Two Shapes, One Crop: The Instagram Reel Cover Size Meta Gives

What size is an Instagram reel cover?

The Instagram reel cover size in Meta's Help Centre is 420 x 654 pixels, a 1:1.55 ratio, while Meta's developer reference recommends a 9:16 cover and crops anything else. The Help Centre article "Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram" puts it in one line: "The recommended size for cover photos is 420px by 654px (or 1:1.55 ratio)."

The IG User Media reference, which describes how apps publish reels through the Instagram API, lists a different set of rules for the cover photo:

Spec	Instagram Help Centre	Instagram API reference
Size or ratio	420 x 654 pixels (1:1.55)	9:16 recommended
Format	Not published	JPEG
File size	Not published	8MB maximum
Color space	Not published	sRGB, other spaces converted
Non-matching shape	Not described	Cropped to the middle 9:16 rectangle
Cover in the feed	Not described	Middle 1:1 square
Edit after upload	"you can't edit your cover photo"	Not described

The two pages describe two shapes. 420 x 654 is 1:1.557. A 9:16 frame is 1:1.778. Neither page mentions the other's number.

Why do the Help Centre and API cover sizes differ?

The Help Centre and the API cover sizes differ because Meta publishes them for different readers, and neither page explains the gap. The Help Centre addresses people adding a cover in the Instagram app. The API reference addresses developers sending a cover image with the cover_url parameter, and it states exactly what Instagram does with that image.

The API text reads: "We recommend 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank space. If the aspect ratio of the original image is not 9:16, we crop the image and use the middle most 9:16 rectangle as the cover photo for the reel."

So a 420 x 654 cover sent through the API gets cropped. The largest 9:16 rectangle inside 420 x 654 is 368 x 654, which means 26 pixels come off each side. That arithmetic is ours. The trim is small, but it lands on exactly the edges where people put text.

420 x 654 is also small. On a phone that displays the reel at 1080 pixels wide, a 420 pixel cover is scaled up more than two and a half times. If you want the Help Centre shape at full width, 1080 x 1682 is the same 1:1.557 ratio. That figure is our scaling, not Meta's.

Where each row of a 1080 x 1920 cover ends up

Top 420 rows Full-screen only

Middle 1080 rows Feed and full-screen

Bottom 420 rows Full-screen only

What part of a reel cover shows in the feed?

The middle 1:1 square of the cover shows in the feed when you share a reel to your feed, according to Meta's API reference. The sentence after the 9:16 rule reads: "If you share a reel to your feed, we crop the image and use the middle most 1:1 square as the cover photo for your feed post."

On a 1080 x 1920 cover, the middle square is 1080 x 1080 and runs from pixel 420 to pixel 1500, counted from the top. The top 420 rows and the bottom 420 rows are outside it. Anything you put there shows in the full-screen reel view and disappears from the feed cover.

That is the one rule worth designing around. A title in the centre square survives the 9:16 crop, the feed crop, and the 1:1.55 Help Centre shape. A title near the top edge survives only the first.

Neither Meta page we read says how the profile grid crops a reel cover, so we have no published grid shape to give you. Check the grid in the app after the first post.

Can you change an Instagram reel cover after posting?

The Instagram Help Centre says you cannot change a reel cover after posting. The cover section of "Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram" ends with: "Right now, you can't edit your cover photo after you've uploaded it."

Treat the cover as final once the reel is live. Check the crop before you share, and check it before a scheduled reel publishes, because the Help Centre gives no way to change it afterwards.

Should you pick a frame or upload a cover image?

Upload a cover image when the reel needs a title or a designed thumbnail, and pick a frame when a still from the video already works. Meta's API supports both. The thumb_offset parameter takes the "Location, in milliseconds, of the video or reel frame to be used as the cover thumbnail image," and the default is 0, the first frame. The cover_url parameter takes "The path to an image to use as the cover image for the Reels tab."

When both are sent, the image wins: "If you specify both cover_url and thumb_offset, we use cover_url and ignore thumb_offset."

A frame has a practical upside. It comes from the video, so a frame from a 9:16 reel is already 9:16 and the API has nothing to crop. An uploaded image has to match 9:16 on its own, or Instagram crops it. The default is the weak option. If the reel opens on a fade or a blur, that is the cover Instagram shows when you set nothing.

