# Instagram carousel design: sizes, crops and how slides really get seen

> Design carousels at 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1440, make slide one survive the 3:4 grid crop and slide two work as a second cover, set text at 30 px or more and keep words 60 px away from any seam. The first slide fixes the ratio for the rest unless you choose the Mixed option.

By LAIN, 8 Jul 2026. 9 min read. Category: Social media. Canonical: https://lainagency.com/resources/instagram-carousel-design-guide

The standard advice for an Instagram carousel is sound: 1080 x 1350 pixels, a strong first slide, one idea per slide, up to 20 slides, a closing call to action. It leaves out the mechanics that decide whether your design arrives as you drew it. The grid crops slide one to 3:4. The first slide fixes the ratio of every other slide. Instagram may show the post again starting somewhere else. A phone shows your 1080 px canvas at about a third of its size. This guide is about those four things, with the arithmetic.

## Size and crop: what each ratio loses
Instagram's profile grid now shows posts as 3:4 tiles (the evidence, and the guides that still say square, are in our [Reels covers guide](https://lainagency.com/resources/instagram-reels-covers-templates)), so a slide is cropped from the centre when it is the cover. A 4:5 slide (1080 x 1350) is shorter than a 3:4 tile, so the sides are cut, not the top and bottom. One guide we read gets that backwards. These are the numbers for the first slide:

| Slide size | Ratio | What the 3:4 grid tile keeps | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080 x 1440 | 3:4 | Everything | Nothing |
| 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 | 1012.5 x 1350 | 33.75 px each side (6.25% of the width) |
| 1080 x 1080 | 1:1 | 810 x 1080 | 135 px each side (25%) |
| 1080 x 566 | 1.91:1 | 424.5 x 566 | 327.75 px each side (61%) |

Some guides say Instagram added native 3:4 posting in May 2025, announced by Mosseri on Threads. We found no Instagram page for that, so treat the date as reported. One guide adds a warning that matters if you schedule: Meta's API reference still documents a publishing range of 4:5 to 1.91:1, so a scheduling tool that posts through the API may crop a 1080 x 1440 file to 1080 x 1350. Check what your tool published, not what you uploaded.

The slides in the carousels on the [Verden](https://lainagency.com/works/verden), [Elios](https://lainagency.com/works/elios) and [Monolith](https://lainagency.com/works/monolith) case pages are about 1015 x 1350. That is a ratio of 0.752, within 0.3% of 3:4, so a grid tile keeps all but about 1.25 px on each side.

**The first slide sets the ratio.** By default every later slide is cropped to the first slide's ratio, and the first slide also controls the feed preview and the grid tile. Guides report a "Mixed" option, added in 2024, that keeps each slide's own ratio. They disagree on what happens to a slide that does not fill the frame: some say it is padded, others say bars appear. Mixed does not lift the limits either: anything taller than 4:5 or wider than 1.91:1 is still cropped, according to the same guides. Our advice is to pick one ratio and use it everywhere, so no behaviour has to be guessed.

## Slide two is a second cover
Mosseri has said that when someone sees a carousel and does not swipe, Instagram will often give it a second chance. Every source we found for the quote is a marketing blog, such as Planoly, with no Instagram page behind it. The details also differ: some write that the second showing starts at slide two, others that it shows a different frame.

You do not need the details to act on this. Assume the second showing is a cold open at slide two. Then slide two has to work as a cover of its own: its own claim, its own hook, no "as above" and no half sentence that began on slide one. A test takes ten seconds. Hide slide one and show only slide two to someone who has not seen the post. If they cannot say what the post is about, rewrite slide two.

## Text size: do the division
A feed slide fills the phone's width. On an iPhone 15 that is 393 points, so a 1080 px canvas is shown at 0.364 points per pixel. Apple's Human Interface Guidelines list 11 pt as the minimum text size on iOS and 17 pt as the default body size. Divide:

| Text | Points | Pixels on a 1080 canvas |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute minimum (labels, source lines) | 11 | 30 |
| Body text, comfortable | 13 to 17 | 36 to 47 |
| Slide one title, when shown in a grid tile 131 points wide | 11 | 91 |

The last row is the one most carousels fail. The cover is first seen in the profile grid at 0.121 points per pixel, about a third of the feed scale, so its title has to be about three times larger than the body text of the slides behind it. Apple also says thin weights should be set larger than these numbers.

