Instagram Story Size 2026 — Dimensions, Templates and Best Practices

Instagram Stories get 500 million daily viewers. Getting the dimensions right means your content fills the screen beautifully instead of showing awkward white bars or cropped edges.

Instagram Story dimensions 2026

• Size: 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
• File format: JPG or PNG for images, MP4 or MOV for video
• Maximum file size: 30MB for images, 4GB for video
• Safe zone: Keep important content in the central 1080 × 1420 px area to avoid being covered by UI elements

Understanding the safe zone

Instagram overlays UI on top and bottom of Stories:

• Top 250px: Username, profile photo, close button overlay — keep this area clear
• Bottom 250px: "Send message" bar and swipe-up area — keep this area clear
• Safe zone: The central 1080 × 1420 px region — place all key text and visuals here

Story design best practices

• Use large, bold text — Stories are viewed on mobile screens at arm's length
• Keep text in the safe zone, away from the top and bottom 250px
• Use high-contrast colors — white text on dark background or dark text on light background
• Include a clear CTA — "Swipe Up", "Link in Bio", "DM for details"
• First 1–2 seconds determine if viewers watch the whole Story — make them count

Instagram Reels cover image

Reels use the same 1080 × 1920 px format. The cover image (thumbnail) is cropped to 1080 × 1350 px when shown in the grid. Design your cover with this in mind.