Instagram’s new grid layout: post sizes and ratios
Instagram have ditched their square grid after 14 long years, so it’s time for us to make some changes…
This guide will talk you through everything you need to know about Instagram’s new look, from the aspect ratios you should bear in mind, what sizes you should make your posts and how you can make your Instagram grid look more aesthetic again.
Why did Instagram change their grid?
There had been rumours for a while that Instagram would change our profiles to a “TikTok grid”, so we’d be able to see more of our reels cover photos.
In January 2025 they confirmed this and started to roll out the new 3:4 aspect ratio grid to all personal, creator and business accounts on Instagram.
The thing that’s made this a little bit tricky is that with the new grid, you still won’t be able to see the full post - there will still be some areas that are essentially ‘greyed out’.
Do you need to change what size you create your posts?
Short answer is no, you don’t need to change the size you make your posts (phew!) BUT you do need to bear in mind that some of your post won’t be visible on the new look profile.
As reels and photo posts have different aspect ratios (particularly the heights) on your home feed, it means Instagram have had to create a new “grid post size” (3:4). Because of that, I’ve mocked up which parts of your post will be visible on your profile (and the sizes you need to know too).
2025 Instagram post size guide:
My advice for anybody who’s not sure what size they should make their posts - think about maximising the post size for the home feed as your priority.
Why? The more of Instagram’s real estate you can take up by making your post taller, the more chance you’ll have of it being engaged with (if your post is a thin letterbox, it’ll take up 25% of the screen vs a tall photo post which would equate to around 70% of your screen size)
Photo posts and carousels - 1080 x 1350px
Reels - 1080 x 1920px
Stories - 1080 x 1920px too
But these are the sizes Instagram will show on your profile:
Photo posts and carousels - 1012 x 1350px (3:4) - it’ll cut off a small amount of the left and right hand side.
Reels - 1080 x 1440px (3:4) - it’ll cut off some of the left, right and top and bottom of your reel.
How can I make sure my grid looks good with these new changes?
Because of all of this, you can use these features to help organise your Instagram grid:
Change things up: You can adjust the “preview” of your reel, aka - the cover photo. If you head to the menu next to your post (the three dots “…”) and then select “adjust preview” option, you’ll be able to select which part of the 3:4 ratio you’d like to show on your Instagram profile.
Same goes for photo posts too: you can adjust the preview for your carousels and photo posts in the same way.
Archive them! You can archive any posts that don’t fit your vibe anymore.
Move your reels: You could move your reels across so they just sit in the reels tab too. If you select the … menu again and choose “Remove from profile grid”, you’ll be sorted!
The main thing though, a long as somebody who is new to your profile can see:
✔️ What you can do for them (why should they follow you!)
✔️ More about you and who you are (I’d recommend pinning a post to the top of your profile)
✔️ And they’re intrigued to find out more about you and what you do
… then you’re in a great place. Some niches do benefit from having an aesthetic grid though - say, the beauty, fashion and interiors niches, so spending a bit of time giving your profile some TLC is only a good idea!
If you’re not sure how many times a week you should be posting on Instagram, I have a posting guide for you just here too.