Instagram Story size (2026): 1080 × 1920 and safe areas
The Story dimensions, where Instagram’s buttons cover your design, and a resizer that turns any photo into a 9:16 Story.
Story size dimensions at a glance
- Story 9:161080 × 1920Recommended
Full-screen Stories, photos and graphics.
Free Instagram story resizer
Pick a size, choose a photo, then crop or fit it. The download is a JPEG at the exact pixel size. Your photo never leaves your device.
Your photo stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
Or drop an image on the preview.
Story size specs from Meta and Instagram
Where do Instagram’s buttons cover your Story?
Instagram draws your profile picture and name across the top of every Story, and the reply bar across the bottom. Anything under them is hard to see or tap.
Instagram doesn’t publish exact safe-zone numbers. Our rule of thumb: keep text and faces out of the top 250 pixels and the bottom 340 pixels of a 1920-pixel Story. The resizer shades those areas when “Show guides” is on.
How to post a horizontal photo to your Story
- Fit inside: the whole photo stays visible, with a background above and below. Pick a colour or a blurred copy of the photo.
- Fill the frame: the photo is cropped to 9:16. Drag it so the subject stays in the middle.
- Either way, export at 1080 × 1920 so Instagram doesn’t resize it again.
Story size vs Reel size
Both are 1080 × 1920 (9:16). The difference is where they show up. A Story disappears after 24 hours and stays full-screen. A Reel also appears on your profile grid, where its cover is cropped to a 3:4 rectangle. See the Reel size guide.
Turn Story replies into leads
A Story with a clear ask, like “Reply LINK for the guide”, gets replies you can answer with a DM. Instagram counts a Story reply as the person messaging you first, which opens Meta’s 24-hour window for a reply.
BuzzWire’s story-reply automation sends the DM for you when someone replies with your keyword.
Reply LINK, get the link
Put “Reply LINK” on a Story, and BuzzWire DMs your link to everyone who replies with the keyword. Free plan: unlimited DMs, sent within Instagram’s limits.
Start free →Frequently asked questions
What size is an Instagram Story?
1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame. Meta’s developer documentation recommends 9:16 for Story images and videos to avoid cropping or blank space. Other ratios still post, but Instagram adds a background or crops the image to fill the screen.
What is the Instagram Story safe zone?
Instagram doesn’t publish one. Your name sits at the top and the reply bar at the bottom, so keep text and faces away from both. A practical rule: leave the top 250 pixels and the bottom 340 pixels of a 1080 × 1920 Story clear of anything important.
How long can an Instagram Story video be?
Through Meta’s publishing API, a Story video can run from 3 to 60 seconds, with a 100 MB file limit. In the app, longer videos are split into several Stories. Check the app for your account, because Instagram changes in-app limits more often than the API.
Why does my Story look blurry?
Usually because the photo was smaller than 1080 × 1920 and Instagram enlarged it, or because it was resized twice. Export the Story at exactly 1080 × 1920 and upload that file, rather than a screenshot or a photo that has already been compressed.
Can I post a landscape photo to my Story?
Yes. Instagram shows it smaller, with a background above and below. For more control, use the resizer’s Fit mode to add your own background colour or a blurred copy of the photo, then download it at 1080 × 1920.
Sources
- Meta for Developers, "IG User Media" reference (updated 28 Sep 2026), checked 22 Oct 2026.