Instagram Story Size & Dimensions: Ultimate Guide (2024)

What is the perfect Instagram Story size?

Why does it matter? 

Learn all about the best Instagram Story dimensions, how to use them, and proven strategies for Instagram Stories to supercharge your audience engagement. 

Let’s begin. 

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What You’ll Learn:

• What are Instagram Stories?
• What is the ideal Instagram Story size and dimensions?
• What are safe zones when creating Instagram Stories?
• Instagram Story size tips
• Instagram Story ideas and tricks
• What if my Instagram Story is still blurry?
• Best practices to follow
• Customers Also Ask
• Publish winning Instagram Stories with Vista Social

What are Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories are short, 15-second clips that are visible to followers and profile visitors for up to 24 hours. An Instagram Story can contain videos, photos, stickers, audio, text, and effects. 

Videos up to 60 seconds can be uploaded to IG Stories, but they will be posted as four different Stories with 15 seconds each. 

Instagram Stories have a file size limit of 30MB for images and 4GB for videos.

Users can find IG Stories at the top of the home feed.

IG Stories can also be saved as “highlights,” permanently visible on the original uploader’s profile.

Brands can use Instagram Stories to connect with their target audience and capture their interest organically. In addition to the reach of Instagram Stories, the platform also supports native ads, which seamlessly blend organic and paid content into the user experience.

“I think the UI and the UX of where they put the Stories is huge. They’re just unmissable. It’s super intuitive, it’s a very well-made product, that’s important. It just comes natural.” — Gary Vaynerchuk, VaynerMedia

How Many People Use Instagram Stories Daily?

According to a Facebook earnings call in 2019, over 500 million people use Instagram Stories daily. The data also revealed that 58% of users grew interested in brands after discovering them through Stories. 

What’s the Difference Between Instagram Stories and Reels?

Both Instagram Stories and Reels support videos and images, but they have several differences in terms of features. While Story videos are capped at 15 seconds, Reels can be up to 90 seconds long. 

Below are other distinctions between Instagram reels vs. Story:

• Discoverability: Instagram Stories are only visible to users who follow or visit your account. Reels, on the other hand, can be discovered by anyone through the dedicated “Reels” menu and search feature.
• Availability: Unless converted into highlights, Stories only last for 24 hours. Reels don’t have a time limit and can even be saved in your Instagram profile feed.
• Content features: Instagram Stories offer more “fun” and interactive stickers, like questions, countdowns, and mentions. However, Reels have more advanced video editing tools, like align, playback speed, and video stitching.

Apart from the differences mentioned above, Instagram Stories just feel more raw and personal than Reels.

Let’s face it, most Reels are planned and often deliberately designed to convey your message in the most captivating way possible. Stories, on the other hand, can be recorded at any time — with or without a content plan. 

Whether you’re waiting in line for a newly-released product, having a random thought while walking, or discovering a breakthrough in your day-to-day activities, a Story offers a more organic way to share your experience with your audience.

Ready to give your content workflow and posts a major upgrade? Try AI Assistant powered by ChatGPT today! 🤖💙

What Is the Ideal Instagram Story Size and Dimensions?

Instagram Story dimensions are 1080×1920 pixels or an aspect ratio of 9:16. This perfectly fits the vertical orientation of most modern smartphones. 

Take note that your content doesn’t need to be exactly 1080×1920 pixels. As long as it has an aspect ratio of 9:16, Instagram automatically scales your content to match these dimensions perfectly. 

Here are other resolutions that have a 9:16 aspect ratio:

• 720px by 1280px
• 1440px by 2560px
• 2160px by 3840px

In addition, images and videos are optimized for vertical viewing, so try to avoid horizontal uploads because they may not display well.

Here’s a quick rundown of the additional specs:

• Photos need to be either JPG or PNG and stay below 30 MB.
• Videos should be in MP4, MOV, or GIF, last up to 90 seconds, and remain under 4 GB.
• Anyone can see your stories when your account is set to public. But in a private setting, only your followers can view your posts.

