top/bottom breathing room | The app UI eats space fast, so composition matters as much as raw resolution. |
| Square fallback | Covered by the Reels upload range because Instagram allows video between 1.91:1 and 9:16 | 1080 × 1080 | Use it only when you are repurposing an older clip or need a square-first cross-platform asset. |
| Landscape fallback | Also covered by the Reels upload range, down to 1.91:1 | Keep the original wide frame only when the shot truly needs it | Landscape usually feels small on Instagram unless the composition depends on width. |
| Reels cover | Instagram Help Center: recommended 420 × 654 (1:1.55) | Design your cover separately for both the tall frame and the tighter grid crop | The cover is where a lot of otherwise-good Reels start looking sloppy. |
What I would actually recommend as a video-first creator default
9:16 wins most of the time
1080 × 1920 is the safest modern export for Instagram video because it fits Reels, Stories, and the vertical-first way video is increasingly consumed in-feed.
Square is still usable — just not the first choice
1080 × 1080 works when you are repurposing an older asset or need one clip to travel across multiple platforms. It is a fallback, not the best default for new Instagram-native video.
Landscape is supported, but it usually feels small
Instagram does allow wide video within the official Reels upload range. That does not make it the best starting point. Use landscape when the scene genuinely depends on width, not because it is the easiest export sitting in your editor.
Default: 1080 × 1920
Official guide used here: Meta Ads Guide recommends 9:16 at 1080 × 1920
Best for: vertical explainers, talking-head clips, creator demos, quick educational edits
Default: 1080 × 1920
Official Reels range: 1.91:1 to 9:16
Best for: motion-first content, UGC, tutorials, screen-record + voiceover edits
Default: 420 × 654 cover planning
Key habit: keep the title readable inside the tighter profile-grid crop
Best for: making good video still look branded after upload
Stories and Reels safe zones matter more than people think
The resolution conversation is easy. The composition conversation is what usually breaks the post. If your headline sits too high, it fights with the account header. If your CTA sits too low, it gets buried under the UI. That is why Meta's safe-zone guidance is worth using even if you are not buying ads.
Leave breathing room at the top
Meta's own Stories guidance says to leave roughly 14% of the top free from key text or logos. That is enough space for profile UI and prevents your first line from looking jammed into the chrome.
Protect the bottom CTA zone
Meta also says to leave roughly 20% of the bottom clear. For creators, the practical translation is simple: do not put the hook, subtitle, or logo in the bottom band unless you are okay with it competing with buttons.
Keep the subject in the middle third
Even when the export is technically correct, a bad crop still looks wrong. Put the face, product, or main demo object inside the safer central area so the post still works across Reels previews, Stories, and profile views.
Official safe-zone visual
This is the most useful official diagram I found while checking Meta's own documentation. It is ad-context guidance, but it maps directly to the same vertical UI-overlap problem creators hit in Stories and Reels.
A soft but genuinely useful OmniFit move
A lot of Instagram frustration is not about the final export setting. It starts earlier: the clip you want to post was made wide, square, or with the wrong crop for a Reel. That is exactly where a resize tool is actually helpful instead of gimmicky.
OmniFit's Instagram Video Resizer fits this workflow naturally. If you already have a source clip, it gives you a faster path to a Reel-ready or feed-ready frame without manually fighting the crop every single time.
Instagram video dimensions FAQ
What is the best Instagram aspect ratio for video?
9:16 is the best default for modern Instagram video. If you want the least surprising export, start with 1080 × 1920.
Should I use 1080 × 1920 for everything?
For video, it is the safest starting point for Reels, Stories, and most current Instagram video workflows. You only move away from it when you are intentionally keeping a square or wide composition.
Does Instagram still support square video?
Yes. Square is still usable because Instagram's Reels upload support extends from 1.91:1 to 9:16. It is just a fallback now, not the strongest default.
What size should my Reel cover be?
Instagram's Help Center says the recommended size for cover photos is 420 × 654 (a 1:1.55 ratio). That is worth designing intentionally because the cover is where many good videos start looking off-brand.
Can I upload landscape videos to Instagram?
Officially, yes — the Reels Help Center page says uploads can fall between 1.91:1 and 9:16. Practically, landscape usually feels weak on Instagram unless the footage genuinely depends on a wide frame.
What is the safest one-size-fits-most workflow?
If this is a video-first workflow: export 1080 × 1920, compose for the center-safe area, and design the cover separately so the post still looks good in the grid.
Sources used for this guide
The key thing here is scope. The Instagram Help Center page was used for what Instagram accepts on Reel uploads and Reel covers. Meta Ads Guide / Meta Business Help pages were used for feed-video, Stories-video, and safe-zone layout guidance.
Instagram Help Center
Used for official Reel support: 1.91:1 to 9:16, minimum 30 FPS, minimum 720-pixel resolution, and the 420 × 654 cover-photo recommendation.
Meta Ads Guide
Used for feed-video guidance: 9:16 and 1080 × 1920 for Instagram Feed video.
Meta Ads Guide / Business Help
Used for Stories-video specs and safe zones: 9:16, recommended 1440 × 2560, and top / bottom overlay spacing.