Highlightly Team
Instagram has three carousel formats: feed carousels, Stories sequences, and Reels covers. Each has different dimension requirements, and getting the size wrong means cropped content, blurry images, or text cut off by UI elements.
Use the same aspect ratio for every slide in a feed carousel.
Instagram crops all slides in a carousel to the same ratio. If you mix square and portrait slides, Instagram will crop them all to match the first slide. Pick one ratio and stick with it.
Feed carousels
Instagram feed carousel dimensions
Instagram feed carousel sizes
The 4:5 portrait ratio is the best choice for most Instagram carousels. It fills more of the mobile screen, which means more attention and higher engagement. Use 1:1 if your content is already designed for square or if you want consistency with LinkedIn.
Stories
Instagram Stories carousel dimensions
Instagram Stories use 1080x1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio). This is a full-screen vertical format. Each story slide displays for up to 15 seconds for images and up to 60 seconds for videos.
Stories design tips
- Size: 1080x1920 pixels (9:16).
- Safe zone: keep text within the center 1080x1420 area to avoid UI overlap.
- Top 250px: overlap with the username and close button.
- Bottom 350px: overlap with the reply bar and swipe-up area.
- Use bold, large text — stories are viewed quickly on small screens.
- Interactive elements (polls, questions, stickers) need clear space around them.
Reels covers
Instagram Reels cover dimensions
Reels covers display at 1080x1920 (9:16) when someone views the Reel, but they crop to 1:1 (1080x1080) on your profile grid. This means you need to keep the important content centered so it survives both crops.
Reels cover tips
- Full Reels cover: 1080x1920 (9:16).
- Profile grid crop: 1080x1080 (1:1) — the center portion.
- Keep the title text and key visual within the center 1080x1080 zone.
- Avoid placing text at the very top or bottom of the cover.
- Use a consistent cover style across your Reels for a cohesive profile grid.
Best practices
How to design swipeable Instagram carousels that perform
Carousel design workflow
Choose your ratio
Pick 1:1 or 4:5 for feed carousels. Use 4:5 if you want more engagement. Use 9:16 for Stories.
Design slide one for the hook
The first slide must stop the scroll. Use a bold claim, a surprising stat, or a question that makes the reader want to swipe.
One idea per slide
Each slide should carry one point. Do not cram multiple ideas onto a single slide.
Use consistent branding
Same colors, fonts, and layout style on every slide. The carousel should look like a system.
End with a CTA
The last slide should tell the reader what to do next: save, share, comment, follow, or click the link in bio.
Create Instagram content
Design Instagram carousels with the right dimensions.
Highlightly supports square (1:1), portrait (4:5), and story (9:16) exports. Design once and export for every Instagram format.
Start designingFeed carousels
The 4:5 portrait ratio gets the most engagement on Instagram.
Instagram feed carousels support up to 20 slides. Use 1080x1080 (square) or 1080x1350 (portrait) for all slides. Keep the same ratio for every slide in the carousel.
Frequently asked questions
Research sources