# Instagram square post size: is 1080×1080 still worth it? [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-square-post-size) Square was Instagram's original shape and it is still everywhere. But the feed favours taller posts and the grid now cuts the sides off squares. Here is when 1080×1080 still earns its place. ## The short version - The Instagram square post size is 1080×1080 pixels, an aspect ratio of 1:1. - A square post is 80 percent of the height of a 1080×1350 portrait post, so it takes less of the screen in the feed. - The profile grid shows posts as 3:4 tiles, which crops about 135 pixels from each side of a square post. - Square still makes sense when one design must also serve Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads or other square formats, or when the subject is naturally square. - In a carousel, every slide takes the shape of the first, so a square opener makes the whole carousel square. The **Instagram square post size** is 1080×1080 pixels, a 1:1 frame. Is it still worth using? Sometimes. For a post made only for Instagram, portrait at 1080×1350 is usually better: it is taller in the feed and loses less in the profile grid. Square wins when the same design has to work on other square platforms, when the subject is square by nature, like a logo, an album cover or a product on a plain ground, or when a carousel needs a calmer, more compact shape. ## Instagram square size and what changed For years the profile grid was made of squares, so a square post was the one shape that looked the same everywhere. Instagram has since moved the grid to taller 3:4 tiles. A square post now gets trimmed in the grid: scaled to fill a 3:4 tile, it keeps the middle 810 pixels of its width and loses about 135 pixels on the left and on the right. - Square post 1:1: 1080 × 1080 - Grid tile 3:4: 810 × 1080 - Portrait post 4:5: 1080 × 1350 A square post, the 3:4 slice of it the grid keeps, and a portrait post for comparison. The square loses its sides; the portrait loses only a sliver. None of that affects the feed itself, where square posts show in full. It only matters on your profile, which is where people decide whether to follow. The way each shape is cut is laid out in [Instagram grid crop](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-profile-grid-crop). ## Square versus portrait on Instagram ### Square 1080×1080 - 80% of portrait's height in the feed - Loses about 135 px each side in the grid - Reuses directly on several other platforms - Suits logos, covers and centred objects - Compact, calm, easy to lay out ### Portrait 1080×1350 - The tallest feed shape - Loses only a thin strip in the grid - Instagram, Threads, Facebook and LinkedIn portrait - Suits type, faces and anything with a story - More room for a headline and a detail line If you only post to Instagram and your posts are designed, portrait is the stronger default. [Instagram post size](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-post-size) covers why in more detail. The rest of this article is about the cases where square is the better tool. ## When 1080×1080 is still the right size The strongest argument for square is reuse. A great many platforms recommend a square image, and one square master covers them with no relayout at all, or only a change of export size. | Where | Square size (px) | | --- | --- | | Instagram square post | 1080×1080 | | Threads square post | 1080×1080 | | Facebook post | 1200×1200 | | LinkedIn post | 1200×1200 | | Reddit post | 1080×1080 | | Spotify playlist cover | 1080×1080 | | Pinterest square pin | 1000×1000 | Square formats across platforms. Facebook and LinkedIn ask for 1200 wide; export the same design at that size rather than upscaling a 1080 file. - **Logos, badges and seals:** they are designed round or square, and a tall frame just adds empty space. - **Album, playlist and podcast artwork:** the shape people already know. See [album cover design](https://gradiently.design/guide/album-cover-design). - **Product shots on a plain ground:** a bottle or a bowl centred in a square looks like a catalogue page. - **Quote cards with a short line:** a few words centred in a square feel composed rather than lost. [Quote post design](https://gradiently.design/guide/quote-post-design) has layouts. - **Posts shared to Facebook and LinkedIn as well:** one square avoids making three versions. ## Designing a square post for the 3:4 grid Because the grid trims the sides, a square needs a safe area: the middle 810×1080. Anything outside it shows in the feed and nowhere on your profile. 1. **Set up 1080×1080 with side guides** Draw vertical guides 135 pixels in from the left and right edges. Words and logos stay between them. 2. **Centre the composition** Square loves symmetry. Put the subject or the headline on the vertical centre line and let the background breathe around it. 3. **Keep the headline narrow** Break long lines so each fits inside 810 pixels with a margin. "Open late, every Friday" sits better on two lines than one. 4. **Leave the corners to the background** The corners are the first thing the grid removes. A gradient or texture there costs nothing when it is cut. A square 1080 by 1080 Instagram post with the quote Good bread takes time centred on a gradient A square quote card with the words held inside the middle 810 pixels. A portrait 1080 by 1350 version of the same bakery quote card The same card as a portrait post: more height, more presence in the feed. ## Square posts in carousels Every slide in a carousel takes the shape of the first. A square carousel is shorter than a portrait one, so each slide shows a little less, but it has two real strengths. It is easier to make [a carousel where one image runs across every slide](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-carousel), because square panels join into a tidy strip. And it is the safest shape if the carousel will be reposted as separate square images elsewhere. For tips carousels with several lines of text per slide, portrait gives you the extra height you need. Decide the shape before you design slide one; changing it later means relaying out every slide. [Instagram carousel size](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-size) goes through the options. > **Make each shape on purpose** Cropping a portrait post to square usually cuts the headline or the subject. Lay the design out again instead. In Gradiently, resizing (one new size free, every size in one step with Pro) rebuilds the layout for each format, and the Mark behind it renders fresh for the new frame rather than stretching. ## FAQ ### What is the Instagram square post size? 1080×1080 pixels, an aspect ratio of 1:1. ### Is square or 4:5 better on Instagram? For posts made only for Instagram, 4:5 portrait at 1080×1350 is usually better because it is taller in the feed. Square is better when the design must also work on other square formats or the subject is naturally square. ### Does Instagram crop square posts on the profile grid? Yes. The grid uses 3:4 tiles, so a square post loses roughly 135 pixels from each side. Keep words inside the middle 810 pixels. ### Can a carousel be square? Yes. If the first slide is square, the whole carousel is square, and every other slide is cropped to match. ### Should I upload square posts at 1200×1200? Instagram displays posts at up to 1080 wide, so 1080×1080 is enough. Use 1200×1200 for Facebook and LinkedIn, which recommend it.