How do you make an Instagram reel cover at the right size?

Make an Instagram reel cover at the right size by building one 9:16 image that keeps its message in the centre square. This works for both of Meta's specs:

1. Set the canvas to 1080 x 1920. It is 9:16, the ratio the API recommends, and it matches a standard reel export.
2. Put the title and the face inside the centre 1080 x 1080 square. That is the area between pixel 420 and pixel 1500 from the top, which the feed keeps.
3. Keep 26 pixels clear on each side at 420 x 654 scale. At 1080 wide, that is 67 pixels per side, our scaling of the same trim.
4. Export as JPEG in sRGB under 8MB. Meta's API lists JPEG as the only cover format.
5. Check the cover in the full-screen view and as a square. If the title reads in both, it is done.
6. Keep the reel itself to Meta's reel specs. Our guide to every limit the Instagram Reels API puts on your video lists them.

For the interface elements that sit on top of the reel while it plays, see social media safe zones. The cover follows the same logic: keep the message away from the edges.

How does AdaptlyPost handle Instagram reel covers?

AdaptlyPost sets an Instagram reel cover from either a frame of the video or an uploaded image, and it does not resize uploaded media, so an uploaded cover has to be the right size before it goes in. In the composer, the Thumbnail picker lets you "Select a frame from the video or upload a custom image," and a per-platform thumbnail lets Instagram use a different cover from the other networks in the same post.

The AdaptlyPost API takes the same choice as thumbnailUrl for an image or thumbnailTimestampMs for a frame, in milliseconds from the start. Through platformThumbnails, Instagram takes "an image or a frame." Upload a 1080 x 1920 JPEG under 8MB with the title in the centre square, and the cover clears both of Meta's specs. Reels and covers are scheduled together in the Instagram scheduling tool, and our walkthrough on how to schedule Instagram Reels covers the rest of the post.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Instagram reel cover size?

1080 x 1920 pixels with the title and face inside the centre 1080 x 1080 square. Meta's API recommends a 9:16 cover and uses the middle square for the feed. The Help Centre's 420 x 654 recommendation is a smaller, slightly wider shape that a centred design also survives.

Is 420 x 654 still the Instagram reel cover size?

It is the size Instagram's Help Centre recommends, a 1:1.55 ratio. Meta's API reference recommends 9:16 instead and crops other shapes to the middle 9:16 rectangle. A 420 x 654 cover sent through the API loses 26 pixels on each side.

What aspect ratio is an Instagram reel cover?

9:16 in Meta's API reference and 1:1.55 in the Help Centre. The API crops any cover that is not 9:16. Build at 9:16 so the API has nothing to crop.

What file format should a reel cover be?

JPEG, in sRGB, up to 8MB. Those are the cover photo rules in Meta's IG User Media reference. Meta converts other color spaces to sRGB.

Can I change a reel cover after posting?

The Instagram Help Centre says "Right now, you can't edit your cover photo after you've uploaded it." Check the cover before the reel goes live. For a scheduled reel, set the cover before the publish time.

What happens if I don't set a reel cover?

Instagram uses the first frame of the video. Meta's API sets thumb_offset to 0 by default, "which is the first frame of the video or reel." Pick a frame or upload an image so the cover is something you chose.

Why does Instagram crop my reel cover?

Instagram crops any cover that is not 9:16 to its middle 9:16 rectangle. If you share the reel to your feed, it crops again to the middle 1:1 square. Build the cover at 1080 x 1920 so only the feed crop is left.

Where should I put the title on a reel cover?

Put it inside the centre 1080 x 1080 square of a 1080 x 1920 cover, between pixel 420 and pixel 1500 from the top. That area survives the 9:16 crop, the feed crop, and the 1:1.55 Help Centre shape. Text near the top or bottom edge shows only in the full-screen view.

Should I use a video frame or an uploaded image as my reel cover?

Upload an image when the cover needs a title or a designed look, and pick a frame when a still from the video already works. A frame from a 9:16 reel is already 9:16, so there is nothing to crop. If you send both an image and a frame, Meta's API uses the image.

Does AdaptlyPost resize my reel cover?

AdaptlyPost does not resize uploaded media, so the cover has to be the right size before you upload it. Use a 1080 x 1920 JPEG under 8MB with the title in the centre square. In the composer you can also select a frame from the video instead.