Videos · Glossary
Instagram Reel size: 1080 x 1920 and the grid crop
An Instagram Reel is a 9:16 vertical video, usually made at 1080 by 1920 pixels. Meta's Reels ad specification recommends 1440 by 2560 for ads and asks for the top 14 percent, the bottom 35 percent and 6 percent on each side to be kept free of text. On the profile grid the cover shows as a 3:4 crop, 1080 by 1440.
A Reel is seen in two places with two shapes: full screen in the Reels feed and cropped on the profile grid. The size question is really about designing one frame that survives both, plus the band at the bottom where Instagram writes the caption.
Indunil Asanka · Co-founder
4 min read · Published
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | 9:16, made at 1080 x 1920 | Sprout Social, Hootsuite |
| Reels ad resolution | 1440 x 2560 px | Meta Ads Guide |
| Minimum width, ads | 250 px under 30 s; 500 px at 30 s or longer | Meta Ads Guide |
| File type and size, ads | MP4 or MOV, up to 4 GB | Meta Ads Guide |
| Ad duration | 0 seconds to 15 minutes | Meta Ads Guide |
| Keep clear | 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side (269, 672 and 65 px on 1080 x 1920) | Meta Ads Guide |
| Cover on the profile grid | 1080 x 1440, a 3:4 crop of the 1080 x 1920 cover | Sprout Social, Hootsuite |
| Ad primary text | 44 characters | Meta Ads Guide |
The full screen frame
A Reel fills a phone screen held upright, which is 9:16. Making it at 1080 by 1920 pixels matches the width of most phone screens, and Meta's ad guide asks for 1440 by 2560 when the Reel runs as an ad, the same shape at a higher resolution. Video settings in the ad guide are H.264, square pixels, a fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or more, which is also a sound default for organic Reels.
The 35 percent at the bottom
Meta publishes the clearest safe zone of any platform: keep at least 14 percent of the top, 35 percent of the bottom and 6 percent on each side free of text, logos and other key elements. On a 1080 by 1920 frame that is 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 at each side, leaving a usable box of about 950 by 979 pixels. The bottom third carries the account name, caption, audio line and the ad's call to action button, so a Reel that puts its price on the last line of the frame hides it.
The cover and the grid crop
When a Reel is shown on the profile grid, its cover is cropped to 3:4, which size guides give as 1080 by 1440. The crop takes the middle of the 1080 by 1920 frame, cutting 240 pixels from the top and the bottom. A cover with its title in the top band loses it on the grid. Choose a cover frame, or upload a cover image, with the subject and any words in the central 1080 by 1440 area.
Common mistakes
Posting a 16:9 clip as a Reel, which plays with bars and looks small. Writing captions or a price in the bottom 35 percent. Uploading a cover whose title is cut by the 3:4 grid crop. Writing ad primary text longer than the 44 characters Meta lists for Reels ads, which is truncated. And exporting a 4K vertical file that is slow to upload with no visible gain on a phone.
Making a Reel at this size
The video builder's vertical format is 1080 by 1920 at 30 frames a second, the Reels frame, so the editor makes this size directly: pick vertical in the generator and export an MP4. Captions are burned in on a pill 120 pixels above the bottom edge, which is inside Meta's 672 pixel bottom band, so for ads keep captions off or very short and check the export in the social safe zone checker. For a still Story or a cover image, the flyer editor's Instagram Story canvas is the same 1080 by 1920.
Questions people ask
Can a Reel be uploaded in 4:5?
Instagram plays a 4:5 video in the feed, but the Reels viewer is full screen 9:16, so a 4:5 Reel shows with empty space above and below. For anything meant to be watched in the Reels tab, make the frame 9:16 and keep the content inside the middle area.
Should a Reels ad carry its own captions?
Yes. Meta notes that Reels ads are not auto captioned, and many people scroll with the sound off. Burning captions into the video before upload is the reliable way to make an ad readable in silence. Keep each caption line short so it stays above the deep band at the bottom of the frame.
What size should a Reel cover image be?
Make the cover 1080 by 1920 so it matches the video, then keep its title and subject inside the central 1080 by 1440 area, which is what the profile grid shows. A cover designed edge to edge loses its top and bottom on the grid.
Is a Reel the same size as a Story?
Both are 9:16 and are usually made at 1080 by 1920, so one frame can serve as both. The overlays differ: a Story has a reply bar at the bottom and a progress bar at the top, a Reel has the caption, audio line and buttons. Meta's 14 and 35 percent margins cover both.
How long can an Instagram Reel ad be?
Meta's Reels ad specification lists a duration from 0 seconds to 15 minutes and files up to 4 GB. Most Reels ads are far shorter, because the first two or three seconds decide whether someone keeps watching, and a short ad is cheaper to test in several versions.
Make one with videos
The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own.
Create a video with OneCraftRelated questions
- Instagram profile picture size: 320 x 320 pixelsInstagram profile picture size: upload a 320 x 320 square; it shows as a small circle, about 110 pixels wide on a profile, so the corners are always cut off.
- Instagram carousel size: 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1080Instagram carousel size: 1080 x 1350 for portrait 4:5 slides or 1080 x 1080 for square. The first slide sets the shape for the set, and the grid crop.
- Facebook event cover photo size: 1920 x 1005Facebook event cover photo size: 1920 x 1005 pixels, about 1.91:1, replacing the older 1920 x 1080. Why smaller images blur and where to keep the text.
Step by step in the builder: Export a video for YouTube, Reels and TikTok, then Make a promo video with AI voiceover.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .