Instagram Reel size, cover crop and safe zones
The short answer
An Instagram Reel is 1080 × 1920 pixels at 9:16, and Meta recommends keeping text and logos out of roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% of each side — checked 31 July 2026.
Source: Meta Business Help — text overlays and the safe zone in Stories and Reels · Last checked · READ FROM SOURCE
The 14% / 35% / 6% safe-zone percentages are Meta’s published guidance for Reels. Meta does not publish a fixed byte ceiling for a still image, so this tool reports your output size without asserting a limit.
Workbench
1080 × 1920 · 9:16
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Why this asset is awkward
The Reels safe zone is unusually aggressive: Meta’s own guidance is to leave about 35% of the bottom free, because the caption, audio row, action buttons and profile chip all stack there. That is more than a third of the frame gone before you add the top 14% for the header. Design outside those bounds and Instagram will bury your text under its own interface.
This page draws those exact percentages on your image and lets you reposition until the subject sits in the clear middle band. The second preset on this page is the Reel cover — same 1080 × 1920 canvas, but with the square profile-grid crop marked, because a cover that looks great full-screen often turns into an elbow on your grid.
Exact specification
| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Formats | File limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | png, jpeg | Not published |
| Instagram Reel cover | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | png, jpeg | Not published |
This one page also answers: instagram reel dimensions, instagram reel cover size, reels aspect ratio. They describe the same asset, so they share a single URL rather than getting a thin page each.
What the overlays mean
The clear rectangle is Meta’s published safe zone: 14% in from the top, 35% up from the bottom, 6% in from each side. Anything outside it may be covered by Instagram’s interface. Switch to the Reel cover preset to see the 1:1 crop your profile grid takes from the centre instead.
- Meta safe zonekeep content hereReel
- Meta recommends leaving roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos so the profile icon, caption and call to action do not cover them.
- Caption and action railcoveredReel
- The bottom 35% carries the caption, audio row and action buttons. Anything there gets covered.
- Profile grid crop (1:1)keep content hereReel cover
- Your profile grid shows a square crop of the cover. Put the subject inside this square or your grid will show an armpit and a wall.
- Caption and action railcoveredReel cover
- The bottom 35% is covered by Instagram UI when the Reel plays.
Three things that go wrong
- 01
Put the hook above the middle
With 35% of the bottom unusable, the readable area sits in the upper-middle of the frame. Headline text belongs there, not centred.
- 02
A Reel cover has two jobs
It has to work full-screen and as a square grid tile. Use the cover preset and check both previews before exporting — the grid crop is what your profile visitors judge.
- 03
Export tall, not square
Uploading a 1:1 image to Reels leaves Instagram to pad or crop it. Start from 1080 × 1920 and let this tool fill the ratio with a blurred or solid background if your source is not vertical.
Questions people actually ask
What is the Instagram Reel size in pixels?
1080 × 1920 pixels, which is a 9:16 vertical ratio. That is the same canvas as a Story, but the safe zone is different: Reels lose far more of the bottom to interface elements.
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?
Meta recommends leaving roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and other key elements, so the profile icon, caption and call to action do not cover them. Those percentages are drawn on your image here.
What size is a Reel cover photo?
The same 1080 × 1920 as the Reel itself. The difference is that your profile grid shows a square crop of it. Instagram lets you nudge that crop when you publish; this tool shows the centred square as the default starting point so you can compose for it.
Does Instagram compress my image anyway?
Yes — Instagram re-encodes uploads. That is a reason to upload at exactly 1080 × 1920 rather than something larger: it gives Instagram no reason to resample your image before it compresses it, which is where most visible quality loss comes from.
More Instagram sizes
The same job on other platforms
Need several of these at once? The One Image to Social Pack takes a single focal point and exports every destination you choose as one ZIP with a manifest.