All the Instagram Ad Specs You Need to Know in 2024

Instagram is the go-to platform for brands looking to get creative with their ads, and nailing your specs is the first step to success and brand awareness. This guide will walk you through Instagram ad sizes, formats, and best practices to ensure your campaigns hit the mark with your target audience. Whether you're going for carousel ads or short-form videos, these are the Instagram advertising specs you need in 2024.

Allow me to break it down for you.

Instagram Feed ad specs

Instagram Feed ads are a perfect way to catch your audience’s eye while casually scrolling. With the right mix of sharp visuals and clear messaging, this paid content can drive engagement without feeling out of place. Whether using a single Instagram image or video content, it’s all about getting your audience to stop, look, and click. 

Plus, with the organic integration into the feed, these ads can feel like a natural part of the Instagram experience—boosting your brand's visibility without disrupting users' flow on social media.

Instagram Feed image ad specs

Square (recommended by Meta): 1080 px by 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio) 
Portrait: 1080 px by 1350 px (4:5 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 px by 566 px (16:9 aspect ratio)
Image formats: JPG or PNG
File Size: 30MB max
Headline: 40 characters
Primary text: 125 characters
Maximum number of hashtags: 30

Instagram Feed video ad specs

Portrait (recommended by Meta): 1080 px by 1350 px (4:5 aspect ratio)
Square: 1080 px by 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio)
Horizontal: 1080 px by 607 px (1.9:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio)
Length: 1 second to 60 minutes
Video formats: MP4, MOV, GIF
File size: Up to 4GB
Primary text: 125 characters
Maximum number of hashtags: 30

Instagram carousel ad specs

Carousel ads allow you to showcase multiple products or tell a story by letting users swipe through up to 10 images or videos in a single ad. This format is ideal for e-commerce brands looking to highlight different product variations or features. You can also mix media formats to create a dynamic experience that engages users. It's like flipping through a mini-catalog.

Portrait: 1080 px by 1350 px (4:5 aspect ratio)
Square: 1080 px by 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio) 
Horizontal: 1080 px by 607 px (1.9:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio)
Maximum file size (images): 30MB
Maximum file size (videos): 4GB
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Video formats: MP4, MOV, GIF
Video length: 1 second to 2 minutes
Number of Carousel cards: 2 to 10
Primary text: 125 characters
Maximum number of hashtags: 30
A landing page URL is required

Instagram Stories ad specs

Instagram Story ads appear full-screen between users' Stories, offering an immersive, mobile-friendly experience. They’re ideal for quick, creative, and highly visual content, whether promoting a sale, a new product, or a limited-time offer. Because Stories disappear after 24 hours, they create a sense of urgency that encourages immediate action. Plus, features like swipe-up links drive direct engagement with your audience.

Instagram Stories image ad specs

Vertical: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Minimum width: 500 pixels
Maximum file size: 30MB
Primary text: 125 characters

Instagram Stories video ad specs

Full-screen: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Minimum resolution: 1080×1080 pixels
Minimum width: 500 pixels
Maximum file size: 4GB
Video formats: MP4, MOV, GIF
Length: Up to 2 minutes
We recommend using video sound and captions

🛎️ Make sure to keep around 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side of your Reels or Stories free of text, logos, or essential visuals. That will help you avoid obstructing them with the profile icon or call-to-action button. Check out Meta’s guide on text overlays and safe zones for more details.

Instagram Reels ad specs

Reels ads are vertical, full-screen videos that blend seamlessly with user-generated content, making them an engaging way to reach your audience. With up to 15 minutes of creative space, you can use features like music, AR effects, and text overlays to make your videos interactive and visually captivating. These tools help bring your brand's personality to life while keeping users entertained.

Since Reels naturally appear in the Explore section, they offer a fantastic opportunity to boost your reach and get discovered by new audiences. While they require more creative effort than static image posts, their potential for virality makes them a valuable asset in your ad strategy. Testing different creative approaches will ensure you maximize their impact.

