Creating the perfect Instagram ad can be daunting to the majority of us. Updates, new feature releases and much more make this task intimidating, but having a quick reference to ad sizes makes it much easier. Some of us have our in-house documents floating around with the appropriate Instagram ad sizes–but who updates it and keeps track of the changes? That’s where we come in. Let us give you a bookmarkable blog post that includes everything for your Instagram ad creation needs. Here’s the complete list of Instagram ad dimensions:

Instagram image ads Instagram video ads Instagram Stories ads Instagram carousel ads

Instagram feed image ads

Instagram is an advertising goldmine because of the unique opportunities to engage with users – there’s nothing quite like taking up the majority of a device’s real estate with a single ad. Think about it: Instagram is really the only “one at a time” scrolling social media platform, so ads get users’ full attention. Easier said than done–right? Well let us help you by getting the correct image sizes for all the key types of Instagram ads. Instagram image ads can contain images in various aspect ratios, but the platform recommends a square aspect ratio, which other dimensions may be cropped to fit. Instagram image ad dimensions and guidelines

Recommended resolution: 1080×1080 Recommended aspect ratio: 1:1, other aspect ratios may be masked. All file formats should be either JPG or PNG. All image files are 30MB max.

Text recommendations:

Primary text: 125 characters Headline: 40 characters Maximum number of hashtags: 30

Instagram Explore image ads

Ads that appear within Instagram’s Explore discovery feature have slightly different dimensions than standard in-feed ads: Instagram Explore image ad dimensions and guidelines

Recommended resolution: 1080×1080 Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16. All file formats should be either JPG or PNG. All image files are 30MB max.

Text recommendations:

Primary text: 125 characters

Instagram feed video ads

As with many other platforms, the popularity of video is surging on Instagram. But to make sure you’re on top of your video strategy, you must ensure you’re using the correct sizes and specs. Once you’ve got your ad specs perfected and published, it’s essential to check up on performance. With Sprout’s Paid Performance Report for Instagram, track any number of campaigns for the metrics that matter most. Sign up for a free trial today and let Sprout take care of the rest. Similar to in-feed image ads, video ads can appear at different aspect ratios, but brands should be mindful of the platform’s own recommendations when planning content to ensure the best appearance across all devices customers may be using. Instagram video ad specs

Recommended resolution: 1080×1080. Aspect ratio: 4:5. Recommended video formats include MP4 and MOV. Max video size for all formats is 30GB. Max video length for all formats is 2 minutes.

Text recommendations:

Primary text: 125 characters Maximum number of hashtags: 30

Instagram Explore image ads

Video ads within Explore have few specific limitations, but display similarly to feed posts.

Recommended resolution: Upload the highest resolution video possible Video length: 1 to 120 seconds Video captions are optional but highly recommended

Instagram Stories ad sizes

You didn’t think we would forget Instagram Stories here would you? There’s real power to using Instagram Stories in your social media advertising strategy. Make sure you have the right Instagram Story ad sizes below:

Instagram Stories image ads

Instagram Stories have a lot of features that make single image ads ideal for your marketing campaign. With GIFs, stickers and marker tools, you can easily direct users to clicking or swiping to find more information. Instagram Stories ad image dimensions and guidelines

Recommended resolution: 1080x1080pixels. Aspect ratio: 9:16. All formats should be either JPG or PNG. Max image size is 30MB.

Instagram Stories video ads

According to Social Media Week, roughly 70% of Instagram Stories videos are watched with sound. It’s really important to make sure your videos drive the right message, all within the correct specs. Instagram Stories video ad specs

Recommended resolution: 1080×1080 pixels. Aspect ratio: 9:16. All formats should be either MP4 or MOV. Maximum duration 2 minutes. Max video size is 4MB. Video sound and captions are optional, but highly recommended

If a carousel option for Instagram advertising sounds familiar, that’s because Facebook has carousel ads, too. This type of ad format allows brands to showcase multiple images or videos in one single ad. It’s truly the best bang for your Instagram ad buck. See the full specs details below:

If you’re like anyone else on Instagram, you flip through content at blinding speeds. Why not try to keep users around for awhile with more than one piece of visual content? Carousel ad image dimensions and guidelines

Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels. Aspect ratio: 1:1. All formats should be either JPG or PNG. Max image size is 30MB per image/card. Instagram allows 2-10 images/cards per ad.

Something many users forget is that you can use up to 10 videos for a single ad! Make sure your brand has the right balance of content as not to overwhelm your audience on a single post. Carousel video ad specs

Minimum resolution: 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels. Aspect ratio is 1:1. All formats should be MP4. Max video size is 4GB per video/card. Max video length is 60 seconds. Instagram allows 2-10 videos/cards per ad.

Pro Tip: When you create Instagram carousel video ads, there must be a thumbnail image. The ratio for this image is recommended to match the 1:1 video aspect ratio. Additionally, thumbnail images cannot have more than 20% text taking up the image. To find more information, check out the Facebook Help Center and Instagram Business Help Center. Want to know more visual specs? Check out our complete guide to all the social media image sizes and our complete social media video specs guide as well!