# Instagram Reel Size: Dimensions, Ratio and Cover Guide > The right Instagram Reel size is 1080×1920 pixels at a 9:16 ratio. Learn the grid crop, cover image size, safe zones and export settings for sharp Reels. Canonical: https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/reel-size-instagram Last updated: 2026-10-23 Category: Instagram. The best size for an Instagram Reel is 1080×1920 pixels, which is a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio. Upload at that size and your Reel fills the screen in the Reels tab without black bars or awkward cropping. Your cover image should also be 1080×1920, but plan for it to be cropped to a 3:4 rectangle on your profile grid at the time of writing. Getting the dimensions right is only part of it. Instagram places your username, caption and buttons on top of the video, and the cover is shown in different shapes in different places. This guide covers all of it. ## Instagram Reel size at a glance | Spec | Recommended value | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Video dimensions | 1080×1920 pixels | Full-screen vertical | | Aspect ratio | 9:16 | Other ratios get bars or crops | | Cover image | 1080×1920 pixels (9:16) | Upload as a full vertical image | | Profile grid preview | 3:4 (for example 1080×1440 visible) | Center crop of the cover, at the time of writing | | File type | MP4 or MOV | H.264 video with AAC audio is widely supported | | Frame rate | 30 fps is a safe choice | Higher frame rates generally work too | | Length | Up to a few minutes | Limits have changed several times; check the app | Instagram's specs change over time, so treat length and file-size limits as "at the time of writing" and check the upload screen or the [Instagram Help Center](https://help.instagram.com) if something won't upload. ## Why 1080×1920 and 9:16 Phones are tall, and Reels are designed to fill a phone screen held upright. A 9:16 ratio means the video is 9 units wide for every 16 units tall. At 1080 pixels wide, that works out to 1920 pixels tall. ### What happens with other ratios - **Square (1:1) or 4:5 videos** will usually appear with empty space above and below, or Instagram may let you zoom and crop to fill the frame. - **Horizontal (16:9) videos** look small in the middle of the screen with large bars, which wastes most of the space and makes text hard to read. - **Lower resolutions** such as 720×1280 keep the 9:16 shape, but Instagram will scale them up for most phones, which can look soft. If you're repurposing content from other platforms, the same 9:16 shape works for TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Our guide to [TikTok video size and ratio](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/tiktok-video-size-ratio) covers the TikTok side. ### Recording vs. editing If you're shooting on a phone, record vertically at 1080p or higher. If you're editing on a computer, set your project to 1080×1920 before you start, rather than resizing a finished horizontal edit. Resizing at the end often leaves you with crops that cut off people's heads or important text. ## Reel cover image size and grid crop The cover (sometimes called a thumbnail) is the still image people see before your Reel plays. It shows up in several places, each in a different shape. ### Where the cover appears - **Reels tab on your profile**: shown in a tall vertical format. - **Main profile grid**: at the time of writing, Instagram shows grid items as 3:4 rectangles, so the center of your 9:16 cover is cropped top and bottom. - **Feed and Explore**: the cover may be shown with different cropping depending on where and how the Reel appears. ### How to design a cover that survives the crop 1. Create the cover at **1080×1920**. 2. Mark out the **center 1080×1440 area**. That's roughly what remains visible in a 3:4 grid tile. 3. Keep your title text, face and key subject inside that center area. 4. Use the top and bottom strips for background only. 5. Preview it before posting. When you add a cover in the Instagram app, you can adjust how it appears on your profile grid. If you need to turn a photo or design into the right shape, the [Instagram photo resizer](https://scheduleforyou.com/tools/instagram-photo-resizer) has a 1080×1920 story/reel preset. You can choose "fill" to crop the image to size or "fit" to add a background color around it, then download it as a PNG or JPG. ### Choosing a cover You can pick a frame from the video or upload a separate image. A custom image usually gives you more control: a clear subject, readable text and a consistent style across your grid. If your grid matters to your brand, keep cover text in the same font, size and position on every Reel. ## Safe zones: where to keep text and faces Instagram overlays parts of the interface on top of your Reel. Anything important underneath them can be hidden or hard to read. ### What gets covered - **Bottom of the screen**: your username, caption, audio name and sometimes a tagged location or product. This is the largest overlay. - **Right side**: the like, comment, share, save and menu buttons, stacked vertically. - **Top of the screen**: the Reels header and camera icon, plus the phone's status bar. ### A practical rule of thumb Exact overlay sizes depend on the phone, the caption length and the app version, so no pixel measurement is perfect. A practical approach: 1. Keep text and faces in the **central part of the frame**, away from the outer edges. 