Crop a Photo for an Instagram Post, Square or Tall
Crop a photo to an Instagram post at 1080 × 1080 px, or switch to 4:5 or 3:4 and see the exact crop first. It runs in your browser.
How to crop a photo for an Instagram post
- Choose the photo. The cropper opens at Instagram square, 1080 × 1080 px.
- Pick Portrait or Tall portrait under Social presets if the subject is vertical. Landscape is there for wide views.
- Drag the frame to the part that carries the post. The preview shows what stays and what goes.
- Press Download crop. The file name ends in the ratio, so square and portrait versions do not mix in your gallery.
Why this page opens on the square
The square is the oldest Instagram shape and still the one I reach for with a subject in the middle. Instagram's help page, which I read on 28 October 2026, keeps a photo as it is when its shape lies between 1.91:1 and 3:4 and crops anything outside that range. The square sits inside it, and so do 4:5 and 3:4.
Those are the three sizes on the page. When I checked again on 30 October the help page would not load, so I compared Sprout Social and Hootsuite: both list 1080 × 1080 and 1080 × 1350, and Sprout adds that the profile grid always shows a post at 3:4, which is 1012 × 1350 px.
The post shapes, cropped from two of my photos
| Post shape | File size | Lake Jasna, 960 × 1200 px | Red bicycle, 1200 × 800 px |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 px | crop 960 × 960 | crop 800 × 800 |
| Portrait 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 px | crop 960 × 1200 | crop 640 × 800 |
| Tall portrait 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 px | crop 900 × 1200 | crop 600 × 800 |
The lake photo is already a 4:5 portrait, so that crop keeps every pixel. The square takes 80% of its height. The bicycle photo is a landscape, so the portrait crops keep about half of its width.
Square or portrait
A portrait post fills more of the phone screen than a square, so it gets more of the viewer's attention while they scroll. I use it for people and tall buildings. The square is the safer pick for a logo, a product shot or a picture with a clear centre, since it also looks right in places that crop to a square.
That is the part people forget about the grid. Sprout Social says the profile grid always displays posts at 3:4 and lists 1012 × 1350 px for it, so the sides of a 4:5 photo are trimmed there. Keep anything important away from the left and right edges.
Carousels and the first photo
A carousel takes its shape from the first photo you pick; the rest are cropped to match. I crop every picture of a carousel to the same preset before I upload, so I decide each crop instead of leaving it to the app. For a story use the Instagram story cropper, which shows the areas the app covers.
Tips for Instagram posts
- Crop every picture of a carousel to the same preset, or the first one decides for the rest.
- Keep faces and text away from the left and right edges of a 4:5 post, where the profile grid trims it.
- Start from the original; a square crop from a small web copy is enlarged and softer.
- Tick Prevent upscaling when the photo is smaller than the post; Instagram keeps widths from 320 to 1080 pixels as they are.
- Name the files by shape. The ratio at the end of the file name does that for you.
Privacy
Your image never leaves your device. Opening, cropping and saving all happen in your browser, so nothing is uploaded or stored, and you do not need an account. The saved file does not keep the original EXIF, GPS or XMP data.
Frequently asked questions
What size should I crop an Instagram post to?
Instagram keeps photos up to 1080 pixels wide, with heights from 566 to 1440 at that width. The common choices are 1080 × 1080 for a square, 1080 × 1350 for 4:5 and 1080 × 1440 for 3:4.
Why are my Instagram posts cropped?
Instagram crops a photo whose shape lies outside 1.91:1 to 3:4, and the profile grid shows every post at 3:4. Cropping first lets you decide which part stays instead of leaving it to the app.
How do I crop an image to Instagram post size?
Open the photo here, keep the Instagram square preset or choose another, drag the frame and press Download crop. The file comes out at the exact pixel size of the preset.
Can I crop an Instagram photo after posting?
Instagram lets you edit the caption and some details of a post, but not re-crop its photo. Crop it here before you upload, and post the file again if you want a different shape.
How do I crop the photos of a carousel?
Crop each one with the same preset, one after another. The first picture sets the shape of the carousel, so a mix of squares and portraits would be cut to match the first.
Related tools and guides
- Image Cropper: Crop images to exact ratios or popular preset sizes.
- Crop Your Instagram Profile Picture With a Circle Preview: Crop a profile picture to a square 320 × 320 px file and see the circle Instagram will show. It runs in your browser; the photo is not uploaded.
- Crop a Photo for an Instagram Story, With the Covered Areas: Crop a photo to a 1080 × 1920 px Instagram story and see the top and bottom areas the app covers before you save. It runs in your browser.
- Image Resizer: Resize images by pixels, percentage or longest side.
- Put your photos together in one image: Join photos side by side, stacked or in a grid, with adjustable gaps and borders.
- Add text to your photo and keep it readable: Put captions on a photo with a gradient, tint or box behind them and a live contrast check.
- Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2026: Days, Hours and Data: Once the photo is cropped: the days and hours when posts reach the most people.
- Lake Jasna, Slovenia: My Photography and Visitor Guide: The lake photographed in every season.