Instagram Reels cover size: 1080 × 1920, but the grid crops it to a square

Instagram Reels covers are 1080 × 1920 (9:16) in the player, but your profile grid crops them to a 1:1 square. Here's how to design one cover that works in both.

2026-06-09 3 min read ThumbnailsInstagramGuides

Instagram makes you design for two shapes at once and doesn't really warn you. Your Reels cover plays full-screen as a tall 9:16 image, then shows up on your profile grid as a square cropped from the middle. So a cover that looks perfect in the player can lose someone's head in the grid.

Making one cover that survives both is easier than it sounds.

The size

An Instagram Reels cover is **1080 × 1920 pixels** at a **9:16** aspect ratio. That's the size to export, and it fills the Reels player edge to edge.

The catch is the grid.

The 1:1 grid crop

On your profile, Reels don't show as tall rectangles. They show as **1:1 squares**, and Instagram makes that square by cropping the **center** of your 9:16 cover. The top and bottom of your cover simply don't exist in the grid.

So design with both frames in mind:

  • Export the full cover at **1080 × 1920**.
  • Keep your **subject and any key text inside a centered square**. Picture a 1080 × 1080 box in the middle of the frame.
  • Use the area above and below that square for background only, not for anything that has to be seen on your profile.

    • Do that and the cover looks complete in the player *and* clean in the grid. Skip it and you'll get covers where the text is fine full-screen but chopped in half on your profile.

    How to set or change your cover

    When you post a Reel:

  • On the editing screen, tap **Edit cover** (sometimes just **Cover**).
  • Scrub to a frame from the video, or tap to **add an image** from your camera roll for a custom cover.
  • You can also drag to reposition how the cover sits in the grid square.
  • Share.

    • After posting, you can edit the Reel and adjust the cover. Whether you can upload a brand-new custom image after the fact depends on your app version, so it's safest to set it before you post.

    Why the grid is worth the effort

    A Reel's views mostly come from the feed and the Reels tab, where people are already watching before the cover does much. The cover's real job is your **profile**. When someone lands there deciding whether to follow you, a tidy, consistent grid of covers is what makes the account look worth following. That's the payoff for respecting the square.

    [Thumbly's Instagram cover maker](/instagram-thumbnail-maker) builds covers that hold up in both the player and the grid. Cross-posting the same clip? The [TikTok cover guide](/blog/tiktok-thumbnail-size) and [Shorts thumbnail guide](/blog/youtube-shorts-thumbnail-size) handle those formats.

    FAQ

    **What size is a Reels cover?** Design at 1080 × 1920 (9:16); the grid crops it to a centered 1:1 square.

    **Why is it cropped in the grid?** Instagram shows profile covers as squares cut from the center of the 9:16 cover, so the top and bottom get cut.

    **9:16 or 1:1?** Make the file 9:16, but keep the important part inside a centered square.

    **How do I change it?** Tap Edit cover when posting to pick a frame or upload an image; you can also reposition the grid crop.