Instagram ad sizes: the right dimensions for every placement

Placement	Ratio	Pixels	Source
Stories ad	9:16	1080x1920 recommended, 600x1067 minimum	Meta, design requirements for Stories ads
Reels ad	9:16	Full-screen vertical	Meta, best practices for aspect ratios
Feed ad (single image)	1:1 recommended, 4:5 supported	1080x1080 for square	Meta, best practices for aspect ratios
Regular feed post	1.91:1 to 3:4	1080 wide, 566 to 1440 tall	Instagram Help Center

Stories ads accept jpg and png images up to 30 MB, and an image shows for 5 seconds by default.

Because two different rules apply. Regular posts follow Instagram's own rules: a photo 1080 wide keeps its original resolution as long as its ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4; otherwise it is cropped to a supported ratio. That makes 3:4 at 1080x1440 the tallest regular post.

Paid ads follow Meta Ads Manager's list. For Instagram Feed it lists ratios including 1:1 and 4:5, not 3:4, and Meta recommends 1:1 for single-image ads in the Instagram Feed. If you upload a 3:4 image as an ad, Ads Manager may adjust it automatically to fit the placement.

In practice: 3:4 for regular posts, 1:1 for feed ads, and check the crop preview before publishing if you use anything else.

Meta recommends 9:16 for Stories and Reels placements because most people hold their phones vertically. According to Meta's design requirements for Instagram Stories ads:

• The recommended resolution is 1080x1920, with a minimum of 600x1067.
• Photos can be jpg or png, up to 30 MB.
• An image shows for 5 seconds by default.
• All feed ratios from 1.91:1 to 4:5 are also supported in Stories, but only 9:16 fills the screen.

A square image in Stories shows with empty space around it, so design a separate vertical version instead of reusing the feed image.

Meta defines the Safe Zone as the area of an ad that will not be cropped or covered by the interface, such as the profile icon or the call-to-action button. Its guidance:

• For 9:16 ads in Stories and Reels, keep the top, bottom and side edges free of text, logos and key elements.
• For Instagram Feed ads in other ratios such as 1:1 or 4:5, keep the bottom and side edges clear.
• If a Reels ad includes a disclaimer, leave the bottom 40% free of text, logos and key elements.
• On screens taller than 9:16, Meta may zoom the creative, cropping anything outside the Safe Zone.

Ads Manager can show the Safe Zone as a yellow overlay on your creative, so turn it on before you publish.

According to Meta, starting in January 2026 Instagram Explore is no longer available as a placement in Ads Manager. When people tap tiles in the Explore grid they go to an immersive Reels viewer, and ads targeting the Instagram Reels placement now show in what used to be the Explore feed. Ad sets that targeted Explore deliver to the other placements they target, and Explore home can still be selected as a placement.

The upshot: the 9:16 version of your ad matters more, because it now serves Stories, Reels and the Explore space at once.

If you also advertise on Snapchat, its single image ads are full-screen and vertical:

Item	Snapchat specification
Ratio and size	9:16 at 1080x1920
Minimum	720x1280
Format and file size	PNG or JPEG, up to 5 MB
Brand name	Up to 32 characters
Headline	Up to 34 characters

A still image becomes a 5-second ad on Snapchat. So the same 9:16 story version works on both platforms; just check the edges on each.

You choose the format before designing, and the ad is designed in it from the start rather than cropped later:

CamelShot format	Pixels	Suggested use
Portrait 3:4	1080x1440	Regular Instagram posts
Square 1:1	1080x1080	Paid feed ads
Story 9:16	1080x1920	Stories, Reels and Snapchat

Designs leave margins around the copy and the product, with wider margins at the top and bottom of stories. If you like a design and need it in another size, request a version in the new format: it is a new image for 1 credit, and the original stays saved.