How to Post a TikTok Slideshow as an Instagram Carousel
Updated
To post a TikTok slideshow as an Instagram carousel, make a 1080x1350 (4:5) copy of every slide, keep the set to 20 or fewer (Instagram's limit as of October 2026, against 35 on TikTok), give every slide the same orientation, and move text away from the top and bottom edges that the resize cuts. Then share them as one Instagram post with multiple photos, with a caption written for Instagram.
The slides themselves can usually be reused. The size, the count and the caption can't. Here is the conversion, step by step.
Steps
- 1Count the slidesInstagram takes up to 20 photos and videos per carousel. If the TikTok slideshow is longer, cut the weakest slides or split it into two posts.
- 2Resize to 1080x1350Instagram crops anything taller than 3:4, so a 9:16 slide loses its top and bottom. Crop or pad every slide to 1080x1350 (4:5); the free slideshow checker exports this size from the same photos.
- 3Check the textText near the top or bottom of the TikTok version may be cut. Re-export those slides from your design with the text moved inward, or pad instead of crop.
- 4Keep one orientationEvery item in a carousel shares one orientation, so don't mix portrait, square and landscape slides.
- 5Share as one postStart a new Instagram post, select multiple photos in order, then add the caption and share.
TikTok and Instagram, side by side
TikTok photo posts: 9:16, 1080x1920, up to 35 photos. Instagram carousels: shapes from 1.91:1 to 3:4, 1080x1350 (4:5) for portrait, up to 20 items, one orientation per post, photos sized to 1080 pixels wide. All as of October 2026, from each platform's help pages.
Crop or pad?
Crop when the top and bottom of the slide carry nothing important. Pad, fitting the whole slide inside 4:5 on a blurred or solid background, when text or a screenshot runs close to the edges.
Starting from one wide design
If the carousel is meant to read as one continuous image across swipes, design it wide and cut it into equal 1080x1350 slides. The free Instagram carousel splitter does the cutting in your browser.
Rewrite the caption
The first line of an Instagram caption sits next to the first slide, so rewrite it to support the hook rather than pasting the TikTok description. Hashtags and phrasing that suit TikTok often don't carry over as they are.
FAQ
Can I post the same slides on TikTok and Instagram?
Yes, with an Instagram-sized copy. The 1080x1920 TikTok version gets cropped on Instagram because it is taller than 3:4.
What size should Instagram carousel slides be?
1080x1350 (4:5) for portrait or 1080x1080 for square. Instagram crops anything taller than 3:4 and sizes photos down to 1080 pixels wide.
How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?
Up to 20 photos and videos, as of October 2026. TikTok allows up to 35.
Can an Instagram carousel use 9:16 photos?
Not without cropping. The tallest shape Instagram keeps in a feed post is 3:4.
Do I need a different caption on Instagram?
Usually. At minimum, rewrite the first line so it makes sense next to the first slide.
Sources
Platform limits checked on October 17, 2026.