Short answer: the best Instagram carousel size in 2026 is 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) for every slide. Instagram also accepts 1080 x 1440 (3:4) in the app, 1080 x 1080 (1:1 square) and 1080 x 566 (1.91:1 landscape), but every slide takes the shape of the first one, and a carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos. In a random sample of 15,000 Instagram posts published through FeedHive, image carousels earned 24 to 29% more interactions than the same account's typical image post, and carousels with 4 to 5 slides beat the account's typical carousel on both reach and interactions. Two-slide carousels did worst.
Most carousel size guides stop at the pixel numbers and then repeat that "7 to 10 slides" is the sweet spot. Below you get every carousel dimension with its official source, the 3:4 catch that trips up scheduled carousels, the exact canvas size for a seamless panorama carousel, and what our data says about how many slides to use.
Instagram carousel sizes at a glance
| Carousel shape | Size in pixels | Aspect ratio | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait (recommended) | 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 | Default for every carousel. Works in the app and through scheduling tools |
| Tall portrait | 1080 x 1440 | 3:4 | Carousels you post by hand in the Instagram app |
| Square | 1080 x 1080 | 1:1 | Only when the design has to be square |
| Landscape | 1080 x 566 | 1.91:1 | Wide photos you do not want to crop |
Use one of these sizes for the first slide and design every other slide at the same size. A carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos in any mix.
| Spec | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Slides per carousel | Up to 20 photos and videos | Instagram Help Center, Meta developer docs |
| Shape | All slides take the orientation of the first one | Instagram Help Center, Meta developer docs |
| Width | 1080 px is stored in the app; the API accepts 320 to 1440 px | Instagram Help Center, Meta developer docs |
| Aspect ratio in the app | 1.91:1 to 3:4 | Instagram Help Center |
| Aspect ratio through the API | 4:5 to 1.91:1 | Meta developer docs |
| Image format and file size (API) | JPEG, 8 MB maximum per image | Meta developer docs |
| Videos in a carousel | Allowed, but not treated as Reels | Instagram Help Center, Meta developer docs |
Sources: Instagram Help Center pages on carousels and photo resolution, and Meta's developer documentation on content publishing and the media endpoint. All checked on November 13, 2026.
The first slide sets the size of the whole carousel
This is the rule that causes most carousel cropping. Instagram's help page says the orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) applies to every photo and video in the post, and that you cannot pick a different orientation per slide. Meta's developer documentation says the same for published carousels: all images are cropped based on the first image.
In practice:
- A landscape slide in a portrait carousel is cropped to portrait, so the sides of the photo disappear.
- A portrait slide in a square carousel loses its top and bottom.
- Text placed near the edges of a slide that does not match the first slide is the first thing to go.
Pick the shape for the first slide, set your design canvas to that exact size, and build every slide on the same canvas. In the app you can drag each photo to choose which part stays in the frame, but the slide is still cropped to the shape of the first one.
Do carousels perform better? What our data shows
We took a random sample of 15,000 Instagram posts published through FeedHive between July 13 and November 9, 2026, and compared each post with the same account's typical post. That way a large account cannot drown out a small one, and the result reflects what changes when the same account picks a different format.
What we found, with the range across two independent random samples:
- Carousels earn more interactions. Image carousels got 24 to 29% more likes, comments, shares and saves than the same account's typical image post, and 13 to 14% more saves and shares. Single images were slightly below typical on both.
- Carousels do not reach many more people. Reach for image carousels was only 2 to 3% above typical, about the same as single images. The gain shows up in what people do once they see the post. 4:5 carousels did a little better on reach, at 7 to 9% above the account's typical image post. Our Instagram post size study, which covered July to October, found a larger reach lift for 4:5 carousels; with fresh samples and two more weeks of data, the interaction lift holds and the reach lift is smaller.
