Instagram grid maker: split one picture into 3, 6, 9 or 12 posts
Split a picture into posts that join up on your Instagram profile’s 3:4 grid, numbered in posting order. Download free; nothing leaves your browser.
By Mellow · UpdatedSplit a picture across your grid
The grid’s own shape: every post shows whole. Post from the Instagram app; Instagram’s API, which schedulers use, stops at 4:5.
How do you split a picture for an Instagram grid?
Cut it into three columns and as many rows as you want, one post per piece, and post the pieces from the bottom right to the top left. Since January 2025 the profile grid shows every post as a 3:4 rectangle, so cut each piece at 1080 × 1440 and it shows whole. If you schedule through Instagram’s API, which stops at 4:5, cut at 1080 × 1350: the tool widens each piece past its slot by the strip the grid hides, so the picture still joins up on your profile.
Which shape to choose
| Shape | Pixels | On the grid | How to post it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 | Shows whole: it is the grid’s own shape | From the Instagram app |
| 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | A thin strip hidden on each side | From the app or a scheduler |
| 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | An eighth hidden on each side | From the app or a scheduler |
Instagram keeps a photo 1080 pixels wide when its shape is between 1.91:1 and 3:4, and crops anything taller or wider. Its API for apps accepts 4:5 at the tallest. Sources: Instagram Help Center: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram and Meta for Developers: Instagram Graph API, IG User media (updated 28 September 2026), read on 1 October 2026.
Five rules for a grid that stays intact
- Post in the numbered order, in one sitting. Anything posted between two pieces shifts the rest by one place.
- Mind pinned posts. They always come first. Unpin them for the puzzle, or pin exactly three.
- Keep Reels in mind. A Reel shown on the grid takes a place like any post.
- Post in threes afterwards. A single new post moves the whole picture by one column.
- Give every piece something of its own. Each post also appears alone in people’s feeds, where a slice of a picture has to make sense by itself. A face cut in half rarely does.
What a grid puzzle is good for
A launch, a new collection, a rebrand or an event: moments when someone visiting your profile should see one big picture. For everyday posting, a split image asks a lot of the people who follow you, since they meet the pieces one at a time. If you want a single post people swipe through, split the picture into a seamless carousel instead.
Questions
What size should grid posts be in 2026?
1080 × 1440 pixels (3:4) if you post from the Instagram app: the profile grid shows every post as a 3:4 rectangle, so a 3:4 post shows whole. Posting through a scheduler, use 1080 × 1350 (4:5), the tallest shape Instagram’s API accepts; the grid then hides a thin strip on each side.
In what order do I post the pieces?
Bottom right first, top left last. Instagram puts the newest post at the top left of the grid, so the first piece you post is pushed down and to the right by every piece after it. The tool numbers the pieces and the files in that order.
Why doesn’t my grid line up?
Usually for one of three reasons: a post went up in between, a pinned post sits at the start of the grid, or the pieces were cut for square thumbnails. Pinned posts always come first, so unpin them, or pin three so they fill a row of their own. And post the whole set in one go.
Will a post later break the picture?
Every new post moves the whole grid by one place. After a puzzle, post in threes to keep it aligned, or accept that the picture will drift out of view as you keep posting.
Can I schedule the grid instead of posting by hand?
Yes, with 4:5 pieces. Instagram’s API takes photos up to 4:5, so a scheduler cannot post 3:4. Schedule them one after another, a minute or two apart, in the order the tool gives.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. The picture stays in this page and the pieces are cut in your browser. The download is a ZIP made on your own device.
Schedule the whole grid in Mellow Hub
Hub publishes to Instagram through its official API: download the 4:5 pieces, upload them in Hub and schedule them one after another in the order the tool numbers them, then post the same pictures to Threads, Facebook or Pinterest if you like. Hub checks Instagram’s rules before anything is sent, including its ceiling of 10 items in one post.
See how Mellow Hub schedules Instagram postsThis tool is free and needs no account. Mellow Hub is paid, after a 7-day free trial, and publishes only what you, or an assistant you have authorised, send or schedule.
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