Instagram Ad Sizes & Specs 2025: The Only Cheat Sheet You Need

Stop Guessing, Start Using the Right Specs

I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone spend $5K on Instagram ads only to realize their creative was cropped wrong, their text was cut off, or their video was too big to load properly.

Instagram has like seven different ad formats. Each one has different size requirements. Each one performs differently. And if you screw up the specs, you're wasting money.

So here's every format, every dimension, every file size limit, every character count. Bookmark this. You'll need it every time you export a new ad.

Instagram Feed Ad Specs (The Classic)

Feed ads show up in the main Instagram feed between organic posts. They're the most common format and the easiest to screw up.

Image Feed Ads

Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080 px (square) or 1080 x 1350 px (vertical) Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 4:5 (vertical) File type: JPG or PNG Max file size: 30 MB Minimum resolution: 600 x 600 px

Here's the thing: square (1:1) is safe and works everywhere, but vertical (4:5) takes up more screen space and gets better engagement. We've tested this across 50+ campaigns. Vertical ads get 20-30% higher engagement because they dominate the feed.

But if you're running automatic placements that include Facebook, you might want to stick with square so it doesn't get butchered on desktop News Feed.

Text specs:

• Primary text: 125 characters (anything longer gets truncated with "...more")
• Headline: 40 characters max
• Description: 30 characters (only shows on some placements)

Keep your primary text punchy. Front-load the hook. People scroll fast.

Video Feed Ads

Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080 px (square) or 1080 x 1350 px (vertical) Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 4:5 (same as images) File type: MP4 or MOV Max file size: 4 GB (but seriously, don't go over 100 MB) Video length: 1 second to 60 minutes (but aim for 10-30 seconds) Frame rate: 30 fps max

Real talk: if your video is longer than 15 seconds, most people won't watch it all. We see drop-off rates of 60-80% after 10 seconds. Get to the point fast.

Also, use captions. 85% of people watch Instagram videos without sound. If your ad requires audio to make sense, you've already lost.

I learned this the hard way: I ran a video ad with a voiceover but no captions. Great production, decent budget. CTR was 0.4%. Added captions, re-ran it. CTR jumped to 2.1%. Same video, same targeting, just added text overlay.

Instagram Stories Ad Specs (Full-Screen Vertical)

Stories ads are full-screen, vertical, and immersive. They disappear after 24 hours organically, but as ads they run as long as you want.

Image Stories Ads

Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1920 px Aspect ratio: 9:16 (full vertical) File type: JPG or PNG Max file size: 30 MB Safe zone: Keep important elements (text, logos, CTAs) within the center 1080 x 1420 px area to avoid overlap with profile icons and CTA buttons

This safe zone thing is critical. I've seen ads where the headline gets covered by the username or the CTA button blocks the price. Design with the safe zone in mind from the start.

Text specs:

• Primary text: 125 characters (but people barely read Stories text — put the message IN the creative)
• No headlines or descriptions for Stories

Stories are about visual impact. Your image or video should tell the story. Text overlay on the creative itself works way better than the caption.

Video Stories Ads

Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1920 px Aspect ratio: 9:16 File type: MP4 or MOV Max file size: 4 GB (keep it under 50 MB for fast loading) Video length: 1-60 seconds (but Instagram recommends 15 seconds or less) Frame rate: 30 fps max

Stories ads auto-play on mute. First 3 seconds determine if someone swipes up or swipes away. Hook them immediately.

We tested hook variations and found that showing the product or result in the first frame gets 40% more swipe-ups than slow-build narratives. Don't bury the lede.

Instagram Reels Ad Specs (Short-Form Video)

Reels are Instagram's TikTok competitor. Reels ads show up in the Reels feed and can go viral if the content is good enough.

Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1920 px Aspect ratio: 9:16 (full vertical, same as Stories) File type: MP4 or MOV Max file size: 4 GB Video length: 1-90 seconds (but aim for 7-15 seconds for ads) Frame rate: 23-60 fps Audio: Required (Reels are watched with sound on more often than Stories)

Here's what most brands get wrong with Reels ads: they make them look like ads. Reels are entertainment. If your ad screams "I'm an ad" in the first second, people will scroll.

The best-performing Reels ads we've run look like organic Reels. Fast cuts, trending audio, hook in the first second. You can include branding, but make it subtle.

Text specs:

• Primary text: Up to 2200 characters (but no one's reading that much)
• Keep text overlays brief — 5 words max per frame

Use text overlays to emphasize key points but don't clutter the screen. Reels move fast. Text should too.

Explore & Carousel Specs

Explore Ads

Explore ads show up in the Explore tab when people are browsing discovery content. Same specs as Feed ads:

Image: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1) or 1080 x 1350 px (4:5) Video: Same aspect ratios, 1-60 seconds

Explore is a discovery space. People are there to find new stuff. Ads that feel like content (not sales pitches) tend to perform better. Think product demos, tutorials, before-and-afters.

