How to Make a Video Fit Instagram
Stop Instagram from cropping your video. Learn the right sizes for feed, Reels, and Stories and how to resize your own clips to fit each one.
Instagram has several video placements, feed, Reels, Stories, and each expects a different shape. Upload the wrong one and your video gets cropped or boxed in with bars. Making your video fit means matching the placement before you post.
This guide maps the right sizes for each Instagram surface and shows how to resize a video you own to fit, using the free Video Resizer.
Instagram's video shapes
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Stories | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Feed (vertical) | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 |
| Feed (square) | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 |
Why your video gets cropped
If a clip does not match the placement's aspect ratio, Instagram trims it to fit (or adds bars). A 16:9 landscape video in a 4:5 feed slot loses its sides. Resizing to the target ratio first stops the surprise crop.
Resize to fit a placement
- Decide where the video will go (Reels, Stories, or feed).
- Open the Video Resizer and select your file.
- Pick the matching preset (9:16, 4:5, or 1:1).
- Choose crop-to-fill or fit-with-padding.
- Process and download.
Keep your subject safe
Whatever ratio you choose, keep the important content centered so it survives any cropping. For vertical placements, also keep text away from the very top and bottom where the interface sits.
Confirm before posting
Check the output dimensions with the Metadata Checker. For Reels specifically, see how to resize video for Instagram Reels.
Crop-to-fill vs. fit-with-padding: which to choose
When your video does not match a placement's shape, you have two honest options. Crop-to-fill enlarges the footage so it fills the whole frame, trimming the edges that stick out; it looks clean and full-screen but you lose some of the sides or top and bottom. Fit-with-padding keeps the entire original frame and adds bars to fill the gaps; nothing is lost, but the bars can look dated, especially on Reels and Stories. As a rule, use crop-to-fill for vertical placements where full-screen matters, and reserve fit-with-padding for when the whole frame is genuinely important, such as text or graphics that would be cut off. Always preview after either choice.
Repurposing one video across feed, Reels, and Stories
If you want a single video you own to appear in more than one placement, do not upload the same export everywhere. Make a version per shape: 9:16 (1080 × 1920) for Reels and Stories, and 4:5 (1080 × 1350) for the feed where it shows up larger than square. Start from your highest-quality source each time rather than resizing an already-resized copy, which compounds quality loss. The Video Resizer lets you produce each ratio from the same original, and keeping your subject centered means the same footage reframes cleanly into every placement.
Quick fixes for the most common Instagram fit problems
Three issues come up again and again:
- Top and bottom cut off: your clip is taller than 9:16, or important content sits in the safe-zone edges. Reframe so subjects stay central.
- Sides chopped on a landscape clip: a 16:9 video forced into 4:5 or 9:16 loses its width. Either reframe to the target ratio or use padding if the full width matters.
- Stretched or squished faces: the aspect ratio was changed without proper cropping. Re-export from the original at the correct ratio rather than stretching to fit.
Confirm the corrected dimensions in the Metadata Checker before you post.
Frequently asked questions
What aspect ratio does Instagram feed use?
Vertical feed videos use 4:5 (1080 × 1350); square uses 1:1 (1080 × 1080). Reels and Stories use 9:16 (1080 × 1920).
Why is Instagram cropping my video?
Because the video's shape does not match the placement. Resizing to the correct aspect ratio before posting prevents cropping.
Can I fit a landscape video without cropping?
Yes, choose fit-with-padding so the whole frame stays visible with bars added. Crop-to-fill looks cleaner but trims the edges.
What size is best for Instagram Stories?
9:16 vertical at 1080 × 1920, the same as Reels.
Does resizing keep my video private?
Yes. The Video Resizer runs in your browser and does not upload your file.
Should I use the same video file for feed and Reels?
No. The feed favors 4:5 (1080 × 1350) and Reels use 9:16 (1080 × 1920). Export a separate version for each shape from your original source so neither gets cropped or boxed.
When is fit-with-padding the right choice over cropping?
Choose padding when losing the edges would cut off something important, like on-screen text or a wide graphic. For most full-screen vertical content, crop-to-fill looks cleaner because it avoids visible bars.
Why do faces look stretched after I resize?
That happens when the aspect ratio is changed by stretching rather than cropping. Re-export from the original at the target ratio using a proper crop, so the proportions stay natural.