Instagram carousel size and specs (2026)

What size is an Instagram carousel in 2026?

1080 × 1350 pixels. Instagram’s Help Center says it uploads photos “at the best quality resolution possible (up to a width of 1080 pixels)” and keeps the original resolution “as long as the photo’s aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4 (a width of 1080 pixels with a height between 566 and 1440 pixels).”^[1] Anything taller or wider is cropped to fit; anything wider than 1080 pixels is scaled down.^[1] That gives four shapes at full quality: 1080 × 566, 1080 × 1080, 1080 × 1350 and 1080 × 1440.

Design at 4:5 unless you have a reason not to. It fills more of the feed than square and is the shape Meta recommends for image carousel ads in Instagram Feed,^[9] so one set of files serves both. The 3:4 shape is newer: Adam Mosseri announced on May 29, 2025 that “Instagram now supports 3:4 aspect ratio photos,” as 9to5Mac reported, for single posts and carousels alike.^[7]

Organic carousel specs: sizes, slides, video, caption

Everything in this table is from Instagram’s Help Center or Meta’s developer documentation. Where the two differ, both figures are shown.

The shared-ratio rule is the one that breaks carousels. The Help Center says: “the orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) affects all of the photos or videos in your post. You can’t select a different orientation for each photo or video.”^[2] A square photo in a set of 4:5 designs is cropped or padded to match. Export every slide at the same pixel size before you open the app, and pick the first slide first.

What are the video, caption and hashtag limits?

Video. Instagram’s Help Center does not publish a per-clip length for videos inside an organic carousel. It does say that “videos in carousels are not considered reels and will not show up in the Reels tab or have reels features,” and that posts with several videos take longer to upload.^[2] Meta’s developer docs say the same from the other side: “Reels cannot appear in carousels.”^[3] For reference, a reel can be 3 seconds to 15 minutes, 23 to 60 frames a second and up to 300 MB through the API,^[3] at a minimum of 30 frames a second and 720 pixels between 1.91:1 and 9:16.^[4] The nearest published cap is Meta’s carousel ad spec: video cards up to 2 minutes in Instagram Feed.^[8]

Caption. 2,200 characters and up to 20 @ tags, per the developer docs.^[3] Put the point of the post in the first line.

Hashtags. The Help Center now says: “You can use up to 5 tags on a post. If you include more than 5 tags on a single photo/video, your comment won’t post.”^[5] Social Media Today reported the change on December 18, 2025, quoting Instagram: “Instagram will gradually update the number of hashtags that you can include in a caption for a reel or post to five.”^[6] Meta’s developer docs and its carousel ad specs still say 30.^[3][8]

Instagram carousel ad specs by placement

Carousel ads have their own rules, published in two places: the Business Help Center’s design specifications page and the Ads Guide, which has a page per placement. The Help Center gives Instagram cards as 1:1 or 4:5 in Feed and 9:16 in Stories, 2 to 10 cards in Feed, images up to 30 MB, videos up to 4 GB and 2 minutes in Feed or 15 seconds in Stories, 125 characters of text and up to 30 hashtags.^[8]

Two behaviors matter for the design. In Instagram Feed, Meta may apply custom positioning: “the ad delivery system determines which piece of creative a person is most likely to respond to, and displays it first to that person,” though the card order stays the same.^[9] So every card needs to work as a first card. And video cards autoplay with sound off; videos under 30 seconds loop for about 90 seconds and longer ones do not.^[8] Text limits for other placements are in Facebook ad character limits by placement.

Where do Meta’s pages disagree?

Meta’s pages are updated at different times, and in October 2026 they disagree in four places. Follow the page closest to where you are posting.

1. The tallest organic ratio. Instagram’s Help Center says 3:4 (1080 × 1440).^[1] Meta’s developer docs for API publishing still say the aspect ratio “must be within a 4:5 to 1.91:1 range.”^[3] If you post through a scheduling tool, assume 4:5 is the ceiling.
2. Stories carousel cards. The Help Center’s design specs page says the maximum for Instagram Stories is 3 cards.^[8] The Ads Guide page for the same placement says 2 to 10, with 1 to 3 shown before the viewer taps Expand Story.^[10]
3. Hashtags. 5 on the organic Help Center page,^[5] 30 on the developer docs and the ad specs.^[3][8]
4. Facebook Feed text. The Help Center gives 125 characters of text, a 40-character headline and a 25-character link description for Facebook carousel cards.^[8] The Ads Guide’s Facebook Feed page gives 80, 20 and 18.^[11]

How to prepare one set of files for the post and the ad

1. 1

   Design every slide at 1080 × 1350

   4:5 is within Instagram’s full-resolution range^[1] and is the Ads Guide’s ratio for image-only carousel ads in Instagram Feed.^[9] If a card will be video in an ad, design at 1080 × 1080, because video carousels in Feed are 1:1 only.^[9]
2. 2

   Make a 9:16 version of the first three cards

   Stories show 1 to 3 cards before Expand Story.^[10] Export 1080 × 1920 with the headline inside the safe zone.
3. 3