2. Leave a **generous margin at the bottom**, where the caption and username sit. This is the area most likely to cover your content. 3. Leave a **narrower margin on the right** for the buttons. 4. Leave a **small margin at the top**. 5. Check the result on your own phone before publishing. Upload as a draft or watch the preview with the caption added. If you add on-screen captions, place them a little above the center line rather than at the very bottom, where creators often put them out of habit from horizontal video. ## Export settings for sharp Reels Most blurry Reels come from export settings or heavy compression, not from the wrong dimensions. ### Settings that work well - **Resolution**: 1080×1920. - **Format**: MP4 (or MOV) with H.264 video and AAC audio. - **Frame rate**: keep the frame rate you recorded at. 30 fps is a safe default; 24, 25 and 60 fps generally work too. - **Bitrate**: use a reasonably high bitrate so detail survives Instagram's compression. Many editing apps have a "high quality" or "social media" preset that's a good starting point. ### Other things that help - **Upload over Wi-Fi.** On a weak mobile connection, the app may upload at lower quality. - **Check the high-quality upload setting.** Instagram has offered a setting to upload at the highest available quality; its name and location change between app versions, so look in your settings for media or data quality options. - **Avoid re-saving the same file many times.** Each export can add compression. - **Don't upload a screen recording of another video.** It adds blur and may include someone else's work. If you're also seeing soft images in Stories, our guide on [why your Instagram Story looks blurry](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/why-does-my-instagram-story-look-blurry) walks through the most common causes. ## Reel length and file size Instagram has changed the maximum Reel length more than once, and limits can differ between uploads from the app, from a computer and through third-party tools. At the time of writing, most accounts can upload Reels of up to a few minutes. Rather than relying on a number that may be out of date, check the upload screen in the app: it will tell you if a video is too long. File-size limits also vary by upload method. If an upload fails, try exporting at the same resolution with a slightly lower bitrate, or trimming the video. ### Planning Reels across platforms If you post the same vertical video to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, start from one 1080×1920 master file and adjust captions and covers per platform. Schedule For You publishes to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube from one calendar, with a separate caption for each platform, so you can upload the video once and tailor the rest. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best size for an Instagram Reel? 1080×1920 pixels at a 9:16 aspect ratio. That fills a phone screen held upright and avoids black bars or cropping in the Reels viewer. ### What size should a Reel cover be? Make the cover 1080×1920 pixels so it matches the video. Keep the important part, such as your title or face, in the center area, because the profile grid shows a 3:4 crop of the cover at the time of writing. ### Can I post a horizontal video as a Reel? You can, but it will appear small with large bars above and below, and any text will be hard to read. For better results, re-edit the video in a 9:16 frame, reframing each shot so the subject stays in view. ### Why is my Reel blurry after uploading? The most common reasons are a low-resolution source file, a low export bitrate, uploading over a weak connection or using a screen recording instead of the original file. Export at 1080×1920 with a high-quality preset and upload over Wi-Fi. ### Is the Reel size the same as the Story size? Yes. Both Reels and Stories use 1080×1920 pixels at 9:16. The overlays differ, though: Stories place your profile name at the top and the reply bar at the bottom, so check safe zones separately for each. ## Related - [All guides](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog) - [Pricing](https://scheduleforyou.com/pricing)