Instagram carousel sizes and dimensions
Use 1080 × 1350 pixels for a 4:5 portrait carousel or 1080 × 1080 pixels for a square carousel. Keep every card in the post at the same dimensions, and multiply the slide width by the number of cards when preparing one seamless horizontal canvas.
Portrait: 1080 × 1350 px per slide
Square: 1080 × 1080 px per slide
Landscape: 1080 × 566 px per slide
Story: 1080 × 1920 px, for Story output rather than a standard feed carousel
Recommended carousel dimensions
| Format | Ratio | Pixels per slide | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | Feed presence, education, photography |
| Square | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Flexible layouts and reusable graphics |
| Landscape | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 | Wide scenes with less feed height |
| Story | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Story-specific reuse |
Platform behaviour changes over time and can differ between the Instagram app and external publishing tools. Treat these as dependable working sizes, then inspect Instagram’s final crop preview before posting.
How wide should a seamless carousel canvas be?
For a horizontal seamless composition, keep the slide height unchanged and multiply the slide width by the number of cards:
Total canvas width = slide width × number of slides
| Slides | Portrait canvas | Square canvas |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2160 × 1350 | 2160 × 1080 |
| 3 | 3240 × 1350 | 3240 × 1080 |
| 5 | 5400 × 1350 | 5400 × 1080 |
| 10 | 10800 × 1350 | 10800 × 1080 |
You then split the wide design into equal 1080-pixel sections. A dedicated carousel editor can handle that composition and splitting without requiring you to manage a huge bitmap manually.
Portrait or square: which should you choose?
Choose portrait for more feed space
A 4:5 portrait card occupies more vertical space on a phone. It works well for tutorials, product details, photo stories, and text-led slides where hierarchy benefits from extra height.
Choose square for flexible composition
A square slide is easier to reuse and can feel less dense. It suits centred layouts, portfolios, quote posts, and designs where neither dimension should dominate.
Use landscape deliberately
Landscape can showcase a wide scene, but it appears smaller in a vertical feed. It is usually a creative choice rather than the default for instructional content.
Design around the slide boundaries
A mathematically exact split can still look awkward if the composition ignores the swipe. Place intentional visual handoffs across boundaries: a line that continues, a subject that points toward the next card, or a background that flows. Keep body text, faces, and important logos inside one card unless the split is part of the idea.
Common sizing mistakes
- Mixing different dimensions in one prepared carousel.
- Starting the layout before choosing portrait or square.
- Resizing individual cards independently after splitting.
- Putting small text against the outer edge or swipe boundary.
- Uploading cards out of order.
- Using Story dimensions for a feed post without checking the crop.
SwayFolio creates the continuous canvas from your chosen format and slide count, then exports equal cards in order. See the complete seamless carousel workflow.