Why are Instagram Story Dimensions Important?

The correct Instagram Story dimensions ensure your content shows properly on the Instagram app. If you use the wrong dimensions, your content will be cropped, while some visual quality might get lost. 

Most mobile devices capture content with a 9:16 aspect ratio in portrait mode. As such, average users don’t need to do much to post Instagram Stories with the correct dimensions. 

But for brands, agencies, and serious content creators that use tools like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Illustrator, posting Instagram Stories can get tricky. 

For example, here’s a curated photo of a road on a mountainside from Pexels:

Here’s what the same photo looks like on Instagram Stories:

Of course, you can zoom in on the photo to match Instagram Stories’ dimensions. However, you need to crop a considerable portion of the image to fit.

Zooming in also causes a slight loss in the image’s sharpness and overall quality.

Without the proper Instagram Stories size, certain details of your post may get covered up by Instagram UI overlays. This, of course, makes it problematic if you’re repurposing marketing material with important elements, like CTAs, URLs, QR codes, and so on. 

If you don’t zoom in or crop the image for the sake of showing every corner, you’ll end up with a different problem. Not only will the details become too small for mobile displays, you’ll also waste a lot of screen space, which could’ve been utilized to show more content or conversion-related elements.

What Are Safe Zones When Creating Instagram Stories?

Instagram Story “safe zones” are content areas that aren’t covered by UI elements or cropped out of sight.

Put your stickers and text overlays within safe zones to ensure they’re visible to your audience. 

Luckily, Instagram Stories don’t have a lot of overlays—unlike Reels, which cover the bottom, right, and upper-right corners.

Pay attention to the guidelines on the Instagram Story editor to reveal safe zones. 

For example, the top portion of Instagram Stories is covered by the uploader’s username and a few buttons.

The Instagram Story editor indicates this area with a white line as you approach it. 

For convenience, Instagram automatically snaps Story elements to the edge of your safe zone. The line turns blue when this happens.

Grid lines also indicate the boundaries of the safe zone at the sides and bottom. 

You can push your sticker or text overlay beyond the safe zone. However, it might get hidden behind Instagram’s UI elements. 

This is problematic, especially if you add interactive stickers, like polls, quizzes, and emoji sliders.

Top 9 Instagram Story Examples From Experts

Curious at how brands and social media experts use Instagram Stories? 

Look no further — here are 9 of the best Instagram Story examples you can take inspiration from:1. A simple poll by Michelle Gifford

Like we said — Instagram Stories don’t need to be well-planned or elaborate. 

Social media marketing influencer, Michelle Gifford, regularly posts Stories for the sake of connecting with her audience. In the example above, she ran a simple poll asking if her followers plan on Sundays, which she seems to be doing at the time.

2. Getting Clicks with Stories by Vista Social

Stories aren’t just for marketing — true. But you can’t deny their effectiveness in building your reach and bringing traffic to your website. 

In one of our own IG Stories, we used a clear value proposition, actual screenshot, CTA, and link sticker to drive up conversions. The animations added pizzazz to the experience, but remember that it’s all about clarity in terms of your message and CTA. 

3. Hyping up events by Ann Handley

MarketingProfs Head of Content Ann Handley is no stranger to social media. 

At first glance, her IG Story looks like a simple, unplanned photo of her mid-flight — something that a lot of people do when traveling. But once you see the caption and hashtag, you’ll understand that she’s also doing it to bring attention to an event she’ll be speaking at. 

The hashtag is also a nice touch. It’s subtle, but for people in the social media marketing space (her audience), it’s an indirect invitation to watch the event. 

4. Quizzing for Engagement by Ellie Green

Speaking of travel Stories, this one from Ellie Green — AKA The Ginger Wanderlust — draws attention by quizzing her audience. 

This shows how easy it is to inject fun into IG Stories. More importantly, how flexible Stories really are when it comes to interactive content. 

