Image Specifications
Instagram Shopping Image Size & Requirements
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Quick answer
Instagram Shopping uses your Meta catalog images: at least 500 × 500 px, 1024 × 1024 px recommended, JPEG or PNG up to 8 MB. Feed posts: 1080 px wide, between 1.91:1 and 4:5.
- Catalog / product tags: 500 × 500 px minimum, 1024 × 1024 px recommended
- Formats: JPEG or PNG, up to 8 MB
- Feed posts: 1080 px wide, aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 4:5 (4:5 is the tallest)
- Stories: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
- Meta recommends four or more images per catalog product
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Image slots
1
Required
14
Rejection reasons
13
Tips
Image Slots
Required
Catalog Primary Product Image (image_link)
RequiredPlain white or light neutral background strongly recommended. Lifestyle backgrounds are permitted but reduce clarity in small product tag previews.
Minimum 500x500 px, max 8 MB. Must show the actual item being sold, matching the exact variant (color, size, pattern). No placeholders, logos alone, watermarks, promo codes, or borders. Image URL must be publicly accessible over HTTPS with no login or redirect chain. Meta caches images, so when you replace a photo, change the file name/URL to force a recrawl.
Optional
Feed Post, Portrait
OptionalAny background. Contextual, styled scenes work best here.
Takes up the most vertical screen space in the feed of any static format, so it typically gets the best engagement. Profile grid now shows a 3:4 center crop, so keep the product and any text inside the middle 1080x1440 equivalent area. Up to 20 product tags per image.
Feed Post, Tall Grid (3:4)
OptionalAny background.
Matches the current profile grid thumbnail shape, so nothing gets cropped on your profile. In the feed itself it displays at 4:5, trimming roughly 45 px top and bottom, so keep critical details away from the edges.
Feed Post, Square
OptionalAny background. Clean studio backgrounds work well for flat lays and product-only shots.
Safe choice when reusing catalog images in feed posts. Loses screen real estate compared to 4:5, and the profile grid will crop the sides to 3:4.
Feed Post, Landscape
OptionalAny background.
Shows small in the feed and gets heavily cropped on the grid. Only use for wide products (furniture, rugs, panoramic scenes) and keep the product centered.
Story with Product Sticker
OptionalAny background. Leave open space where the product sticker will sit.
Keep text, faces, and the product out of the top 250 px and bottom 340 px, where the profile bar, reply field, and link stickers overlap. One product sticker per Story frame. Disappears after 24 hours unless saved to a Highlight.
Reels Cover Image
OptionalAny background. High contrast helps it stand out on the grid.
Shown full size in the Reels tab but cropped to a 3:4 center area (roughly 1080x1440 from the middle) on the profile grid. Place the product and any title text in that central zone. Products can be tagged in Reels via the catalog.
Carousel Detail / Infographic Slides
OptionalSolid or brand-color backgrounds work for feature callouts; keep it consistent across slides.
Up to 20 slides per carousel. All slides are forced to the ratio of the first slide, so set every image to the same ratio before uploading. Keep text at least 40 px tall on a 1080 px canvas so it's readable on a phone, and keep it within a 60 px margin from edges.
Catalog Additional Images (additional_image_link)
OptionalAny background. Use this slot for alternate angles, close-ups, scale shots, and in-use lifestyle photos.
Add several additional images per item as comma-separated URLs in the feed; Meta recommends four or more. Same 500x500 minimum and 8 MB limit. Keep the same square ratio as the primary so swiping in the product detail page doesn't jump between crops.
Rejection Reasons
Hard Reject
Catalog image below 500x500 px
Meta's catalog will reject or flag items with images under the minimum. Export at 1024x1024 or larger so you never get close to the limit.
Image URL broken, private, or redirecting
If Meta's crawler can't fetch the image (404, login wall, hotlink protection, expired CDN link), the item errors out. Test URLs in an incognito window and whitelist Meta's crawler if your host blocks bots.
Placeholder or 'image coming soon' graphic
Generic stand-in images violate the requirement to show the actual product. Don't add items to the catalog until real photos exist.
Product prohibited under Meta Commerce Policies
Items like services, digital goods, animals, supplements with health claims, weapons, adult products, and real money gambling get rejected regardless of image quality. Check the Commerce Policies list before shooting anything.