Instagram Reels image ad specs

Vertical: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Minimum width: 500 pixels
Maximum file size: 30MB
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Primary text: 72 characters

Instagram Reels video ad specs

Full-screen: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Minimum resolution: At least 500 x 888 pixels
Maximum file size: 4GB
Video formats: MP4, MOV
Video settings: H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps
Length: Up to 15 minutes
Captions: Optional but recommended. Your caption can be up to 2,200 characters long (including spaces and emojis)
Video sound: Highly recommended, though optional
Primary text: 72 characters 

🛎️ Instagram Reels ads should avoid using licensed music, media that includes a face or camera effect, GIFs, or media containing product tags. 

Instagram Explore ads

Instagram Explore ads appear in the Explore tab, where users actively seek fresh content aligned with their interests. These ads provide a valuable opportunity to connect with an audience in discovery mode, ready to engage with new brands and products. By driving traffic to areas like your profile or specific product pages, Explore ads help expand your reach. 

Since they are highly targeted based on user behavior and preferences, these ads feel more relevant and can boost brand visibility among users already primed to be interested.

Instagram Explore image ad specs

Vertical: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Square: 1080 px by 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum width: 500 pixels
Maximum file size: 30MB
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Primary text: 125 characters

Instagram Explore video ad specs

Vertical: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Square: 1080 px by 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum resolution: 500 pixels
‍Maximum file size: 4GB
Video formats: MP4, MOV, GIF
Length: 1 second to 60 minutes
Video settings: H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+
Captions: Optional but recommended. Your caption can be up to 2,200 characters long (including spaces and emojis)
Video sound: Highly recommended but optional
Primary text: 125 characters

Instagram Slideshow ad specs

Square: 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 pixels by 566 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
Vertical: 1080 pixels by 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)
Maximum image file size: 30MB
Maximum video file size: 4GB
Slide duration: 0.5 to 5 seconds
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Video formats: MP4, MOV

Slideshow ads make Instagram advertising a breeze by combining motion, sound, and text to showcase your story using 2 to 10 images. They’re easy to create and perform well across various placements, including Feed, Stories, Reels, in-stream, Messenger, and the Audience Network, making them ideal for beginners. 

Slideshow ads offer a cost-effective way to deliver engaging visuals and use 5x less data than videos, ensuring they load quickly and reach a wider audience. With the ability to create and edit them directly from your mobile phone, slideshow ads provide a simple way to guide users through a process, concept, or story across multiple slides, creating an immersive experience for viewers.

Instagram Shopping ad specs

Square: 1080 px by 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio)
Portrait: 1080 px by 1350 px (4:5 aspect ratio)
Vertical: 1080 px by 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 px by 566 px (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Maximum image file size: 30MB
Maximum video file size: 4GB
Minimum width: 500 pixels
Video length: Up to 60 minutes
Headline: 40 characters
Primary text: 125 characters 
You will need a landing page URL

Shopping ads are perfect for e-commerce brands, enabling you to tag products directly in your images or videos, making it easy for users to shop right from their feed. With 72% of Instagram users making purchases directly through the platform, these ads offer a massive opportunity to drive sales.

By integrating product tags into your posts, you can turn casual browsing into instant buying, making the shopping experience more intuitive and engaging for your audience.

Instagram Collection ad specs

Main image/video: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels (1.91:1 to 1:1 aspect ratio)
Image formats: JPG, PNG
Video formats: MP4, MOV, GIF 
Maximum image file size: 30MB
Maximum video file size: 4GB
Minimum image/video width: 500 pixels
Minimum image/video height: 500 pixels
Primary text: 125 characters 
Headline: 40 characters 
You will need a landing page URL

Collection ads allow you to display multiple products in a grid-like format, starting with a primary image or video followed by three smaller product images. This layout offers a highly immersive shopping experience, enabling people to browse, discover, and purchase items directly within the Instagram app. 

It’s a great way to showcase various products in one ad, streamlining the path to purchase and keeping the entire process within the platform.

🛎️ If you're advertising across Meta platforms, check out our Facebook ad size and specs guide. For Instagram-specific dimensions, head to our detailed Instagram post sizes guide. To find the design specs for Facebook posts, don't miss our Facebook post and image sizes article. 

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