Quick answer: Instagram shows posts up to 1080 px wide and keeps any aspect ratio from 1.91:1 to 3:4. For a product mockup, use 1080 × 1350 (4:5) or 1080 × 1440 (3:4) for the most feed space, 1080 × 1080 when the image will also be reused elsewhere, and 1080 × 1920 (9:16) for stories. Put one phone or browser window in the center, add a short headline, keep the edges free of anything important, and export every carousel card at the same size.
Instagram post sizes for 2026: quick reference
Instagram's help center says photos are shown at up to 1080 pixels wide, and that photos between 320 and 1080 pixels wide keep their original resolution if the aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4, which at 1080 wide is a height between 566 and 1440 pixels.
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Canvas (px) | In MockupX |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square feed post | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Square preset |
| Portrait feed post | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | Portrait preset |
| Tall portrait feed post | 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 | Custom size |
| Landscape feed post | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 | Custom size |
| Story / full-screen vertical | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Story preset |
| Feed ad (Meta recommendation) | 4:5 | 1440 × 1800 | Custom size |
| Story ad (Meta recommendation) | 9:16 | 1440 × 2560 | Custom size |
The custom sizes are typed into MockupX's width and height fields (anything from 320 to 6000 px).
Sources: Instagram Help: image resolution of photos you share, Instagram Help: posts with multiple photos or videos, and the Meta Ads Guide for Instagram feed and Instagram Stories images, all checked October 29, 2026.
How Instagram resizes and crops your upload
Knowing the rules lets you predict what will happen to a mockup before posting it.
- Wider than 1080 px: sized down to 1080 wide. A 2160 × 2700 export ends up as 1080 × 1350, so a 2× export gains nothing on an organic post.
- Narrower than 320 px: enlarged to 320 wide, which looks soft.
- Between 320 and 1080 px wide, inside the ratio range: kept at original resolution.
- Outside 1.91:1 to 3:4: cropped to a supported ratio. A 1080 × 1920 story-shaped image posted to the feed is trimmed top and bottom, which often cuts off the headline.
| You export | What Instagram shows | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1080 × 1350 | 1080 × 1350, unchanged | Ideal |
| 1080 × 1440 | 1080 × 1440, unchanged | Ideal, tallest feed shape |
| 2160 × 2160 | 1080 × 1080 | Fine, larger file for no gain |
| 1080 × 1920 in the feed | Cropped to fit a supported ratio | Rebuild at 3:4 or 4:5 |
| 1920 × 1080 (16:9) | About 1080 × 608, small in the feed | Use 1:1 or 4:5 instead |
Square, portrait, landscape or story?
Square
The most reusable shape: the same file works on LinkedIn, X and Facebook. Keep the screenshot centered and the copy short.
Portrait
More feed height than square, and the ratio Meta recommends for feed ads. A good default for product launches.
Tall portrait
The tallest shape Instagram keeps uncropped. Fits a portrait phone mockup with a two-line headline comfortably.
Story
Full-screen vertical. Built for stories, not the feed; leave room at the top and bottom for Instagram's interface.
Landscape (1.91:1, 1080 × 566) suits a wide browser screenshot in theory, but it takes the least space on a phone screen and makes interface text tiny. For web products, a tight crop in 4:5 usually beats a full-width landscape post.
Safe zones, the profile grid and edge crops
Three crops can hide parts of your design:
- Story overlays. Meta's ads guide recommends keeping roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and about 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements. On a 1080 × 1920 canvas that is about 270 px at the top, 670 px at the bottom and 65 px at each side. The guidance is written for ads, but organic stories also show the account name at the top and a reply bar at the bottom, so the same margins are a sensible default.
- The profile grid. Your profile shows a cropped thumbnail of each post, not the full image. Keep the headline and the phone or browser window near the center, and check the grid after publishing.
- Edges. Instagram's own interface sits around the post. Don't put a logo or a call to action tight against an edge.
Phone, browser or frameless?
For mobile apps. A portrait phone fills a 4:5 or 3:4 canvas naturally. MockupX has iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and Air frames, plus Pixel and Nothing Phone. See the iPhone mockup guide.
For web products. Crop to one panel first; a full desktop page is unreadable at 1080 px wide. See the browser mockup guide.
For a product-photo feel in a launch post. Works best in square or with a tilt, with very little copy.
For tips, changelog highlights and before/after posts where the interface detail is the content.
How to make an Instagram post mockup in MockupX
- Pick the placement.Feed post, carousel card or story. Decide before you design.
- Set the canvas.Choose Square, Portrait or Story in the Frame tab, or type 1080 × 1440 or 1080 × 566 as a custom size.
- Choose the frame and add the screenshot.Phone, browser, laptop or frameless. Drop, paste, upload, capture or send it from your phone with Phone upload.
- Crop to one product moment.Use Edit on the media slot to crop to the feature the post is about. Use Fit if the bottom tab bar or header must stay visible.
- Pick a layout and background.Single float for most posts; tilt for energy; duo for before and after. Choose a background that separates the device from the canvas.
- Add a short headline.Turn on Optional content. One benefit in a few words.
- Check at feed size.Shrink the preview to roughly phone-feed size: can you still read the headline and recognize the screen?
- Export at 1×.PNG keeps UI text crisp; JPEG gives a smaller file for photographic backgrounds. A 2× export is downsized by Instagram anyway.