5. Featuring the Community by Canva

We at Vista Social love Canva — and they *probably* love you, too.

Their social media philosophy exemplifies the power of community-driven content in terms of generating engagement.

Not only do they regularly post User-Generated Content (UGC) like customer testimonials and success stories, they also utilize UGC in their Story highlights. This is a level of community involvement that countless big brands fail to maintain. 

6. Featuring DJ Khaled by Wendy’s 

Wendy’s doled out countless social media masterclasses that won the internet’s attention — from trolling their fans to utilizing memes as a staple in their content strategy. In their recent Stories, they rolled out a textbook influencer marketing campaign with none other than DJ Khaled himself. 

You may not have the budget for a music icon, but there are plenty of smaller influencers out there who can provide you with content opportunities for weeks. 

7. Motivational and Interactive by Holly Newman

Holly Newman is a full-time Instagram marketing strategist and mentor. In the Story above, she casually talked about how her work got in the way of her routine. 

As a cherry on top, the emoji reaction sticker is a fun way for users to “take motivation” from her post. 

Remember, being a social media strategist isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. In fact, you often need to sacrifice sleep and weekends to keep up with your clients’ demands.

Showing this side of your professional life will help earn your audience’s trust and respect. It’s also a great way to showcase your commitment and dedication, reassuring prospects of the lengths you’d go to accomplish their goals. 

8. Something Huge by Monty Lans

Monty Lans is a content and Instagram strategist who dedicated his life to helping creators and businesses achieve their marketing goals. Using IG Stories, he is promoting an exclusive, in-person event with only 25 individuals as participants.

The plan is simple: meet up with the participants, travel to a secret destination, receive in-person coaching, and leverage unique content creation opportunities. 

You don’t need to be a marketing expert to know how challenging it could be to plan such an event. But event idea aside, the Story also uses an eye-catching caption and simple interaction mechanics that — along with the promised benefits — are almost guaranteed to generate engagement. 

9. Success Stories by Roxana S

This Instagram Story example proves that, in order to get and leverage UGC effectively, all you need is the right idea.

Roxana S, founder of Soil & Margaritas, challenged her audience to share their gardening success story. Within an hour, she was able to generate (and share) numerous inspiring posts from her followers.  

You can do the same not only to obtain UGC, but also to strengthen your relationship with your followers.

Instagram Story Size Tips

Here are seven Story tips to help you maximize the Instagram screen real estate:

1. Set Your Device’s Video Capture Settings

Set your device’s camera settings to 1080p or “Full HD” to create videos that use the correct Instagram Story size from the get-go.On iOS, launch ‘Settings’ and tap ‘Camera.’

Tap ‘Record Video’ and select any 1080p recording resolution. 

Due to the number of Android devices, it’s impossible to specify the exact steps to set your Android smartphone’s video recording resolution. Just explore the settings of your camera app or use Google Search to find the correct instructions.

Don’t forget to capture videos vertically.

Even if your camera settings use 1080p, content with a landscape orientation will not look good on Instagram Stories. 

2. Set Your Device’s Video Capture Settings

Use photos that have a resolution of at least 1080p. 

For example, if you use an image that’s only 720p, Instagram will scale it up to match the 1080p Instagram Story dimensions. This noticeably degrades the image’s quality, making it appear “stretched” and blurry. 

Remember this when using content you didn’t create, including downloaded stock photos and images received via Bluetooth. 

If you receive content that’s less than 1080p, consider using tools like Img.Upscaler to increase the size of images while minimizing quality loss.   

3. Change Your Camera’s Aspect Ratio

Switch the aspect ratio of your smartphone’s camera to 9:16 so you don’t have to scale or crop photos for Instagram Stories. 

Whether you’re an Android or iOS user, there’s an easy way to set a different aspect ratio for your camera app. 

For example, iPhones use a 4:3 aspect ratio in their camera app by default. 

Change this by tapping the “more settings” button at the top of the screen (up/down arrow) and tapping ‘4:3’ in the menu bar. 

