Instagram Reel Cover Size: Dimensions, Grid Crop and Safe Zones (2026)

Your Reel cover is the picture people see before they press play. It shows up in three places, and each one crops it differently. Design it once the right way and it looks clean everywhere.

The short answer

• Cover size to design: 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall (9:16).
• What your profile grid shows: the middle 1080 by 1440 pixels (3:4).
• Safest place for your title: the middle 1080 by 1350 pixels of the cover.

The profile grid is no longer square

For years Instagram cropped every post on your profile to a square. In January 2025 it switched the grid to taller 3:4 rectangles. Many guides, templates and planning tools still show squares, so check any template you downloaded before then.

What this means for a Reel cover: Instagram keeps the middle of your 9:16 image and trims 240 pixels from the top and 240 pixels from the bottom. Anything in those two strips will not show on your profile.

Where each crop appears

• Reels tab and full-screen view: the whole 1080 by 1920 cover.
• Profile grid: the middle 1080 by 1440 (3:4).
• Home feed: a tall crop of the middle, roughly 4:5. The top and bottom are trimmed here too.

Where to put text and faces

If you remember one rule, make it this: keep your title, logo and the main face inside the middle 1080 by 1350 pixels. That area survives the grid crop and the feed crop.

Three more things help:

1. Leave the bottom third quiet. When the Reel plays, your caption, username and audio name sit over the bottom of the video. Plan for about 670 pixels at the bottom to be covered.
2. Keep clear of the right edge. The like, comment and share buttons sit there. Leave a wider margin on the right than on the left.
3. Stay below the very top. About 270 pixels at the top can be covered by the app's header.

Three common mistakes

• Title at the very top. It looks good full screen, then disappears on your profile.
• Using a square template. Old 1:1 guides put your text in a box that is now too wide and too short.
• Tiny text. A cover on the profile grid is about a third of the phone's width. If you can't read the title at that size, shorten it.

Make the text easy to read

• Stack short words. A tall cover is narrow, so put two or three short words on separate lines instead of one long line.
• Use a backing strip. A solid or semi-transparent strip behind the text keeps it readable over a busy photo.
• Add an outline or shadow. A thin outline separates the letters from colours that match them.

Make your grid look like one account

1. Pick two main colours and use them on every cover.
2. Reuse one layout. For example, title on the left and face on the right, every time.
3. Tag a series. A small, consistent label inside the safe middle area helps returning viewers spot the next episode.

How to set a cover

1. Make a 1080 by 1920 image in any design app.
2. When you post the Reel, tap Edit cover.
3. Choose Add from camera roll and pick your image.
4. Use the grid preview to slide the crop until your title sits in the frame.

You can also pick a frame from the video, but a designed cover gives you control over the text.

Check it before you post

Preview how the cover sits beside your other posts in the Instagram Grid Planner. If you need the full size chart for posts, Stories and Reels, see Best Instagram Size (2026 Guide).

References

• Instagram Help Center