Resize image for Instagram Portrait (1080×1350)
1080×1350 is Instagram's tallest allowed in-feed aspect ratio (4:5). Portrait posts take up more vertical real estate on a phone than square posts, dramatically increasing engagement on average.
1080×1350 pixels (4:5) is the tallest image Instagram will show in the feed without cropping. It occupies roughly a quarter more vertical screen than a square post on the same phone, which means a longer dwell time as someone scrolls past. Anything taller than 4:5 is cropped back to 4:5 on upload, so 1350 is a hard ceiling rather than a recommendation. This is the format to default to when the goal is reach, simply because it takes up more of the screen than a square or landscape post and is harder to scroll past. Export as JPEG in sRGB. The one place it works against you is the profile grid, which crops every post to the same 4:5 shape — so a portrait post survives the grid intact while a landscape one is cut hard on both sides.
Drop an image to resize to 1080×1350
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Why is 1080x1350 the tallest Instagram post?
Instagram accepts aspect ratios between 1.91:1 (wide) and 4:5 (tall) for feed imagery. Submit something taller — a 9:16 vertical, for example — and the platform centre-crops it down to 4:5 during ingest, discarding the top and bottom. You do not get to choose where that crop lands, which is why exporting at 4:5 yourself is not just about quality but about controlling composition. The width cap is the same 1080 pixels used across all feed formats, so 1080×1350 is the largest genuinely useful portrait file. As with the square format, the server resamples and re-encodes as JPEG on the way in; supplying the exact pixel dimensions removes one lossy stage. Portrait posts also change how captions render: because the image consumes more of the viewport, the caption is pushed further down and the first line carries more weight in whether someone taps 'more'.
The 2025 grid change and what it means for 4:5
Instagram replaced the square profile grid with a 3:4 vertical grid in January 2025. This was unusually good news for portrait posts: a 4:5 image is very close to 3:4, so the grid crop removes only a thin sliver from the top and bottom rather than slicing a square out of the middle. In practice a 4:5 post loses about 7% of its height in the grid, compared to the roughly 25% of width a 1:1 post loses. The remaining constraint is the caption overlay in the grid preview and the small pill icons Instagram places in the corner of multi-image posts, which sit over the bottom-right of the thumbnail. Keep faces and text away from that corner. In carousels, the first slide's 4:5 ratio locks every subsequent slide to 4:5, so mixed-orientation carousels need to be built at a single ratio from the start.
When portrait beats square and when it does not
Portrait is the default choice for anything where vertical detail carries the message: full-length product shots, people, architecture, before-and-after stacks, text-heavy carousel slides. The extra height means more legible type at the same physical size on a phone. Square remains better in three cases — when the composition is genuinely horizontal and cropping to 4:5 would cut the subject, when you are planning a grid layout where consistent square cells matter aesthetically, and when the same asset is being repurposed to a platform that expects 1:1. If you are producing one asset for several destinations, build at 1080×1350 and crop down to 1080×1080 rather than the reverse; cropping loses pixels but upscaling a square to portrait invents them and looks soft.
Instagram Portrait tip: get more feed real estate at 4:5
Portrait posts get about 25% more screen real estate than square posts in the feed. Use 1080×1350 for selfies, products, and any photo where vertical detail matters.
Instagram Portrait size FAQ
Can I post something taller than 1080×1350?
- You can upload it, but Instagram centre-crops it back to 4:5 and you do not control where the crop falls. Export at 1350 to keep the composition yours.
How much more screen does portrait actually get?
- Roughly 25% more vertical space than a square post on the same phone, which is the main reason portrait tends to hold attention longer.
Does portrait survive the profile grid?
- Better than square does. Since the grid moved to 3:4 in January 2025, a 4:5 image loses only about 7% of its height instead of a quarter of its width.
Is this the same as the Pinterest Pin size?
- No. Pinterest prefers 2:3 at 1000×1500, which is noticeably taller. Use the Pinterest preset for that platform.
Why does my caption get cut off on portrait posts?
- The taller image pushes the caption further down the viewport, so fewer lines show before the 'more' link. Front-load the first sentence.
Can I mix portrait and square in one carousel?
- No. The first slide fixes the ratio for the entire carousel, so build every slide at the same dimensions.
Should I upscale a square image to 1080×1350?
- Avoid it. Upscaling invents pixels and looks soft. Shoot or export tall from the start and crop down if you need a square version.
Which corner should I keep clear?
- The bottom-right of the grid thumbnail, where Instagram places the multi-image and Reel indicator icons.
Portrait compared with the other feed formats
| Format | Pixels | Screen height used | Loss in 3:4 grid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | Highest allowed | ~7% of height |
| Square 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Baseline | ~25% of width |
| Landscape 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 | Lowest | Heavy side crop |
| Taller than 4:5 | cropped to 1350 | n/a | Crop position not chosen by you |
4:5 is a hard ceiling — Instagram crops anything taller back to 1080×1350 during upload.
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References: Instagram Help Center supported aspect ratios; Instagram profile grid change announcement, January 2025; crop behaviour verified against the Instagram iOS client.