Image doesn't match title, description, or variant
A blue shirt listed with a red photo, or a bundle image on a single-item listing, gets flagged as misleading. Give every variant its own image tied to the same item_group_id.
Logo or graphic instead of the product
Brand logos, text cards, or illustrations used as the primary image don't depict the item and fail review. The main image must be a real photo of the product.
Nudity, sexually suggestive, or overly revealing imagery
Swimwear and lingerie are allowed, but poses or crops that focus on body parts trigger rejection. Keep shots product-focused and use standard catalog poses.
Before/after or body-shaming imagery
Weight loss, skincare, and health products using before/after comparisons or zoomed-in body flaws are rejected under Meta's personal health rules. Show the product itself and the experience of using it instead.
Intellectual property or counterfeit concerns
Using another brand's photos, logos, or designer names you don't own leads to removals and can get your shop restricted. Shoot your own images and only reference brands you're authorized to sell.
File over 8 MB or unsupported format
Oversized files or WebP/HEIC links often fail to process in the catalog. Export JPEG at around 85% quality, which keeps a 1024 px square well under 1 MB.
Warning
Text overlays, promo codes, or watermarks on catalog images
Meta's catalog guidelines say product images shouldn't carry sale badges, CTAs, or watermarks, and these can lead to flags or lower distribution in shopping surfaces. Put promo messaging in feed posts and Stories, not catalog photos.
Borders, collages, or multiple products in one frame
Composite images confuse buyers about what they're getting and look bad in small tag previews. Use one product per catalog image and save collages for carousels.
Blurry, dark, or heavily compressed image
Low quality won't always cause rejection, but it tanks click-through and can get flagged as a poor shopping experience. Shoot in good light and upload clean source files.
Key details cut off by grid or Story UI cropping
This isn't a policy rejection, but a product half hidden under the reply bar or cropped out of the 3:4 grid view looks unprofessional. Check safe zones before posting.
Optimization Tips
- 01
Go to Settings > Media quality (Data usage on older versions) and turn on 'Upload at highest quality'. It's off by default on many phones, and without it Instagram compresses your uploads harder than necessary.
- 02
Export feed images at exactly 1080 px wide in sRGB, JPEG quality 80 to 90. Uploading 4000 px files just lets Instagram's resizer do the compression, and it usually does a worse job than Lightroom or Photoshop.
- 03
Shoot feed content in 4:5 but compose for 3:4. The grid now shows a 3:4 crop, so if your product sits dead center with a little breathing room, one image works in both places.
- 04
When you swap a catalog photo, upload it under a new file name. Meta caches image URLs, and overwriting the same URL can leave the old photo showing for days.
- 05
For carousels, crop every slide to the same ratio before uploading. Instagram forces all slides to match the first one, so a single square image will crop your whole portrait carousel.
- 06
Put your strongest product shot on the first carousel slide and tag the product there. Instagram often re-serves carousels starting from the second slide to people who skipped it, so make slide two a strong hook too.
- 07
For catalog primaries, use a pure white or very light gray background and fill about 85% of the frame. Product tags show tiny thumbnails, and a cluttered scene becomes unreadable at that size.
- 08
Include at least one scale shot in the additional images: product in hand, on a model, or next to a common object. Size confusion is one of the top return reasons for Instagram purchases.
- 09
On Stories, place the product sticker over empty space, not the product. Build the frame with a clear gap in the middle third so the sticker has somewhere to sit outside the top 250 px and bottom 340 px.
- 10
Pick a custom Reels cover instead of a random frame, and preview how it crops on your grid. A cover with the product and a short title in the center 3:4 area keeps your profile looking like a storefront.
- 11
Write custom alt text under Advanced settings when posting. Describe the product plainly with material, color, and type; it helps accessibility and gives Instagram extra signals for search.
- 12
Keep text on graphics to a short headline and use fonts at least 40 px tall on a 1080 px canvas. Anything smaller turns to mush after compression on mid-range Android phones.
- 13
Check Commerce Manager > Catalog > Issues weekly. Items quietly get rejected after feed updates, and a product with an image error silently disappears from every post it was tagged in.
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