![Three 4:5 slides side by side with a black circle crossing the first seam, a grey circle crossing the second and pale strips either side of each seam.](https://lainagency.com/images/blog-art/instagram-carousel-design-guide-fig2.webp)

## Seams: running a shape across slides
Carousels that continue from one slide to the next make people swipe. The method is the same everywhere: draw one wide canvas, then cut it into equal slides. At 1080 x 1350 a five slide post is a 5400 x 1350 canvas, and the cuts fall at x = 1080, 2160, 3240 and 4320. Three details decide whether it works.

1. **Slice at exact multiples.** A splitter that rounds, or a canvas that is a few pixels off, produces a shape that jumps at the seam.
2. **Shapes cross, words do not.** During the swipe both slides are visible at once. We keep type at least 60 px from every seam (our working rule, not an Instagram figure), so no word is cut or has to be read across a join.
3. **Do not filter slides one at a time.** Guides warn that different filters per slide make the seam show.

Slide one and the last slide are the exceptions. Slide one has to stand alone in the grid, so a shape crossing its right edge should still look intentional when cut. The last slide should end the pattern, not leave a shape that continues off the edge.

LAIN's case pages show both ends of this. The Verden launch carousel has ten slides with the pages running on from one slide into the next, four of them in motion. The Elios launch post is eight slides that join up as they are swiped, from the box on the hook to the clients' own words.

## What the numbers say about carousels
Socialinsider's benchmark pages give carousels the highest average engagement rate among feed formats: 0.55% in 2024 and 2025, against 0.50% and 0.52% for Reels and 0.45% and 0.37% for images, and, in its quarterly figures for Q3 2026, 0.50%, 0.48% and 0.35%. Its 2025 report also says carousels get the most saves. Two cautions. Its own pages give slightly different figures for the same years. And these are averages across accounts, not experiments: a brand that chooses a carousel usually has something to teach, and that is a different post from a single image.

We found no source that measured the best number of slides, so we do not give one. Use as many slides as there are ideas. The limit is 20: Instagram tested 15 and 20 in March 2024 and rolled it out from August 2024, up from 10.

Specifications also vary. Most guides give 30 MB per image, Adobe's scheduler documents 8 MB. Guides give carousel video limits of both 60 seconds and 2 minutes. Keeping images under 8 MB and clips under 60 seconds works everywhere.

## Which size to use
| Your situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You post in the Instagram app and care about the grid tile | 1080 x 1440 | Nothing is cropped, if native 3:4 is available to you |
| You post through a scheduler or the API | 1080 x 1350, content inside the middle 1012 px | The API range is reported as 4:5 to 1.91:1 |
| You have a seamless panorama | N x 1080 by 1350 canvas | Equal 4:5 slices, cut at exact multiples |
| You mix screenshots and photos | One ratio anyway | Mixed pads or crops in ways guides do not agree on |

## Where this goes wrong
- **The cover is clipped in the grid.** Cause: the 3:4 tile cuts 33.75 px from each side of a 4:5 slide. Detect: look at the grid tile in the app before you share. Fix: keep the title inside the middle 1012 px or design at 3:4.
- **Slide two depends on slide one.** Cause: the post is shown again starting later. Fix: the hide-slide-one test above.
- **The shape jumps at a seam.** Cause: slices that are not exact multiples of the slide width, or slides that were filtered separately. Fix: slice from one flattened canvas.
- **The posted file differs from your file.** Cause: a scheduler or API crops outside its accepted range. Detect: download your own post and compare. Fix: post at 1080 x 1350 through tools, and in the app for 3:4.
- **Body text is unreadable on a phone.** Cause: the design was judged on a monitor. Fix: nothing below 30 px, and a slide one title of 91 px or more.
- **Mixed slides produce bars.** Cause: a slide that does not fill the frame is padded. Fix: one ratio.

