How to Post High Quality Photos & Videos on Instagram

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Learn how to upload the best IG photos and Reels

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: June 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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Enabling on Android

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Enabling on iOS

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Posting High Quality Photos

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Video

Instagram will compress your videos and photos for various reasons. Reducing media quality to speed up the uploading speed and avoiding high data consumption are some of them. However, you can avoid Instagram ruining your photo and video quality by enabling the high-quality uploads option hidden in your settings. This wikiHow article will teach you how to enable high-quality uploads on Instagram on your Android, iPhone, or iPad, and explain the requirements and tips for posting the best possible quality photos and videos.

Quick Steps: Enabling High Quality Uploads on Instagram

Open your Instagram settings.
Scroll down and tap Data use and media quality or just Media quality.
Toggle on Upload at highest quality.
Ensure your photos and videos meet Instagram's recommended specs for the best quality posts.

Section 1 of 3:

Enabling High Quality Uploads on Android

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It will be located at the bottom-right corner of the app. This will lead you to the profile page from the home tab.
You can see the three-line option at the top-right corner of the app. A menu panel will show up on your screen.

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It's under the "Your app and media" header.
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Enable the high-quality uploads option. Tap on the grey switch
next to the "Upload at highest quality" option. It's under the "Media upload quality" header.
- That's it! When you enable this feature, Instagram will use more of your internet data and time to upload your videos and photos in the highest quality.
- Even if you enable this option, you won't notice a significant improvement in your media quality. You have to meet Instagram's upload requirements to achieve the best quality.

Section 2 of 3:

Enable High Quality Uploads on iPhone or iPad

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Tap on your profile icon, at the bottom-right corner of your screen to open your profile.
This will open a menu panel.
It's under the "Your app and media" header.
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Enable the high-quality uploads option. Tap on the grey switch
next to the "Upload at highest quality" option. It's under the "Media upload quality" header.
- Note that the upload time will increase according to larger file sizes, and it also uses more internet data. You also have to follow Instagram's upload requirements to get the best quality for your photos and videos.

Section 3 of 3:

Posting High Quality Photos

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Photos Now that High Quality uploads are enabled, it's important to make sure your photos meet Instagram's requirements to keep them from resizing or cropping your photos. To ensure your Instagram photos look their best, make sure your images follow these guidelines:^{[1]
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- Width is at least 1080 pixels wide
  - Most modern smartphone cameras take photos that are well over 1080 pixels wide. For example, a 12MP (megapixel) smartphone camera will take high-resolution photos that are 4000 x 3000 pixels.
- Aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 4:5
  - Most modern smartphones capture images at a 4:3 aspect ratio. You can either crop your photos to a different aspect ratio (using Instagram or a different photo editing app) or you can change the aspect ratio of your camera in your camera app.
- Phone has a high-quality camera
  - Most modern smartphones have very high-quality cameras. Older smartphones may struggle slightly with taking high-quality photos. Unfortunately, the only way to fix this is to upgrade to a newer phone model.
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Videos/Reels To make sure that your Instagram videos and Reels look their best, follow these guidelines:^{[2]
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- Minimum resolution should be 720p
  - Most modern smartphones will record in 1080p by default, and some phones can even record in 4K.
- Aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 4:5
  - Most modern smartphones capture videos at a 4:3 aspect ratio. You can either crop your photos to a different aspect ratio using Instagram, or you can change the aspect ratio of your camera in your camera app.
- Minimum frame rate should be 30 FPS
  - Most modern smartphones will record videos at 30 FPS by default. Some phones may be able to record at 60 FPS.