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Instagram grid layout ideas and templates to try in the planner
A great feed isn't accidental. Drop your photos into the grid planner above and arrange them around a layout pattern that fits your brand.
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Checkerboard
Alternate photo and graphic tiles. Strong for brands that mix product shots with quote cards.
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Tonal flow
Drift slowly between hues row by row. Best for creators with a consistent colour palette.
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Row by row
Each three-post row tells a single story. Useful for launches, weekly themes or campaign reveals. To run one photo across a whole row, cut a photo into a grid of three tiles first.
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Tile mosaic
Mix textures, faces and product shots. Reads as a curated mosaic without locking you into one pattern.
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Vertical lines
Keep the middle column for one thing, quotes, text cards or product shots, with photos either side. The pattern holds even when you post at different rates.
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Diagonal
Step one accent tile down and across so the eye travels through the grid. The simplest pattern to keep going, since only every fourth post needs to match.
Any of these works as a template. Lay it out, download the grid image, and keep it as the reference for your next nine posts.
A free Instagram grid planner and feed preview, online
Hopper HQ's Instagram grid planner is a free, browser-based feed planner that lets you preview your next 9 to 15 posts before any of them go live. Drag the photos into place and see exactly how your Instagram feed will look to a new visitor. Nothing uploads, nothing installs, and you don't need a login.
You might also see this kind of tool called an Instagram grid viewer, grid checker, grid tester, grid simulator, grid visualizer or, in short, an IG grid planner. The job is the same: a free Instagram preview online that shows your next nine posts the way your followers will see them. If you want to turn one image into a grid instead, use the free Instagram grid maker and image splitter.
A planned feed is the difference between intentional and accidental
Your profile is the trailer for everything you post. Visitors decide in two seconds whether to tap Follow. A grid planner lets you set that trailer up on purpose, not by accident.
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Build a feed that reads cohesive
See the full nine-up before any single post goes live. Catch colour clashes, tonal breaks and theme drift in the planner instead of on your live profile.
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Build a visual identity people recognise
A consistent grid tells visitors what you're about at a glance. Pair the planner with Hopper HQ's social media calendar so the look stays consistent week after week.
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Plan around launches and campaigns
Line up upcoming posts with product drops, seasonal moments and campaign weeks. Spot the gaps in your calendar before they become a scramble. For a launch moment, split one hero image into tiles with the free Instagram photo splitter and drop them into the planner to check the fit.
Plan your Instagram grid in three steps
The grid planner above works straight from your browser. No download, no account, no images uploaded anywhere.
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Step
Add your photos
Drag and drop the images you're planning into the grid above, or use the picker to select files. Photos stay on your device throughout.
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Step
Arrange the layout
Drag posts around the preview to test layouts. You'll see the same three-column view your followers see, so it's straightforward to spot what works and what doesn't.
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Step
Preview, then schedule
Save your planned grid as a reference, or connect to Hopper HQ's Instagram scheduler to auto-publish the posts you just arranged.
Instagram grid size in 2026: 3:4 tiles, and what that does to your posts
Instagram's profile grid stopped being square in January 2025. Every tile now shows at 3:4, so a post's shape decides how much of it survives on your profile. The planner above previews both: flip to New Instagram Grid for the 3:4 crop, or Old Instagram Grid for square.
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3:4 · 1080 × 1440 px
Fills the grid tile
Edge to edge, with nothing cropped on your profile. It's the tallest photo Instagram now accepts.
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4:5 · 1080 × 1350 px
The classic portrait post
On the grid it loses a thin strip from each side, so keep text and faces away from the edges.
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1:1 · 1080 × 1080 px
Square gets cropped
Square still posts fine, but the grid crops it to the center 3:4, so about a quarter of the width disappears. Use Instagram's Adjust preview to choose which part shows.
Reels covers follow the same 3:4 crop, so plan them in the grid alongside your photos.
One tool, three planning jobs
The same browser tool covers the three planning jobs creators usually split across separate apps.
Use it as your...
Each role uses the same drag-and-drop preview, just with a different question in mind.
- Instagram layout planner. Sketch out feed patterns: checkerboard, tonal flow, row-by-row, mosaic. Try a layout style before you commit your real content to it.
- Instagram feed planner. Preview your next 9 to 15 posts the way your followers will. Audit colour, tone and theme as a whole, not post by post.
- Instagram post planner. Drop in upcoming campaign assets and arrange them by launch date. See which gap a new post needs to fill before you create it.
- Visual feed audit tool. Pull your last nine posts in and audit how the grid is reading right now. Helpful before a rebrand or a feed refresh.
Once you've planned the grid, Hopper HQ's Instagram scheduler takes it from planned to published. No switching between apps to copy posts across.
14‑day free trial
Planned the grid? Schedule it in one tab.
Hopper HQ is the social media scheduler trusted by thousands of creators and brands. Move from the planner to a live posting queue without copying anything across apps.
- Auto-publish the grid you just arranged
- Bulk-schedule Reels, posts, stories & carousels
- Built-in visual grid planner inside the app
- AI captions & hashtags ready to go
Start your free 14‑day trial
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Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Instagram feed planner available?
Yes. The planner on this page is completely free. Upload your images, arrange your feed and preview the layout with no cost and no account needed.
What is an Instagram feed planner?
It's a tool that shows you how your posts will look together in your grid before you publish them. Instead of posting one at a time and hoping they fit, you arrange the images in the order you plan to post and see exactly what your followers will see.
Do I need to log in to use the planner?
No. The Instagram grid planner runs in your browser without a login, without a Hopper HQ account and without uploading your photos to any server. Everything stays on your device.
Can I schedule or publish posts from the grid planner?
You can't publish directly from this free grid planner. It's designed for visual planning only. To schedule and auto-publish the posts you've planned, Hopper HQ's Instagram scheduler takes your grid straight into a publishing queue.
Can I plan multiple Instagram accounts?
Yes. The free grid planner works for any Instagram account. If you manage multiple profiles across brands or clients, Hopper HQ supports teams, multi-account workflows and shared planning calendars. Spinning up a new profile? Check if your Instagram handle is available before you start planning.
What's the difference between this and the in-app Instagram planner?
This is a standalone, browser-based tool for previewing your grid layout. Hopper HQ's in-app planner adds scheduling, auto-publishing, team collaboration, analytics and multi-platform management. The free tool is the right place to start; the in-app version is where you take it further.
What size is the Instagram grid now?
Each profile tile is 3:4. A 1080 × 1440 px post fills it without cropping. 4:5 posts lose a sliver on each side, and squares lose about a quarter of their width. The New Instagram Grid toggle in the planner shows the exact crop before you post.
Is the Instagram grid 4:5 or 3:4?
3:4. Instagram moved the profile grid from square to portrait tiles in January 2025, and 3:4 is what your profile shows today. 4:5 is still a good size to post; it just gets trimmed slightly on the grid.
Can you rearrange your Instagram grid?
Yes. Since June 2026 you can press and hold a post on your profile, choose Reorder Grid, and drag it into place. Pinned posts stay at the top and the original post date doesn't change. It's still worth planning the order here first: moving posts one at a time on a phone is slow, and the planner lets you try a few layouts before you commit. Our guide to rearranging your Instagram grid walks through the steps and the reorders worth making.
What's the best time to post on Instagram?
That depends on your audience. Check your Instagram Insights to see when your followers are most active. For general benchmarks, our best time to post on Instagram guide covers peak times by day.
Grid mapped out?
Take it from planned to published
A great feed is half the work. Hopper HQ schedules, plans and analyses everything that comes after, across Instagram and every other network you're on.
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