What the Instagram resizer does
Instagram needs a picture in a certain shape. When a photo does not have that shape, Instagram crops it or adds empty space in a way that you cannot control. The resizer makes the picture the exact size first. It supports every Instagram format, and shows the areas that the app covers or crops.
How to resize a photo for Instagram
- Choose your photo.
- Select the Instagram format. Story is 1080 x 1920, and the post formats are 1080 pixels wide.
- Select how the photo should fill the frame: crop (Fill), solid bars, or a blurred background.
- Download the picture as a JPG or a PNG.
Which method to use
| Method | What happens | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Fill | The photo covers the frame and the edges are cropped. You choose which part stays by dragging. | Photos that are close to the right shape |
| Fit with a blurred background | The whole photo is visible, with a blurred copy of it behind | Landscape photos, screenshots, and Stories made from posts |
| Fit with solid bars | The whole photo is visible, with bars in a colour you choose | Branded looks, text posts and graphics |
Common conversions
- A landscape photo to a Story. Use a blurred background, so that the whole photo shows in the middle of the 9:16 frame.
- A square post to a Story. The same: fit it with a blurred background or solid bars.
- A phone photo to a portrait post. Use Fill with the 4:5 format, and drag to choose the part.
- A wide photo to a square post. Use Fill and drag, or fit it with bars if you cannot lose the edges.
Quality and privacy
The photo is processed in your browser and is not uploaded anywhere. If your photo is smaller than the target size, it has to be enlarged, and the tool tells you when that happens. JPG is the best choice for photos, and PNG for graphics with text.
Related pages
See the sizes for Stories, posts, Reels, profile pictures and highlight covers, or read the guide to every Instagram size. For general tools, use the Instagram image cropper, the image resizer and the image compressor.