- Reels still reach the most people. When we compared every format with each account's typical post, Reels reached about 30% more accounts than typical, while image carousels reached about 28% fewer. Carousels are the strongest format for still images, not a replacement for video.
The shape people choose lines up with the advice: about four in five carousels in our sample started with a 4:5 slide, about one in nine was square and fewer than one in ten was landscape. Square and landscape carousels were too rare to compare on their own.
How many slides should an Instagram carousel have?
Instagram allows up to 20 slides, and many guides recommend 7 to 10. Our data does not back the longer end of that range. We compared each carousel with the same account's typical carousel, so this measures what happens when one account posts a shorter or longer carousel.
- Two slides is the weakest length. Two-slide carousels reached 7 to 9% fewer accounts than the account's typical carousel and got 8 to 18% fewer interactions, in both samples.
- 4 to 5 slides is the safe choice. It was the only length above typical on both reach (8 to 9%) and interactions (10 to 14%) in both samples. It is also the most common length: the typical carousel in our sample had 5 slides.
- 3 slides earned many interactions (17 to 26% above typical) but no extra reach.
- Going past 5 slides added no consistent gain. Carousels with 6 to 10 slides came out above typical in one sample and around typical or below in the other.
So the practical rule: never stop at two slides, aim for 4 or 5, and only go longer when the content needs the room, like a step-by-step tutorial. Our data stops at 10 slides, because FeedHive publishes carousels of up to 10, so we cannot say how 11 to 20 slide carousels perform.
4:5 or 3:4 for carousels?
In 2025 Instagram switched the profile grid to taller 3:4 tiles, and the Instagram app now keeps photos at full resolution anywhere from 1.91:1 to 3:4, so a 1080 x 1440 carousel works when you post it in the app. Meta's developer documentation, which scheduling tools use to auto-publish, still lists the feed image range as 4:5 to 1.91:1. A 3:4 slide is outside it.
That matters more for carousels than single posts, because a single 3:4 slide puts the carousel outside the range the API lists. Our recommendation: design carousels at 1080 x 1350 (4:5). It fills almost the whole 3:4 grid tile, works in the app and through scheduling tools, and it is what four in five carousels in our sample already use. Use 3:4 only for carousels you publish by hand in the app.
Seamless carousel size: the canvas for panoramas
A seamless (or panorama) carousel is one wide design split into slides, so the image continues as people swipe. The canvas is simply the slide width times the number of slides, at the height of your chosen shape:
| Slides | 4:5 canvas (recommended) | 1:1 canvas | 3:4 canvas (app only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2,160 x 1350 | 2,160 x 1080 | 2,160 x 1440 |
| 3 | 3,240 x 1350 | 3,240 x 1080 | 3,240 x 1440 |
| 4 | 4,320 x 1350 | 4,320 x 1080 | 4,320 x 1440 |
| 5 | 5,400 x 1350 | 5,400 x 1080 | 5,400 x 1440 |
| 6 | 6,480 x 1350 | 6,480 x 1080 | 6,480 x 1440 |
| 8 | 8,640 x 1350 | 8,640 x 1080 | 8,640 x 1440 |
| 10 | 10,800 x 1350 | 10,800 x 1080 | 10,800 x 1440 |
How to make one:
- Set the canvas to the size in the table, for example 5,400 x 1350 pixels for a five-slide 4:5 carousel.
- Mark the slide edges with guides every 1,080 pixels, and keep faces and text away from them. Anything that crosses a cut is split across two slides.
- Export each 1080-pixel slice as its own JPEG, in order. Most design tools can export a canvas as slices; otherwise crop each slice by hand.
- Upload the slices in order as one carousel, and check the preview before you post.
