How to post on Instagram without cropping

Instagram crops in two places: the feed and your grid. Here's how to keep the whole photo in each.

In the feed: stay within the limits

A photo keeps its shape if it's between 1.91:1 wide and 3:4 tall. Most camera photos already are: 3:2 landscapes and 4:5 or 3:4 portraits all show in full. A 2:3 portrait straight from the camera is too tall, so it loses some height. Crop it to 3:4 yourself and you choose what goes.

When you post, use the expand icon in Instagram's photo picker so it keeps the full shape.

On your grid: choose one of three options

The grid shows every post as a 3:4 tile, so only a 3:4 photo shows whole.

• Export at 3:4. The post and the tile match, with nothing lost.
• Use Adjust preview. Keep your shape in the feed and choose which part shows in the tile. It's in the post's three-dot menu.
• Add a white border. The whole frame shows inside the tile. See how to add a white border.

Check any photo with the free crop checker, or see the full size table.

In a carousel: the first slide decides

Every slide takes the shape of the first. If your set mixes landscapes and portraits, add the same border to each so they all share one shape and nothing is cut.

Check it before it goes live

Swatch shows your grid in 3:4 tiles and Preview shows each post and slide as it lands in the feed, so a bad crop shows up while you can still fix it.

Questions