How to Split a Picture for an Instagram Grid

To split a picture for your Instagram grid, cut it into 3:4 tiles, 3 to a row, and post them from the bottom right to the top left. Each tile should be 1080 × 1440 px; a 3 × 3 grid needs a picture of 3240 × 4320 px.

Checked against each platform's help pages on 5 November 2026.

The short answer

Tile shape: 3:4, the shape of the profile grid
Tile size: 1080 × 1440 px
Grids: 3 × 1, 3 × 2, 3 × 3, 3 × 4 (3, 6, 9, 12 posts)
3 × 3 picture: 3240 × 4320 px (3:4)
Posting order: Bottom-right tile first, top-left last

Split a picture step by step

Pick a sharp, large photo. Each tile is enlarged from its share of the original, so a small photo looks soft.
Open the Grid Maker, choose your photo and keep the 3:4 shape. Square tiles from older guides no longer join up on the 3:4 grid.
Choose how many rows of 3: 1, 2, 3 or 4. Slide to choose which part of the photo goes in the grid.
Download the tiles. Each is 1080 × 1440 px and named with its posting number.
Post tile #1 first, then #2 and so on. Don't post anything else in between.
Check your profile. The picture should line up across the rows.

Split your picture into numbered 3:4 tilesSplit one photo into 3, 6 or 9 posts that join up on your profile grid.

Which grid size to choose

Each row is 3 tiles of 3:4, so a whole row is 9:4. Pick the grid whose shape is closest to your photo and less of it is trimmed off.

A 3 × 3 grid comes out at 3:4, the shape of a portrait photo from most phone cameras, so those fill it with nothing trimmed. A 3 × 4 grid is 9:16, the shape of a Story.

The picture each grid is cut from, at 3:4 tiles
Grid	Posts	Whole picture	Shape	Fits
3 × 1	3	3240 × 1440 px	9:4	A wide panorama or banner
3 × 2	6	3240 × 2880 px	9:8	A landscape photo, a little wider than square
3 × 3	9	3240 × 4320 px	3:4	A portrait photo from most phone cameras
3 × 4	12	3240 × 5760 px	9:16	A 9:16 picture, such as a Story or a video still

Tiles are 1080 px wide, the widest Instagram keeps. A smaller photo works; it is just enlarged to fit.

The order to post in

Instagram puts your newest post at the top left of your profile and pushes everything else along by one. So you post the bottom-right tile first and the top-left tile last.

The picture only lines up if the number of posts already on your profile is a multiple of 3. Otherwise each row starts one or two places out. Pinned posts sit at the top whatever their date, so leave them out of the count and remember they push the grid down.

If a tile goes up in the wrong place, you no longer have to delete it. Since June 2026 Instagram has been rolling out Reorder grid: see how to rearrange your Instagram grid.

Preview the tiles with your existing posts firstDrag your next photos around a preview of your Instagram grid, then post them in order.

Getting a sharp, seamless result

A photo 3,240 px wide gives every tile full detail. Much smaller and the tiles are enlarged and look soft; the Grid Maker warns you when that happens.
Save tiles 1080 px wide. Instagram shrinks anything wider, which can blur fine detail.
Post the files themselves, not copies sent through WhatsApp or another app, which compress them again.
Thin lines and text that cross from one tile to the next show the joins most. Bold shapes hide them.
For a picture that scrolls sideways in one post rather than across your profile, cut it into a carousel instead.

Cut a panorama into seamless carousel slidesCut a panorama into seamless carousel slides for Instagram and LinkedIn.

Frequently asked questions

How do I split a picture into 9 for Instagram?

Open the Grid Maker, choose the photo, keep 3:4 and 3 rows, and download the 9 tiles. Post #1 (bottom right) first and #9 (top left) last.

What size should each grid piece be?

1080 × 1440 px, a 3:4 rectangle. That is the shape of the profile grid since January 2025, so the tiles meet with nothing trimmed.

Which piece do I post first?

The bottom-right one. Instagram adds each new post at the top left, so the top-left piece goes up last.

Can I split a picture without an app?

Yes. The Grid Maker runs in your phone's or computer's browser, with no app or account, and the photo isn't uploaded.

Why doesn't my grid line up?

Usually because the posts already on your profile aren't a multiple of 3, something else was posted in between, or the tiles were square. Square tiles are trimmed at the sides on the 3:4 grid.