How to turn a TikTok slideshow into an Instagram carousel

Can you post the same slides on Instagram?

You can post the same idea and most of the same words. You should not post the same files. A TikTok slide is usually 9:16, but, as of November 2026, Instagram's image resolution page (opens in a new tab) supports photo ratios only from 1.91:1 to 3:4, and says unsupported ratios are cropped to a supported one. Upload 9:16 and you let Instagram choose what to cut.

The fix takes a few minutes per slideshow if you work from the original design files. Do not start from screen recordings or from slides saved out of the TikTok app. Those are second-generation copies, so work from your original files.

What does the crop remove?

TikTok publishes no pixel spec for photo posts. Its Creator Academy (opens in a new tab) only advises cropping all photos to the same ratio, and 1080x1920 is community guidance. Taking 1080x1920 as the starting point, here is what a centered crop to each Instagram ratio removes. These are our own calculations.

The trap is not the lost background. It is where your text lands. Example (fictional layout): a headline that starts 300 px from the top of a TikTok slide starts only 60 px from the top of a centered 3:4 crop. A headline built to dodge TikTok's bottom caption area may now sit near the bottom edge of the Instagram slide. Text that was balanced in 9:16 ends up crowded at one end.

So re-layout, don't crop. Set the new canvas, then place the text in the middle of it.

What else changes between the platforms?

Where the sources are thin, we say so. Instagram's caption figure comes from developer documentation, since no consumer page stating it turned up. The TikTok hashtag notice was reported by Social Media Today (opens in a new tab) and TikTok gave no explanation. And no source says whether a TikTok sound is also available for an Instagram post, so check in the music picker rather than assuming.

How does one slideshow change in practice?

Take a TikTok slideshow about overpacking, fictional and shown as two versions of the first and last slide.

Here is the Instagram version of the same idea as a short slide sequence. It keeps the content but replaces anything that depended on TikTok's frame or cues.

Which steps should you follow?

• Work from the original design files, not from exports saved out of TikTok.
• Pick 3:4 (1080x1440) or 4:5 (1080x1350). The Instagram carousel size guide explains the choice.
• Rebuild the canvas and move text into the middle of the new frame. Do not crop 9:16 and hope.
• Leave a margin of about 60 px at the left and right of slide one, since the profile grid can trim the edges (our rule of thumb; a 3:4 first slide is not trimmed if the grid tile is 3:4).
• Cut to 20 slides or fewer, and move the strongest slide to the front.
• Remove cues that only exist on TikTok, such as "wait for the sound" or "follow for part 2".
• Rewrite the caption for Instagram's limit and put the point first.
• Choose up to five hashtags.
• Review the alt text and paste in the slide text.
• Add music only if the carousel has no video, and preview the first slide where your profile grid will show it.

If a slide text feels too long once the frame is shorter, the guide to words per slide helps you trim. For the TikTok half of the story, how to make a TikTok slideshow covers the original upload.

Does it help to keep two versions?

Yes, because the viewer, the frame and the ask are different. In Fyslide you can organize slideshows by account, so the Instagram version sits under your Instagram account while the TikTok version stays under your TikTok account. The products and accounts guide shows the setup. Fyslide exports PNG or JPG slides and a caption, and you upload them yourself, since Instagram carousel posting is marked "Coming soon".