The Instagram Reels Cover size (1080×1920px)
An Instagram Reels cover is the still frame that represents your video both while it plays full screen and later as a thumbnail on your profile. The full-screen canvas is 1080x1920 pixels in a tall 9:16 ratio, so designing your cover art at this size means the frame fills the whole phone display without black bars or stretching. This is the format to use when you upload a custom cover image rather than picking a frame from the video.
The catch with Reels covers is that the same image is shown two ways. Full screen it uses the entire 9:16 area, but on the profile grid Instagram crops it to a centered vertical rectangle, and roughly the top and bottom get hidden behind the interface and the grid trim. To survive both views, keep your title text and main subject inside the central vertical band, well away from the very top, the bottom caption area, and the right-side action buttons.
Because Reels are discovery-driven, a clear cover helps people decide to tap in the Explore and Reels tabs, so a legible headline reads better than a cluttered collage. Resizing your artwork to the exact 1080x1920 canvas first ensures the text stays sharp and nothing is scaled unexpectedly. This tool runs 100% in your browser with no upload, it is free, and it keeps the 9:16 aspect ratio locked. Instagram adjusts its grid crop and safe zones from time to time, so verify the current layout before finalizing.