Select ‘16:9’ as your new aspect ratio, and you’re done. 

Note that this is the same as the 9:16 aspect ratio; the only difference is the orientation (9:16 is vertical, and 16:9 is landscape). 

4. Always Use PNG for Images

When importing photos for Instagram Stories, always download using the PNG file format. 

PNG offers the best sharpness and vividness than other image formats supported by Instagram (PNG, GIF, and JPG). However, PNG images may have enormous file sizes, especially in higher resolutions. 

If you want to download content from stock photo sites like Pexels, consider downloading your image at 1080px by 1920px. This will reduce your image’s file size without significant changes in visual clarity. 

5. Create Instagram Stories with VistaCreate

Use VistaCreate to craft engaging, perfectly-cut Instagram Story videos.

VistaCreate is a powerful graphic design tool with extra video editing capabilities. It features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you whip up professional-looking visuals in minutes. 

VistaCreate has pre-optimized templates for social media content, including Instagram Stories.

Just switch to the ‘Templates’ tab, click ‘Social Media Posts,’ and select ‘Instagram Story.’ 

From there, choose one of the customizable Instagram Story templates available. These templates are already created to match the ideal Instagram Story dimensions.

You can also use VistaCreate through the Vista Social integration.

From the Vista Social dashboard, go to ‘Media’ and click ‘Add Media’ in the upper-right corner. Select ‘Add video’ and click ‘Design with Vista Create.’

Under “Select type of video,” select ‘Instagram Reel or Story’ then click ‘Design with Vista Create.’

This will launch VistaCreate directly on top of Vista Social. More importantly, you’re given a blank canvas with the perfect Instagram Stories dimensions to work with. 

Start composing your Instagram Story content by combining stock videos, music, animations, and graphics. When done, click ‘Export’ and choose a file format to save it to your Vista Social library.

6. Consider Compressing Your Story Content

Use lossless compression tools if your content is larger than Instagram’s file size limit for Stories (30MB for images and 4GB for videos). 

For images, a free tool like Kraken.io should be enough to shrink content to acceptable file sizes. Just select ‘Lossless’ to prevent any visible quality loss after compression. 

For videos, use video editing tools with built-in lossless compression. Other tools like VEED offer a standalone video compression tool with adjustable quality settings.

7. Use Instagram Story Templates From Canva 

Use a premium graphic design tool like Canva to create Instagram Stories with perfectly-sized templates.

Similar to VistaCreate, Canva also features a drag-and-drop interface that makes graphic design and basic video editing easy. It’s also accessible through Vista Social, streamlining your workflow from content creation to scheduling.

To launch Canva from Vista Social, go to your media library, click ‘Add media,’ select ‘Add image,’ then click ‘Design with Canva.’

Select ‘Instagram Story’ when you see the list of Canva design categories. Click ‘Design with Canva’ to fire up the tool from Vista Social.

Canva speeds up the content creation process with pre-designed templates, which you can customize with various design tools. Insert filters, text effects, animations, data visualizations, and more. 

These templates are best designed to match the ideal Instagram Story dimensions perfectly.

Instagram Story Ideas and Tricks

Here are additional tips and ideas to help you make the most out of Instagram Stories:

1. Use Poll and Questions Stickers

Generate more engagement with your Instagram Stories by asking questions or polls. 

Simply create a Story and insert the “Question,” “Poll,” or “Quiz” sticker. Follow the on-screen instructions to write your question and potential answers for quizzes and polls.

The challenging part is finding the best questions to ask on Instagram Story. 

Think of something fun and capable of producing meaningful insights for your brand. 

Here are some examples:

• What do you hate about our product?
• If you’re in charge of the company, what will you do?
• Who is your favorite Instagram influencer?
• Where would you prefer to get updates from us?
• Left or right (comparing two images)?

2. Share Reels and Feed Posts as Stories

Repost your Instagram Reels and feed posts as Stories to maximize their exposure to your followers. 

