The Only Guide You Need to Prepare Full-Size Photos for Instagram

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Post bigger photos on Instagram without editing apps

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: July 14, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Resizing with Instagram
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• Square Pic for Android
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• Insta Square for iOS
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• Video
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• Tips

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When Instagram first debuted, you could only upload photos in a 4:5 ratio for portrait images. Now Instagram supports images in 1:1 square images, 4:5 ratio for portraits, and 16:9 for landscape photos. Images can be between 320x320 pixels, up to 1080x1080 pixels. You can also use a third-party app to prepare images for Instagram. Another trick is to use an app to cut photos into grid squares, which can be done on Android, iPhone, or iPad. If you upload them to Instagram in the right order, they will appear as a single image in a grid on your Instagram profile. This wikiHow teaches you how to upload big photos to Instagram.

How to Post Large Pics on IG

Crop your photos when you upload them to Instagram to resize them so they fit the IG outlines. You can also use other apps to prevent your photo from being cropped when uploaded to Instagram.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Resizing with Instagram

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1. 
   1
   Open Instagram. It has a rainbow-colored icon that resembles a camera. Tap the Instagram icon on your home screen or apps menu to open Instagram.

   • You can use this method to upload an image that's larger than the aspect ratios supported by Instagram, but it will be cropped once you upload it.
2. 
   2
   Tap +. It's at the bottom of the screen in the center. This is the icon to create a new post.
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3. 
   3
   Tap Post. You'll find this radial menu at the bottom of your screen, and it changes your post between Post, Story, Reel, and Live.

   • If "Post" is already selected, you can skip this step. Post and Reel are the options that show you your camera roll so you can upload images that you've already taken.
4. 
   4
   Select a photo. As you tap to select a photo, you'll see a preview of how it will appear in the preview space above.

   • If you want to add multiple pictures, tap Select Multiple.
5. 
   5
   Tap the resizing icon in the lower-left corner. The icon that has two right angles in the corners forming a square shape is the crop icon. Depending on the orientation of your photo, you will see empty space above and below your photo, or to the sides.

   • Alternatively, you can tap and drag the image to adjust the image cropping. You can also enlarge the image cropping by placing your thumb and index finger on the screen and moving them further apart.
   • If you are uploading a tall image to Instagram, this will crop the top and bottom of the image. If you want to avoid IG's cropping, you can prepare the image using a third-party app for Android or iPhone.
6. 
   6
   Tap Next. It's in the upper-right corner. This displays the filters page and allows you to further edit the image if you want.
7. 
   7
   Edit (optional) and tap Next. If you want to select a filter for your image, tap the filter you want to use at the bottom. Otherwise, tap Next in the lower right corner to continue. If you do use an image filter, be sure to use the same filter for all your images in order to keep them consistent.
8. 
   8
   Tap Share. This posts the image to Instagram.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cropping for Instagram on an Android

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1. 
   1
   Download and install Square Pic. Square Pic is a third-party app that allows you to convert images that are too tall for Instagram into the proper shape (a 1:1 square or a 4:5 rectangle).Use the following steps to download and install Square Pic.

   • Open the Google Play Store.
   • Tap the "Search" icon centered at the bottom of your screen.
   • Type Square Pic in the search bar at the top and tap the magnifying glass on your keyboard.
   • Tap Square Pic: Photo Editor.
   • Tap Install
2. 
   2
   Open Square Pic. Square Pic has a red icon that resembles a line through a cropping square. Tap the icon on your home screen or apps menu to open Square Pic. You can also tap Open in the Google Play Store after the app finishes downloading.
3. 
   3
   Tap Gallery. It's the icon below the default image on the left side. It has an icon that resembles a stack of photos.
4. 
   4
   Tap an image app. You can open your Gallery (recommended), Google Photos, or another image app you have installed on your phone.
5. 
   5
   Tap a photo. You can browse images or albums using Square Pic. Tap an image you want to prepare for Instagram.
6. 
   6
   Tap Background. It's the icon that resembles a glass pane at the bottom of the screen. This displays a list of backgrounds you can place around the uncropped image at the bottom.
7. 
   7
   Tap a background. By default, the image background is just the image blurred. Tap the icon that resembles your image to select this background, or tap one of the other colored squares at the bottom to select a different background.
8. 
   8
   Add a border (optional). If you want to add a colored border around your image, tap Border at the bottom of the screen. It has an icon that resembles an image inside another image. Then tap one of the colored circles at the bottom of the screen to select a colored border. Tap the icon that resembles a circle with a line through it to select no border.
9. 
   9
   Select a layout shape for your image (optional). If you want your image to have a different shape other than a rectangle, tap Layout at the bottom of the screen. Then tap the shape you want for your image.
10. 
    10
    Add additional features to your picture (optional). There are other features you can add to your image in Square Pic. Use the following options at the bottom of the screen to edit your image further:

    • Crop: This icon has the option to crop your image as well as rotate it and flip it.
    • Filter: This icon has a variety of filters you can select to change the look of your image.
    • Ratio: This icon allows you to change the aspect ratio of the image from 1:1 Square image for Instagram, 4:5 image for Instagram, 9:16 for TikTok, and 16:9 for widescreen, and 3:4 for a portrait image.
    • Adjust: This icon has the options to adjust the Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, and Fade of the image.
    • Text & Snap: Both these options allow you to add text to your image.
    • Sticker: This option allows you to add emojis and stickers to your image.
11. 
    11
    Tap Save. It's in the upper-right corner. You may have to view an ad while you wait for your image to finish saving.
12. 
    12
    Tap the Instagram icon. It's the rainbow-colored icon that resembles a camera lens. It's below the "Share to" menu.