Carousel Ads

Carousel ads let you show multiple images or videos in one ad. People swipe through them. Works in Feed and Stories.

Number of cards: 2-10 (but 3-5 is the sweet spot) Image resolution: 1080 x 1080 px per card Aspect ratio: 1:1 (all cards must be the same ratio) File size: 30 MB per card Video: Same as single video specs, but each card can be up to 60 seconds

Carousels are great for showing product variations, step-by-step processes, or before-and-after sequences.

Pro tip: Put your strongest image first. 60% of people never swipe to the second card. If card one doesn't grab them, they scroll past.

Text specs:

• Primary text: 125 characters
• Headline: 32 characters per card
• Description: 20 characters (rarely used)

Each card can have its own headline, so you can tell a story across the carousel. Card 1: "Problem." Card 2: "Solution." Card 3: "Proof." Card 4: "CTA."

Common Spec Mistakes That Tank Performance

Mistake 1: Using one creative for all placements

Instagram makes it easy to run the same ad across Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore. Don't do it.

A 1:1 square image will get letterboxed in Stories (black bars top and bottom). A 9:16 Stories video will get cropped weirdly in Feed. You'll lose key visual elements and your ad will look like garbage.

Make format-specific creatives. Yes, it's more work. But we've seen 2-3x better performance when creatives are optimized per placement.

Mistake 2: Ignoring safe zones

Stories and Reels have UI elements that overlap your creative — username, profile pic, CTA button, audio indicator. If you put text or important visuals in those areas, they'll get covered.

Design in the safe zone (center 1080 x 1420 px for Stories/Reels). Keep logos, headlines, and CTAs away from the edges.

Mistake 3: Uploading massive file sizes

A 200 MB video might look gorgeous on your desktop, but it'll take 10 seconds to load on someone's phone with spotty data. By the time it loads, they've scrolled past.

Compress your videos. Tools like HandBrake or Adobe Media Encoder can get a video down to 10-20 MB without noticeable quality loss. Faster load times mean better performance.

I ran an A/B test: same video, one at 80 MB and one at 12 MB. The smaller file had 18% higher completion rates because it loaded instantly.

Mistake 4: Forgetting about mobile preview

Instagram is a mobile platform. 98% of users are on phones. Yet most people design ads on a 27-inch monitor and never check how they look on an actual phone screen.

Before you launch, AirDrop the creative to your phone and view it at actual size. Text that looked fine on your monitor might be unreadable at phone scale. Colors might look different. Motion might be too fast.

Mistake 5: Exceeding character limits

Instagram will truncate your text if it's too long. Primary text over 125 characters gets cut off with "...more." Headlines over 40 characters get chopped.

If your hook is in character 140, no one will ever see it. Front-load the important stuff.

File Size Optimization Tips

You want the best quality at the smallest file size. Here's how:

For images:

• Export at 1080px width (Instagram will compress anything bigger anyway)
• Use JPG instead of PNG for photos (way smaller file size)
• Use PNG for graphics with transparency or text overlays
• Run exports through TinyPNG or ImageOptim to shave off 30-50% without quality loss

For videos:

• Use H.264 codec (most compatible, smallest size)
• Frame rate: 24-30 fps is fine, don't go higher
• Bitrate: 5-8 Mbps for 1080p is plenty
• Audio: AAC codec, 128 kbps (you don't need lossless audio for ads)

If you're not sure how to export at these specs, most video editors have Instagram presets now. Use those.

Quick Reference Table

What About Text-Heavy Ads?

Instagram used to penalize ads with too much text in the image (the old 20% rule). They dropped that rule in 2020, but ads with less text still perform better.

We tested this: same product, same offer. One ad had minimal text (just the product name). Another had text covering 40% of the image (feature callouts, price, CTA). The minimal text ad had 2.4x higher CTR.

Why? Because Instagram is a visual platform. People are there to look at pretty pictures and videos, not read paragraphs.

If you need to communicate details, use the primary text field or put it in the landing page. Keep the creative clean and eye-catching.

Final Thoughts: Specs Matter More Than You Think

I know it's annoying to have to export five different versions of the same ad for different placements. I know it's tedious to check safe zones and compress files and count characters.

But this stuff matters. We've audited hundreds of ad accounts, and at least 30% of them have basic spec issues that are quietly killing performance.

Wrong aspect ratio? Your ad gets cropped and loses the main visual. Too big a file? It loads slowly and people scroll past. Text in the wrong zone? It gets covered by UI elements.

These aren't small optimizations. They're fundamentals. Get the specs right, and your creative actually has a chance to perform.

Need help tracking which formats and specs are driving results? Sign up for AdsMAA's free audit — it'll show you which placements are working and which need better creative optimization.

Bookmark this page. Screenshot the table. Whatever you need to do so you stop guessing at specs and start using the right ones every time.