The Instagram carousel size to use is 1,080 × 1,350 px (4:5) for most posts. You can also pick 1,080 × 1,440 px for the tallest slides, 1,080 × 1,080 px for square, or 1,080 × 566 px for wide. Pick one shape, because it applies to every slide.
The table above lists every size, ratio and limit. Below is how to choose between them, what to expect from cropping, and how to resize your images with the free tool on this page.
Which Instagram carousel size to use
There is one rule that shapes every choice: the orientation you pick applies to all slides. Here is the official wording from our data: Photos and videos can be mixed in one carousel. The orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) applies to all items; it cannot differ per item. Carousel videos are not treated as reels.
So decide on one shape before you design slide one.
| Shape | Size | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait tall | 1,080 × 1,440 px | 3:4 |
| Portrait | 1,080 × 1,350 px | 4:5 |
| Square | 1,080 × 1,080 px | 1:1 |
| Landscape | 1,080 × 566 px | 1.91:1 |
Portrait 4:5
The 1,080 × 1,350 px size sits inside the supported range and takes up more screen space than square or landscape. It is also the ratio the Ads Guide uses for image-only carousel ads. One caveat: the Help page does not name this exact size, so treat it as a sensible pick inside the range, not an official recommendation.
Portrait 3:4
If you want the tallest slide possible, use 1,080 × 1,440 px. The per-slide range runs from 1.91:1 to 3:4 at the same width, so this is the upper bound.
Square 1:1
Square, at 1,080 × 1,080 px, is a safe all-rounder. It is also the size to use if your carousel ad contains video, since carousel ads with video support only 1:1.
Landscape 1.91:1
Landscape, at 1,080 × 566 px, is the widest supported photo ratio. It works for wide photos or screenshots, but it takes up the least vertical space.
No official page names one recommended organic carousel slide size, so the choice is yours within this range.
How Instagram crops and displays carousels
Supported ratios run from 1.91:1 to 3:4. Unsupported ratios are cropped. Anything outside that range gets cropped. Wider photos are sized down to 1080 px (wider photos are sized down to 1080 px), and smaller ones are enlarged to the minimum width of 320 px (smaller photos are enlarged to 320 px). Ads Guide: 500 px minimum for feed ads.
For a single post, the same ranges apply, and you can compare them on our Instagram post size page.
The data we have does not describe exactly how a carousel looks on the profile grid, or how mobile differs from desktop. Because of that, we will not guess. A practical habit is to keep your key content well inside each slide and check the preview in the app before you publish.
Safe zone and where to keep text
There is no official safe zone for carousel posts. Instead of a fixed margin, leave comfortable space around text and logos so a small crop does not cut anything off.
Do not borrow the Stories safe zone. Stories and Reels are full-screen vertical formats with their own limits. For those, see our Instagram story size and Instagram Reels size pages.
File types, slide count and ad limits
Accepted file types in the carousel spec are JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV, GIF. These come from the Ads Guide, because the Instagram Help Center lists none for organic carousels.
An organic carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos. Carousel videos are not treated as reels.
If you run carousel ads, these limits apply:
- Cards: 2 to 10
- Ratio: 4:5 for image-only carousels; 1:1 only for carousels containing videos (Boost: 1:1 or 4:5)
- Max file size: Image 30 MB; video 4 GB
- Video duration: 1 second to 2 minutes
How to resize an image to carousel size
Use the free resizer on this page. Menus and labels can differ a little as the tool updates, but the flow is the same.
- Open the resizer on this page and add your image from your device.
- Choose the Instagram carousel preset that matches your shape, such as 1,080 × 1,350 px.
- Adjust the crop so your subject and any text sit comfortably inside the frame.
- Export the image as JPG or PNG.
- Repeat with the same preset for every slide, so all slides share one ratio.
- Upload the slides in order in the Instagram app. Menus can differ by app version.
If you want one wide image to flow across several slides, try the Instagram carousel splitter. For other platforms, the social media image resizer covers more formats.
Common mistakes
- Mixing shapes. You cannot give one slide a different orientation. Design every slide at the same ratio.
- Going outside the range. Ratios beyond 1.91:1 to 3:4. Unsupported ratios are cropped. are cropped.
- Using tiny files. Keep slides at or above the minimum width of 320 px, and ideally at the full sizes in the table.
- Putting text at the edges. With no official safe zone, edge text is the first thing to get clipped.
- Using the Stories or Reels size. Those vertical sizes belong to other formats and will not match your carousel.
- Assuming the Ads Guide rules apply to organic posts. Ad limits for cards, ratio and file size are for ads only.