    • Alternatively, you can tap Others to see a complete list of apps you can share the image over. If you don't want to share the image just yet, tap Done in the upper-right corner to save the image to your Gallery.
13. 
    13
    Select a sharing option and tap Just Once. There are three options you can select. Select one of the options and tap Just Once to indicate you only want to do this option for this image. Use one of the following options to post your image to Instagram:

    • Direct: This option sends the image directly to another Instagram user. To use this option, tap Direct and tap Send next to an Instagram user you want to send the image to.
    • Feed: This option posts the image to your Instagram feed. To use this option, tap Feed. Tap the arrow in the upper-right corner. If you want, select a filter and tap Next. Then tap Share.
    • Stories: This image option posts the image to your Instagram story. To use this option, tap Stories. Tap Your Story in the lower-left corner to post the image to your story.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Cropping for Instagram on an iPhone or iPad

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1. 
   1
   Download and install Insta Square. Insta Square is a third-party app that allows you to convert images that are too tall for Instagram into the proper shape (a 1:1 square or a 4:5 rectangle). Use the following steps to download Insta Square on iPhone:

   • Open the App Store.
   • Tap Search at the bottom of the screen.
   • Type Insta Square in the search bar.
   • Tap Insta Square.
   • Tap GET next to Insta Square.
2. 
   2
   Open Insta Square. Insta Square has an icon that resembles a rainbow-colored cropping square. Tap the icon on your home screen to open Insta Square.
3. 
   3
   Select an image. Tap an image from your Camera Roll to select an image to prepare.
4. 
   4
   Tap Canvas. It's the first option at the bottom of the screen that has an icon that resembles a square. This allows you to select an aspect ratio for your image.
5. 
   5
   Tap 1:1 or 4:5 and tap

   

   . These are the first options in the list of aspect ratios. Both are suitable for Instagram. Tap the checkmark icon to the right after you select an aspect ratio.

   • You can also select 2:1 for Twitter, 4:3 for Facebook, 5:7 for Pinterest, 7:4 for YouTube, and a variety of other options.
6. 
   6
   Tap Border. It's the icon that resembles a grid square at the bottom. This allows you to select a grid square at the bottom of the screen.
7. 
   7
   Select a border type and tap

   

   . The border will appear around your image in the post. Use the options to adjust the border, then tap the checkmark to select it. Your border options are as follows:

   • Blur: Tap the icon that resembles two circles to select a blurred border. This option adds a blurred version of your image to the top and bottom of your image.
   • Mosaic: Tap the icon with 5 small squares to select a mosaic blur. This adds a pixelated mosaic of your image to the top and bottom of your image.
   • Color: Tap the icon that resembles an eyedropper to select a colored border. Tap one of the colored squares to select a square.
   • Pattern: Tap the icon that resembles a star to select a patterned border. Then tap one of the patterns at the bottom of the screen to select a border. This option requires a Pro subscription.
   • Stretch: Tap the icon with 6 lines to select a stretched version of your image as a border.
8. 
   8
   Make further adjustments to your image (optional). Tap the other icons at the bottom of the screen to make optional edits to your image. The additional options are as follows:

   • Filter: Tap the icon that resembles a wand to select a color filter for your image. Filters require a Pro subscription to use.
   • Adjust: Tap the icon with the slider bars to make manual color adjustments to your photo. This option allows you to adjust the Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Exposure, Temperature, Shadows, Sharpness, and Vignette. Tap the checkmark icon to the right when you are finished.
   • Crop: Tap the icon that resembles two right angles to crop your image. You can select an aspect ratio at the bottom of the screen. Then tap and drag the image to adjust the cropping. Tap the checkmark icon to the right when you are finished.
   • Text: Tap the icon that resembles a "T" to add text to your image. Use the on-screen keyboard to add text to your image.
9. 
   9
   Tap the square icon with an arrow. It's in the upper-right corner. Tap this icon when you are ready to upload the image to Instagram.
10. 
    10
    Tap Instagram. This displays a list of apps you can upload the image to.
11. 
    11
    Tap the Instagram icon. This opens your image in Instagram.

    • If you don't see the Instagram logo, swipe left on the apps and tap More. Then tap Copy to Instagram.
12. 
    12
    Tap Next. It's in the upper-right corner. This displays the filters page.
13. 
    13
    Select a filter for your image (optional) and tap Next. If you want to select a filter for your image, tap the filter you want to use at the bottom. Otherwise, tap Next in the upper-right corner to continue. If you do use an image filter, be sure to use the same filter for all your images in order to keep them consistent.
14. 
    14
    Tap Share. This posts the image to Instagram.
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Tips

• If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, you can also crop images to various preset aspect ratios in your phone’s Photos app. Open the image and tap the icon that looks like three sliders at the bottom. Then, select Crop. Tap the icon that looks like a subdivided rectangle at the top of the screen and scroll through the different presets below the image.
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• On an Android, open Google Photos, select your picture, tap Edit, and tap Crop. Tap the aspect ratio icon, which looks like a rectangle with brackets inside, to select a preset aspect ratio that works for Instagram.
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