   Keep every slide at one ratio

   Instagram applies one orientation to the whole post,^[2] and carousel ads crop to one ratio with a 1% tolerance in Instagram placements.^[9]
4. 4

   Export JPG or PNG, under 8 MB

   8 MB is the API’s image cap;^[3] ads allow 30 MB.^[8] Videos as MP4 or MOV.^[9]
5. 5

   Write the caption for the first line, with 5 hashtags at most

   2,200 characters are available,^[3] and the Help Center caps hashtags at 5.^[5]

The Showfolk Instagram ad maker builds static ads in exactly these shapes: every ad comes back in the feed (4:5) and story (9:16) sizes, with the headline and logo placed as real text layers in your brand’s fonts inside Meta’s safe zone. The free ad mockup tool shows how a slide looks in the feed before you post it. The sizes for single-image ads are in Meta static ad sizes.

Questions people ask

What is the best size for an Instagram carousel post?

1080 × 1350 pixels, a 4:5 portrait. Instagram keeps photos at full resolution up to 1080 pixels wide between 1.91:1 and 3:4, and 4:5 is also the Ads Guide ratio for image-only carousel ads in Instagram Feed.

Can an Instagram carousel have different sizes per slide?

No. Instagram’s Help Center says the orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) applies to all of the photos or videos in the post, and you cannot pick a different orientation for each one. Export every slide at the same pixel size.

How many slides can an Instagram carousel have in 2026?

Up to 20 photos and videos in the Instagram app. Posts published through Meta’s API are limited to 10 items, and carousel ads to 10 cards.

How long can a video be in an Instagram carousel?

Instagram’s Help Center publishes no per-clip limit for organic carousels; it says only that carousel videos are not reels. Meta’s carousel ad spec allows video cards up to 2 minutes in Instagram Feed and 15 seconds in Stories.

What are the Instagram carousel ad specs?

In Instagram Feed: 4:5 for image-only carousels, 1:1 if any card is a video, at least 1080 × 1080 pixels, 2 to 10 cards, videos up to 2 minutes, 125 characters of primary text. In Stories: 9:16 at 1080 × 1920, videos up to 15 seconds, a 40-character headline.

How many hashtags can an Instagram carousel have?

Five. Instagram’s Help Center says you can use up to 5 tags on a post. Meta’s developer docs and carousel ad specs still list 30, the old limit.

Sources

Every figure above points at one of these. Facts were last checked on October 9, 2026.

1. [1]Instagram Help Center: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram. Up to 1080 pixels wide; original resolution kept for aspect ratios between 1.91:1 and 3:4 (566 to 1440 pixels tall); unsupported ratios are cropped
2. [2]Instagram Help Center: Share a post with multiple photos or videos on Instagram. Up to 20 photos and videos; one orientation for the whole post; carousel videos are not reels
3. [3]Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform, IG User Media endpoint reference. Caption 2,200 characters, 30 hashtags, 20 @ tags; image JPEG, 8 MB, 4:5 to 1.91:1, 320 to 1440 pixels wide; reels 3 seconds to 15 minutes, 23 to 60 fps, 300 MB; carousels of up to 10 items; reels cannot appear in carousels
4. [4]Instagram Help Center: Reel size and aspect ratios on Instagram. Reels between 1.91:1 and 9:16, minimum 30 fps and 720 pixels
5. [5]Instagram Help Center: Use hashtags on Instagram. “You can use up to 5 tags on a post.”
6. [6]Social Media Today, December 18, 2025: Instagram implements new limits on hashtag use. Instagram’s statement that the hashtag count for a reel or post will be updated to five
7. [7]9to5Mac, May 29, 2025: Instagram changes standard photo aspect ratio. Mosseri on Threads: “Instagram now supports 3:4 aspect ratio photos”; applies to single posts and carousels
8. [8]Meta Business Help Center: Design specifications for carousel ads. Instagram 1:1 or 4:5 in Feed and 9:16 in Stories; 3 cards in Stories, 10 in Feed; video 2 minutes in Feed, 15 seconds in Stories; text 125, hashtags 30; Facebook text 125, headline 40, link description 25; videos under 30 seconds loop
9. [9]Meta Ads Guide: Carousel ad specs for Instagram Feed. 4:5 for image-only carousels, 1:1 for carousels with video; 2 to 10 cards; 2 minutes; primary text 125; 30 hashtags; 1% tolerance; custom positioning
10. [10]Meta Ads Guide: Carousel ad specs for Instagram Stories. 9:16 at 1080 × 1920; 1 to 3 cards shown before Expand Story; 2 to 10 cards; 15 seconds; headline 40; the 14% / 35% / 6% safe zone
11. [11]Meta Ads Guide: Carousel ad specs for Facebook Feed. 1:1 at 1080 × 1080; primary text 80, headline 20, description 18; 240 minutes; 3% tolerance
12. [12]Meta Ads Guide: Carousel ad specs for Instagram Reels. 9:16, at least 1080 × 1080, 2 to 10 cards