# Instagram Reel size and dimensions > Make a Reel 1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical, between 3 seconds and 3 minutes, exported as an MP4 (H.264 video, AAC sound). Keep text and the subject inside the upper middle of the frame: the app covers about the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% at each side. ## The numbers | | Reels | | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | | Size | 1080 × 1920 pixels | | Aspect ratio | 9:16, full-screen vertical | | Length | 3 seconds to 3 minutes | | Cover | The first frame, or a 1080 × 1920 image you upload | | File | MP4 (H.264 video, AAC sound) | Shoot and export at 1080 × 1920. Instagram compresses whatever you upload, so a bigger file doesn't look better, and a smaller one looks worse. A horizontal clip can be posted as a Reel, but it shows with black bars above and below and takes a third of the screen. ## Where the size comes from 9:16 is the shape of a phone screen held upright. A Reel at 1080 × 1920 fills it with nothing around the edges. That's the whole reason the format works: a Reel is the only thing on screen. The 3-minute limit is from January 2025, when Instagram raised it from 90 seconds. Adam Mosseri, who runs Instagram, said creators had told them "90 seconds is just too short" for the stories they wanted to tell ([Lindsey Gamble, Jan 21, 2025](https://www.lindseygamble.com/blog/instagram-three-minute-reels)). The limit is a ceiling; most business Reels are under 20 seconds. [How long should a Reel be](https://getrazzle.com/guides/how-long-should-a-reel-be) goes through length by what the Reel is for. ## The part of the frame you can actually use The frame is 1080 × 1920, but the app draws over it: the caption, the account name and the music at the bottom, the like, comment and share buttons down the right, and the top bar. Anything you put there is covered. Meta's own safe-zone guidance for Reels leaves about 14% clear at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side. Razzle lays text out inside those numbers, which on a 1080 × 1920 frame means: | Edge | Keep clear | Safe area | | ------ | ---------- | ------------ | | Top | 269 px | from y = 269 | | Bottom | 672 px | to y = 1248 | | Left | 65 px | from x = 65 | | Right | 120 px | to x = 960 | So the box where text is always readable is roughly 895 × 980 pixels, in the upper middle of the frame. Put the subject and every line of text inside it. The [Reels safe zone tool](https://getrazzle.com/tools/reels-safe-zone) draws this box over your own frame, and [where to put text on Reels](https://getrazzle.com/guides/where-to-put-text-on-reels) shows what each app covers. ## The same video on other apps If the Reel is also going to TikTok, Shorts or LinkedIn, the size is the same (1080 × 1920, 9:16) but each app covers a different part of the frame. TikTok covers the most at the bottom, Shorts the least. Razzle's "All platforms" safe zone takes the strictest edge from each app, so one export is readable on all of them. ## Feed preview and the grid A Reel also appears in the feed and on your profile grid, where it is cropped. The feed shows a taller-than-square cut and the grid a tile, both taken from the centre of the frame. Keep the subject and the first line in the middle of the frame, not at the top or bottom, and the crop takes care of itself. If you upload a separate cover, choose one where the middle makes sense on its own. ## Export settings that keep it sharp - **1080 × 1920, 30 frames a second.** 60 fps is accepted, but 30 is what most phones shoot and what the app plays. - **H.264 in an MP4 with AAC sound.** The format every app accepts without re-encoding on your side. - **Export, don't screen-record.** A screen recording of a video loses a full step of quality before Instagram compresses it again. - **Convert phone footage first if it's HEVC or HDR.** iPhone's default format is HEVC and often 10-bit HDR, which some apps flatten or wash out. Razzle's [convert for Instagram](https://getrazzle.com/tools/convert-for-instagram) tool turns it into plain H.264 in the browser. ## Making one the right size without an editor If your Reel is words on music, the [text to video](https://getrazzle.com/tools/text-to-video) tool makes a 1080 × 1920 Reel from your lines, timed to the beat, with the text already inside the safe area, and the [carousel maker](https://getrazzle.com/tools/carousel-maker) does the 1080 × 1350 version for a feed post. Both export files you can post straight from your phone. ``` New size, same rule 1080 by 1920 Text in the middle Nothing at the bottom Post it ``` [Make this video](https://getrazzle.com/new?template=product-drop&lines=New+size%2C+same+rule%7C1080+by+1920%7CText+in+the+middle%7CNothing+at+the+bottom%7CPost+it&ratio=9%3A16) ## Questions ### What size should an Instagram Reel be? 1080 × 1920 pixels, which is a 9:16 vertical. It fills a phone screen with nothing around the edges. Export at that size; Instagram compresses it either way. ### How long can an Instagram Reel be? From 3 seconds to 3 minutes. Instagram raised the limit from 90 seconds in January 2025. Most business Reels work best under 20 seconds. ### Can I post a horizontal video as a Reel? Yes, but it plays with black bars above and below and fills about a third of the screen. Crop it to 9:16 or remake it vertical. ### What size is a Reel cover? 1080 × 1920, the same as the Reel. The feed and the profile grid crop it from the centre, so keep the subject in the middle of the frame. ## Try it on Razzle - [Reels safe zone tool (see what the app covers)](https://getrazzle.com/tools/reels-safe-zone) - [Text to video (1080 × 1920, text inside the safe area)](https://getrazzle.com/tools/text-to-video) - [Where to put text on Reels](https://getrazzle.com/guides/where-to-put-text-on-reels) --- Source: https://getrazzle.com/guides/instagram-reel-size · Markdown: https://getrazzle.com/guides/instagram-reel-size.md · Updated 2026-11-13