Choose a social preset, place your screenshot, adjust the frame and background, then export the final artwork.
Headlines that read in the feed
An Instagram post is seen at roughly the width of a phone screen, while people scroll. The headline has a second to land.
- One benefit, a few words. “Book a table in two taps” reads; a sentence listing four features does not.
- Let the screenshot prove it. The headline makes the claim, the interface shows it. Don't repeat the screen's labels in the headline.
- Make it big. If the headline needs zooming at feed size, cut words rather than shrinking type.
- Keep claims true. No results, numbers or features the product doesn't have; a polished mockup makes a wrong claim look more authoritative.
- Put long copy in the caption, where it can be read and searched, not in the image.
Carousel posts: up to 20 cards, one shape
Instagram allows up to 20 photos and videos in one post, and the orientation you choose applies to every item. Export every card at the same dimensions, or Instagram will crop the odd ones to match.
- Keep the background family, headline position and device scale the same on every card so only the content changes.
- Make card one work on its own; many viewers never swipe.
- Use only as many cards as you have distinct points. Twenty is a limit, not a target.
The Instagram carousel mockup page covers multi-card layouts in more detail, and the Instagram story mockup page covers vertical stories.
Organic posts vs Instagram ads
Paid placements follow the Meta Ads Guide, which differs slightly from organic posting:
| Spec | Organic feed post | Instagram feed ad | Instagram story ad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 1.91:1 to 3:4 | 1.91:1 to 4:5 (4:5 recommended) | 9:16 |
| Recommended size | 1080 px wide | 1440 × 1800 | 1440 × 2560 |
| Minimum width | 320 px (smaller is enlarged) | 500 px | 500 px |
| File type / size | — | JPG or PNG, up to 30 MB | JPG or PNG, up to 30 MB |
If one image must serve both, 4:5 is the overlap. Build at 1440 × 1800 for the ad and export a 1080 × 1350 version for the organic post. For Facebook placements, see the Facebook ad mockup page.
Worked example: announcing a new app feature
A meal-planning app is announcing a shopping-list feature with a feed post, a three-card carousel and a story.
- Feed post (1080 × 1440).iPhone 17 in Sage, single float, shopping-list screen with sample groceries. Headline above: “Your list writes itself.” The phone fills the middle 60% of the canvas.
- Carousel (3 × 1080 × 1350).Card 1 repeats the feed message; card 2 shows the recipe screen with the “add to list” button; card 3 shows the list grouped by aisle. Same background, same phone scale, same headline position.
- Story (1080 × 1920).Same phone, headline in the upper middle, nothing in the top 270 px or bottom 670 px.
- Check.Each export viewed on a phone; the carousel cards placed side by side to confirm they line up; the profile grid checked after posting.
Instagram mockup mistakes and how to check for them
| Mistake | How to spot it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Story image posted to the feed | Headline or phone cut off after upload. | Rebuild at 4:5 or 3:4. |
| Whole desktop page in a square | Text unreadable on a phone. | Crop to one panel or use a phone screen. |
| Mixed carousel sizes | Cards shift or crop as you swipe. | Export every card at the same size. |
| Logo or text at the edge | Cut off in the grid or covered by story UI. | Move key elements toward the center; respect the safe zones. |
| Low-resolution source | Soft interface at 100% zoom. | Use the original capture, not a chat-app copy. |
| Device blends into background | Outline invisible at feed size. | Change the finish or background; add a little shadow. |
| Watermark left on | Visible MockupX mark on the post. | Export from a paid account for published posts. |
Instagram post mockup FAQ
What size should an Instagram post mockup be?
Instagram displays photos up to 1080 pixels wide and keeps aspect ratios between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 3:4 (portrait). At 1080 px wide that means 1080 × 1080 for square, 1080 × 1350 for 4:5 portrait, 1080 × 1440 for 3:4 portrait and 1080 × 566 for landscape.
Is 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1440 better for Instagram?
Both are supported for organic posts. 1080 × 1440 (3:4) is the tallest ratio Instagram keeps without cropping and uses the most feed space. 1080 × 1350 (4:5) is the ratio Meta recommends for Instagram feed ads and works for both organic and paid placements.
What size should an Instagram Story mockup be?
Stories are 9:16. A 1080 × 1920 canvas matches Instagram's 1080-pixel display width; Meta's ads guide recommends 1440 × 2560 for story ads. Keep text and logos out of roughly the top 14% and bottom 35% of the frame, which Meta flags for interface overlays.
How many images can an Instagram carousel have?
Up to 20 photos and videos in one post. The orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) applies to every item, so export all cards at the same size.
What happens if I upload an image wider than 1080 pixels?
Instagram sizes it down to 1080 pixels wide. Images narrower than 320 pixels are enlarged to 320, and images outside the supported aspect ratio range are cropped to fit.
Should an Instagram product mockup use a phone or a browser frame?
Use the frame that matches the product: a phone for a mobile app, a browser or laptop for a web product. On a 1080-pixel-wide post a whole desktop page becomes unreadable, so crop a web screenshot to one panel.
How do I keep text from being cropped in the profile grid?
The profile grid shows a cropped preview of each post, not the full image. Keep the headline, logo and the important part of the screenshot near the center, and check the grid after publishing.
Can I export Instagram mockups for free with MockupX?
You can design for free. Exporting requires sign-in; free exports are PNG or JPEG with a MockupX watermark, and paid plans remove it.