What this tool does
It cuts one photo into a grid of separate image files — nine tiles for a classic Instagram mosaic, three for a panorama strip, or any layout up to 10 × 10. Everything runs on a canvas inside your own browser, so the photo is never uploaded. Nothing to sign up for, nothing added to the tiles.
Looking for 9-slice or 9-patch scaling for UI textures? That is a different technique — it keeps one image and stretches its middle. This tool produces separate files.
Just want the classic nine-tile mosaic? Split an image into 9 parts is set up for exactly that.
Pick a layout
| Layout | Tiles | Start from | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 3 | 9 | 3240 × 3240 | The classic profile mosaic |
| 3 × 1 | 3 | 3240 × 1080 | A panorama across one row |
| 1 × 3 | 3 | 1080 × 3240 | A tall image cut into a column |
| 2 × 2 | 4 | 2160 × 2160 | Quarters — carousels, puzzles |
| 3 × 2 | 6 | 3240 × 2160 | Two rows, quicker to finish |
| 3 × 4 | 12 | 3240 × 4320 | Four rows for a longer campaign |
| 3 × 6 | 18 | 3240 × 6480 | A full screen of profile grid |
Each tile ends up roughly a ninth (or a third, or a twelfth) of the original, so the starting image has to be big. Split a 1080 × 1080 photo into nine and every tile is 360 px wide — visibly soft on a phone.
Post the tiles backwards
This is the step that breaks most grids. Instagram puts your newest post in the top-left slot and pushes everything else right and down. So the tile that belongs in the bottom-right corner has to go up first, and the top-left tile goes up last.
You do not have to work that out yourself. The files come out numbered in posting order: post-01 is the bottom-right tile, and the highest number is the top-left one. Upload them in numerical order and the grid assembles itself correctly.
Instagram's profile grid is now 3:4, not square
Instagram changed how profile thumbnails are displayed: the grid used to show square 1:1 crops and now shows taller 3:4 ones. That matters for mosaics, because a grid built from nine perfect squares gets refitted into nine taller slots, and the seams no longer meet where you drew them.
Two practical consequences. First, Instagram lets you adjust the crop when you post — that is the moment to check each tile, not after the grid is half-published. Second, if you are building a grid today, splitting with the Portrait 3:4 tile shape matches what the profile actually displays, so what you design is what people see.
Most splitter tools still tell you to use 1080 × 1080 squares. That was correct advice, and it is what a grid looked like for years — but it describes the old profile.
Keep the important parts away from the seams
Every tile is cropped again by Instagram, so anything close to an edge is at risk. Keep faces, logos and text at least 80 px inside each tile — and now that the display is taller than it is wide, give the left and right edges more room than the top and bottom.
One more thing worth knowing: only the top three tiles are visible without scrolling. Whatever the grid is about should be in that first row.
How long it takes
There is no right answer, only a trade-off. One tile a day finishes a nine-grid in nine days and gives each post a normal amount of reach. Every second or third day stretches it to two or three weeks and keeps the feed from looking like a bulk upload. Posting all nine in an afternoon puts the mosaic up immediately, but each tile gets very little attention on its own.
Whichever pace you pick, finish a row before you stop. A half-finished row leaves empty slots beside a stranded tile.
Six ways a grid goes wrong
- Posting in reading order. The most common one by far. Top-left first puts the whole picture in mirror image. Follow the post-01, post-02 numbering.
- Starting from an image that is too small. Nine tiles from a 1080 px photo means 360 px each. There is no recovering from this after posting.
- Putting a face on a seam. Even aligned perfectly, Instagram's gutters cut through it. Move the subject into the middle of a tile.
- Posting something else halfway through. One unrelated post shifts every remaining tile one slot right. Finish the grid first.
- Stopping mid-row. Post four of nine and the fourth tile sits alone with two empty slots next to it.
- Editing tiles separately. A filter applied per-tile makes nine slightly different images. Edit the whole photo first, then split.
Beyond Instagram
Splitting is not only a social-media thing. People use it to print one large image across several sheets of paper, to cut a sprite sheet into individual frames, to make a jigsaw from a photograph, or to slice a wide banner into pieces that load independently. For those, set Tile shape to No crop — you want the original proportions kept, not squares.
Questions people ask
Which order do I post the tiles in?
Post post-01 first, then post-02, and so on. Instagram puts your newest post top-left and pushes everything else right and down, so a grid has to be uploaded backwards. The tool already numbers the files that way — post-01 is the bottom-right tile — so you can just follow the filenames.
Will Instagram's 3:4 profile grid break my mosaic?
It changes it. Instagram moved profile thumbnails from square 1:1 to a taller 3:4 shape, so a grid built from square tiles gets refitted into taller slots and the seams may not line up the way they did before. Instagram lets you adjust the crop when you post, which is your chance to fix it. If you are building a grid today, splitting with the Portrait 3:4 tile shape matches what the profile actually displays.
How long does a 9-tile grid take to post?
Posting one tile a day takes nine days. Every second or third day stretches it to two or three weeks but keeps your feed from looking like one long upload session. Some people post the whole grid in an afternoon — that gets the mosaic up immediately but gives each individual tile very little reach.
What size should the original image be?
For a 3×3 grid, start from at least 3240 × 3240 px so each tile lands at 1080 × 1080. For a 3×1 panorama strip, 3240 × 1080. Split something smaller and every tile is soft, because each one is only a ninth of the original.
My photo is not square. What happens?
Leave Tile shape on Square 1:1 and the tool centre-crops the photo before splitting, so every tile is a true square. Choose No crop and the tiles keep the original proportions — fine for printing, wrong for an Instagram grid.
Do I have to post in multiples of three?
For a 3-wide grid, yes. Post four tiles of a nine-tile grid and the fourth sits alone on a new row with two empty slots beside it. Finish each row before you stop.
What happens if I post something else in the middle of a grid?
It shifts everything. One unrelated post pushes every tile one slot to the right and breaks the picture. Finish the grid first, or pin the grid posts so they stay put.
Can I stop later posts from moving the grid?
Partly. Instagram lets you pin up to three posts to the top of your profile. Pinning the top row holds it in place, but the rows below it will still shift as you post.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. The split runs on a canvas inside your browser, so the photo never leaves your device. There is no account, no watermark and no size cap imposed by a server — only what your own device can handle.
Can I split into something other than a 3×3?
Yes. There are presets for 3×1, 1×3, 2×2, 3×2, 3×4 and 3×6, and a Custom option for anything up to 10 × 10.