Before you start: use 3:4 tiles
Instagram's profile grid used to show square thumbnails. Since early 2025 it shows taller 3:4 rectangles. Old square grid templates now get their sides trimmed, and the seams stop lining up.
Cut your photo into 1080 × 1440 tiles. For a 3×3 grid the whole image is 3240 × 4320. The Instagram grid maker uses these sizes by default.
How big should the photo be?
For a sharp 3×3 grid, start with a photo of at least 3240 × 4320 pixels, or any image with the same 3:4 shape. Most phone photos are 3:4 already, so they fit without cropping.
Smaller photos still work. Each tile is exported 1080 pixels wide, which is what Instagram shows, so a photo around 1620 × 2160 gives acceptable tiles that look slightly soft up close. For a wide photo, use fewer rows: a single row of three needs a 3240 × 1440 image.
The posting order
Instagram shows your newest post first, in the top-left corner. So you build the grid from the bottom up:
- Post the bottom-right tile first. RepostGrid labels it 1st.
- Work left along the bottom row, then along the middle row, then the top row.
- Finish with the top-left tile, the 9th.
The saved files start with their posting number, so on a computer they sort in the order you post them.
Posting tips
- Keep the original shape. When you add each tile in the Instagram app, check the crop and keep the full 3:4 image instead of a square.
- Post back to back. Anything posted in between lands inside the grid.
- Post by hand. Some scheduling tools can't publish 3:4 images yet and will crop or reject them.
- Skip filters, or use the same one on every tile, so the seams match.
- Think in threes. Later posts push the grid along. Posting new things in sets of three keeps the columns lined up.
Fixing mistakes
Instagram now lets you rearrange the posts on your profile grid. If a tile went up in the wrong order, press and hold it on your profile, choose the option to reorder the grid, and drag it into place. Your followers' feeds are not affected; only the profile layout changes.
Grid or carousel?
A grid is several posts that form one picture on your profile. A carousel is one post that people swipe through. For a wide panorama that should stay in a single post, use the carousel splitter, which numbers slides left to right.