## Checklist before you post
1. All slides share one ratio and one size; the first slide's key content is inside the middle 1012 px.
2. The slide one title is at least 91 px; all other text is at least 30 px.
3. Slide two passes the hide-slide-one test.
4. Seams are cut at exact multiples; no word sits within 60 px of one.
5. Images are under 8 MB and clips under 60 seconds.
6. What the scheduler published matches what you uploaded.

A carousel set is a template problem as much as a slide problem. Build one cover, one content, one stat and one closing slide on your [brand guidelines](https://lainagency.com/resources/brand-guidelines-what-to-include) and plan them in your [content calendar](https://lainagency.com/resources/social-media-content-calendar). We design these as part of [social media design](https://lainagency.com/about#social-media-design). If you want a carousel system your team can reuse, [talk to us](https://lainagency.com/contact).

## Frequently asked questions

### What size should an Instagram carousel be?

Most guides recommend 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5). Some guides report that Instagram added native 3:4 posting in May 2025, which makes 1080 x 1440 the tallest option. The first slide fixes the ratio for the rest, so use one size everywhere, and keep key content in the middle 1012 px so the 3:4 profile grid does not clip it.

### How does Instagram crop a carousel on the profile grid?

The grid shows the first slide as a 3:4 tile, centre-cropped. A 4:5 slide loses 33.75 px from each side, a square slide loses 135 px from each side and a 1.91:1 slide loses 327.75 px from each side. A 1080 x 1440 slide loses nothing.

### How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?

Up to 20. Instagram tested 15 and 20 slides in March 2024 and rolled the limit out from August 2024, up from 10. We found no study of the best number of slides, so use as many as you have ideas, and check that your scheduling tool allows 20.

### Does Instagram show a carousel again if people do not swipe?

Adam Mosseri has said Instagram will often give a carousel a second chance when someone sees it and does not swipe. Sources disagree on whether the second showing starts at slide two or shows another frame, and no Instagram page documents it, so design slide two to work as a second cover.

### How big should text be on an Instagram carousel slide?

At least 30 px on a 1080 px slide. A phone shows the slide at about 0.364 points per pixel, and Apple's minimum text size for iOS is 11 points, which is 30 px. For comfortable body text use 36 to 47 px. The slide one title should be at least 91 px so it reads in a grid tile.

### Can the slides of one carousel have different sizes?

Only with the Mixed option that guides report from 2024, and Mixed still crops anything taller than 4:5 or wider than 1.91:1. Sources disagree on whether a slide that does not fill the frame is padded or gets bars, so one ratio throughout is the safer design.

## Sources and fact check

Checked on 28 Oct 2026.

- [Social Media Today: Instagram expands carousels to 20 frames](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-expands-carousels-to-20-frames/723792/)
- [Metricool: Instagram carousel limit increased to 20 photos or videos](https://metricool.com/instagram-increases-carousel-content-limit/)
- [Kapwing: Instagram's new grid layout, size and dimensions](https://www.kapwing.com/resources/instagrams-new-grid-layout-size-and-dimensions-2025/)
- [Kapwing: How to post different-size photos on Instagram](https://www.kapwing.com/resources/how-to-post-multiple-images-with-different-sizes-to-instagram/)
- [Engadget: Instagram's experimental profile grid has rectangular images instead of squares](https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagrams-experimental-profile-grid-has-rectangular-images-instead-of-squares-160007086.html)
- [Louise M: What is the best Instagram image size](https://louisem.com/37587/whats-the-best-instagram-image-size)
- [Planoly: Instagram carousels are making a comeback](https://planoly.com/blog/instagram-carousels-are-making-a-comeback)
- [Socialinsider: Instagram benchmarks, carousel posts study](https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/instagram-carousel-posts-study/)
- [Apple: Human Interface Guidelines, Typography](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/typography.md)
- [Use Your Loaf: iPhone 15 screen sizes](https://useyourloaf.com/blog/iphone-15-screen-sizes/)
- [Adobe Express: Media specifications for Content Scheduler](https://helpx.adobe.com/express/using/social-media-character-limits-in-scheduler.html)
- [Krumzi: How to make a seamless Instagram carousel](https://www.krumzi.com/blog/seamless-instagram-carousel)