how-to guide
Instagram Reels Format & Specs
The technical specs Instagram Reels need to display correctly and avoid cropping.
Reels have specific technical requirements, and getting them wrong usually means an awkward crop or a video that gets rejected on upload.
Steps
- Export at 1080×1920 pixels, a 9:16 aspect ratio — Instagram's vertical, full-screen format.
- Use MP4 with H.264 encoding at 30fps for the most reliable playback and quality.
- Keep the file under 4GB.
- Keep important content — faces, text, calls to action — out of the top ~250 pixels and bottom ~350 pixels, since Instagram's own UI (captions, buttons, username) overlaps those safe zones.
- Preview the Reel on an actual phone before considering it final, since desktop previews don't always match how the safe zones render.
ask datanephew
Can datanephew help me export or format a Reel to these specs?
No — datanephew doesn't create, edit, or post content on Instagram. It's platform knowledge only; you'd still need your own editing tool to produce the file.
Once a Reel is posted, what can datanephew tell me about it?
Ask datanephew how a specific Reel performed — it can pull reach, plays, and engagement, and compare it against your other Reels.