Instagram Reels specs: size, length, covers and safe zones
What size to export Instagram Reels, how to plan length, how the cover gets cropped on your grid, and where to keep text so the interface does not cover it.
The short answer
Export Instagram Reels at 9:16 vertical, 1080x1920 pixels, MP4, and keep text and faces in the center of the frame. Make the cover image the same 9:16 size, with the key subject in the middle so it still reads when Instagram crops it on your profile grid.
Maximum length, file size limits and the exact grid crop change over time, and Instagram has adjusted all three before. Check Instagram's help center for current figures. Below are the settings that stay the same and the choices that make a Reel work.
Size and format
Reels fill a phone screen top to bottom. A 9:16 frame uses all of it. A 4:5 or square video will play with bars or a crop, which wastes the space you have.
- Aspect ratio: 9:16.
- Resolution: 1080x1920.
- File: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio is the safe combination.
- Frame rate: 30 fps is a reliable default.
Instagram recompresses everything. Starting from a clean 1080p file gives it the most to work with. If you generated your clip at 720p, upscale it first. ClickPop can upscale 720p renders to 1080p or 4K before you download.
The cover and the grid crop
Your cover is the still people see on your profile grid and in some feeds. Instagram crops the 9:16 cover to fit the grid, and it has changed that crop ratio in the past. Design for the change rather than the current number.
- Make the cover 1080x1920.
- Put the subject and any title text in the middle third, vertically.
- Keep cover text to three to five words in a large font.
- Use the same type style on every cover so your grid looks like one channel.
You can pick a frame from the video or upload a separate image. A separate image gives you more control. A simple way to make one is to generate a still first: in ClickPop, Create Video has a storyboard mode that draws stills before animating, and one of those stills often makes a strong cover.
Safe zones
Instagram overlays the caption, the audio label and your handle at the bottom, and like, comment, share and more buttons on the right. The top has the Reels title and camera icon. Exact margins differ between organic Reels and Reels ads and shift with app updates. Meta publishes current safe zone guides for ads; use those as your reference.
- Center the subject.
- Keep the bottom band clear of text and products.
- Keep the right edge clear of anything that needs to be read.
- Place burned-in captions just above the middle of the frame or slightly below it, never at the bottom edge.
Length by goal
Reels can run longer than they used to, but length should follow the idea. Short, tight Reels are easier to watch twice, and rewatches are a signal. Longer Reels work for tutorials and stories that earn the time.
- Visual loop or reveal: a few seconds, built to replay.
- Tip or product feature: one point, around 15 to 30 seconds.
- Tutorial or story: as long as each beat keeps moving. Cut any beat that repeats the one before it.
These are planning ranges, not platform rules. Test your own audience and watch average watch time in Insights.
A Reel spec sheet for a cafe
A cafe wants a Reel for a new seasonal drink. Here is the full spec sheet.
- Frame: 9:16, 1080x1920, 30 fps, MP4.
- Length target: about 18 seconds.
- Prompt for the hero shot: "Vertical 9:16, iced caramel latte in a clear glass on a marble counter, milk swirling into coffee, warm afternoon side light, slow orbit, shallow depth of field, empty space in the lower third." Try it
- Beat 1 (0-3 s): the pour, text "new this week" upper middle.
- Beat 2 (3-10 s): barista hands add the topping, close-up.
- Beat 3 (10-15 s): a cup on a sunny window table.
- Beat 4 (15-18 s): drink centered, text "available until it is gone".
- Cover: a still of the drink, centered, text "Caramel latte" in the middle third.
- Audio: a track from Instagram's library cleared for business accounts, or original music.
- Label: Meta's AI info label if the scene looks real.
AI labels and music
Meta shows "AI info" labels on content it detects or that creators mark as AI-made, as of October 2026. If your Reel shows a realistic scene or person made with AI, disclose it when you post. Check Meta's current policy page for when the label is required.
Music is the other common snag. Business accounts often see a smaller music library because many tracks are not licensed for commercial use. Use the library Instagram offers your account type, original audio, or music you have a license for.
Mistakes to avoid
- Text at the bottom of the frame where the caption covers it.
- A cover with the title near the top or bottom edge that disappears in the grid crop.
- Uploading a 4:5 feed video as a Reel.
- Long Reels that repeat the same point three times.
- Copying length or file size numbers from an old article. Check the help center.
Questions
What size should an Instagram Reel be?
1080x1920 pixels at 9:16. That fills the screen and gives Instagram a clean file to compress.
What size is the Reels cover?
Make it 1080x1920 and keep the subject and title in the middle third, because Instagram crops the cover on your profile grid.
How long can an Instagram Reel be?
Instagram has changed the maximum before. Check its help center for the current limit, and plan length by your goal rather than the maximum.
Should I label AI Reels?
If the Reel shows a realistic scene or person made with AI, disclose it. Meta shows AI info labels as of October 2026; check its current policy.