Video size
Instagram Reels video size
Reels is the only Instagram surface that fills the screen at 9:16. Upload anything wider and Instagram either letterboxes it or crops it for you, usually badly.
- Resolution
- 1080x1920
- Aspect ratio
- 9:16
- Also accepted
- 1:1 · 4:5 · 16:9
File: MP4 or MOV, H.264 video, AAC audio, 30fps.
Length: Instagram has raised the Reels cap repeatedly. Short still travels further, so treat anything past three minutes as a deliberate choice.
Export suggestions, not a guarantee of how every upload will display. Rules checked: July 2026. Platform docs.
Need to keep the whole scene? Read our guide to resizing without cropping.
Crop or fit calculator
Enter your source dimensions. Crop fills the output by trimming edges; fit keeps the whole scene and adds space around it. No file upload needed.
Enter whole-pixel dimensions from 1 to 32768.
- Source crop box
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- Source offset
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- Trimmed away
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- Export at
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The outline shows the crop or fitted picture. Shaded bands are rough layout guides for vertical output, not official safe-zone dimensions. Actual controls vary by device, captions and player state; check the upload preview.
Do the crop on your phone
Cropzen crops, trims and resizes video to these ratios on Android. No watermark or sign-up. 1080p exports are free; Pro adds 4K.
What to watch out for on Instagram
- The caption, username and audio strip sit along the bottom. Keep any burned-in text above that band.
- The right rail of like, comment and share icons eats the right edge on every vertical platform, not just this one.
- A 4:5 upload still plays in Reels but shows bars, which reads as recycled feed content.
Questions people ask
What size should a Instagram Reels video be?
A suggested export is 1080 by 1920 pixels at 9:16. Reels is the only Instagram surface that fills the screen at 9:16. Upload anything wider and Instagram either letterboxes it or crops it for you, usually badly.
Which aspect ratio does Instagram accept besides 9:16?
1:1, 4:5, 16:9 all upload, but they show bars or get cropped. 9:16 is the one that fills the frame.
Where does the Instagram interface cover the video?
Controls and captions can cover the picture differently across devices and viewing modes. The shaded calculator preview is an illustrative margin, not an official safe-zone specification. Check your upload preview before placing important text near an edge.
How do I crop a video I already shot to this size?
Use the calculator on this page to get the exact crop box, then apply it in any editor. On Android, Cropzen does it in a few taps with no watermark and no sign-up.