How the first slide looks on your profile grid
Your profile grid shows only the first slide, as a 3:4 tile. Buffer recommends keeping the key part of the visual centered for this reason. Here is how much of each first-slide size falls outside a centered 3:4 tile (our own arithmetic):
| First slide size | Visible in the 3:4 grid tile | Hidden on each side |
|---|---|---|
| 1080 x 1440 (3:4) | The whole slide | 0 px |
| 1080 x 1350 (4:5) | 1013 x 1350 | about 34 px (6% of the width in total) |
| 1080 x 1080 (1:1) | 810 x 1080 | 135 px (25% of the width in total) |
| 1080 x 566 (1.91:1) | 425 x 566 | about 328 px (61% of the width in total) |
A 4:5 cover slide loses a thin strip on each side. A square one loses a quarter of its width, enough to cut off a headline that runs close to the edges. Put the hook of your carousel in the middle of the first slide.
Videos in a carousel
You can mix photos and videos in one carousel. Videos take the same shape as the first slide, so a 9:16 video in a 4:5 carousel is cropped to 4:5. Instagram's help page notes that videos in carousels are not treated as Reels: they do not show up in the Reels tab or get Reels features. If a video should travel as a Reel, post it as a Reel, sized 1080 x 1920. See our Instagram post size guide for Reel and Story dimensions.
Schedule Instagram carousels in the right size
FeedHive's Instagram scheduler lets you plan carousels, single posts, Reels and Stories in one calendar and see a preview before anything goes live. It checks that every image in an Instagram carousel has the same proportions and flags a feed image outside Instagram's 4:5 to 1.91:1 range when you create the post, not when publishing fails. FeedHive currently publishes carousels of up to 10 slides.
Once your carousels are out, FeedHive analytics shows reach and engagement per post, so you can test 4 slides against 8 on your own account. Pick the slot from our best time to post on Instagram study and keep a steady rhythm with recurring posting slots. Plans are on the pricing page.
How we measured this
We drew a random sample of 15,000 Instagram posts published through FeedHive with publish dates from July 13 to November 9, 2026, and used each post's latest analytics snapshot taken at least three days after publishing. Stories were excluded. A carousel is a post with two or more media items; the shape is the aspect ratio of the first item.
For the format comparison we measured each image post (single images and image-only carousels) against the account's median reach, interactions (likes, comments, shares and saves) and saves plus shares across its image posts in the sample. For the Reels comparison we measured every non-Story post against the account's median across all its posts in the sample. For the slide-count comparison we measured each carousel against the account's median carousel. Results are averaged per account first, so every account counts equally. We excluded accounts with fewer than six qualifying posts in the sample or a median reach under 30, and groups with too few accounts or posts. We repeated the analysis on a second, independent random sample and report the range across the two. Figures are relative to each account's own typical post, not absolute reach. No customer content or account details were used or shown.
Frequently asked questions
What size should an Instagram carousel post be?
1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5) for every slide. It works in the Instagram app and through scheduling tools, and the profile grid hides only a thin strip of it.
Is Instagram 3:4 or 4:5 now?
Both. The profile grid shows 3:4 tiles and the app accepts carousels up to 3:4 (1080 x 1440). The Instagram API that scheduling tools use still stops at 4:5, so 1080 x 1350 is the carousel size that works everywhere.
Do all carousel slides have to be the same size?
Instagram gives every slide the shape of the first one, so slides of a different shape are cropped. Design all slides on the same canvas to keep full control over what is shown.
How many photos can you post in an Instagram carousel?
Up to 20 photos and videos in one carousel, in the app and through Meta's publishing API. To share more than 20, split them into two posts.
How many slides should a carousel have?
Aim for 4 to 5. In our data it was the only length that beat the account's typical carousel on both reach and interactions in both samples, while two-slide carousels did worst. Longer carousels showed no consistent extra gain.
What is a carousel post on Instagram?
A single feed post with two or more photos or videos that people swipe through. It shows the first slide with a row of dots below it, and likes and comments count for the whole post.
Can you put videos in an Instagram carousel?
Yes, you can mix photos and videos. Each video takes the carousel's shape, and videos in a carousel are not treated as Reels.