Sharing Reels as Stories, in particular, give your audience two ways to enjoy your content. They can watch the shortened version on the Story or tap ‘View Reel’ to watch the full version.

Take the opportunity to incorporate Instagram Story features, like polls and clickable link stickers (which aren’t available on Reels). 

Do this on your content or curated Reels from popular Instagram users to increase interactions. 

3. Create Photo Dump Stories

Compile and publish photo dump stories from “leftover” assets on your device or online media library. 

Photo dumps, be it on Instagram Stories or regular feed posts, are great for busy social media marketers. They’re easy to make, engaging, and can give your audience a glimpse of your internal company culture.  

If you don’t know how to add multiple photos to Instagram Story and create a photo dump, here’s a quick recap:

• Select multiple photos as slides. Tap ‘Select’ when choosing a photo for your Instagram Story, and tap on all images you want to use. Up to 10 images can be selected when posting an Instagram Story.
• Use the gallery sticker. Compose a single Story slide with multiple photos using the “Gallery” sticker. This lets you add another image on top of your Instagram Story. 
• Create a collage. Tap the ‘Layout’ button when creating your Story to use multiple photos on the same slide. Alternatively, use third-party image editing apps to build your collage and import it into Instagram.

4. Cross-Promote to and From Instagram Stories

Cross-promote content from other social campaigns to Instagram Stories—and vice versa. 

Instagram Stories are highly effective in promoting to users who already follow your account. But they’re not as effective in reaching new audiences. 

Use the in-app share button to promote your Instagram Story on other channels. 

Instagram Stories can be shared through email, instant messaging apps, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other content channels via a link. In turn, you can share all types of content on Instagram Stories—from blog posts to tweetable quotes. 

Seasoned markets even know how to share a YouTube video on Instagram Story. You can share a YouTube link or download-reupload your video on Instagram.  

Streamline your cross-promotions by connecting all your channels to Vista Social—an all-in-one social media management platform. 

Vista Social features auto-publishing to all nine major networks, namely: 

• Facebook (posts, 
• Reddit
• YouTube
• Google Business
• Twitter
• Instagram (feed posts, Stories, and Reels)
• TikTok
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

The unified Vista Social publisher lets you schedule posts across your profile group in one go. Select the profiles you want to use and customize your post for each network. 

Unlike other scheduling tools that automate reminders, Vista Social auto-publishes directly to every network. This includes Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Facebook Reels. 

4. Spice up Your Profile With Story Highlights

Feature Story highlights on your profile to create content groups about specific topics, like FAQs, events, new product releases, and so on. 

Make your Story highlights more eye-catching with custom covers. Launch the Instagram app and head to your profile. Tap and hold the highlight you want to edit, and tap ‘Edit highlight.’

Tap ‘Edit cover’ and choose the new cover you want to use. 

Remember to use thematic highlight covers that match the tone and personality of your Instagram brand.

5. Leverage User-Generated Content

Promote user-generated content (UGC) such as customer reviews, testimonials, comments, and posts with brand mentions on Instagram Stories and boost your authority. 

Vista Social has three useful tools for this:

• Social media listening: Create a social listener from your Vista Social dashboard to track UGC using keywords. Use your brand as a keyword to spot mentions of your brand or specific products. 
• Review management: Round up user reviews from websites like TrustPilot, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and OpenTable. Screenshot reviews and promote them as UGC or respond to them through Vista Social. 
• Bulk import and publish with hashtags: Scrape content using the “bulk publish” feature with hashtags. You can also search content posted by specific Instagram users and queue them to your content calendar. 

If you find user Stories posted about your brand, consider sharing them via Stories yourself—or take a screenshot and repurpose the content. (To avoid needless issues, reach out to the user and ask permission before using their Story.)

You may ask, “Does Instagram notify when you screenshot a Story?” 

Long story short, no—Instagram doesn’t notify users if someone took a screenshot of their Stories. Instagram only sends notifications in some instances when sending content via direct messages (i.e., using “Vanish” mode). 

6. Use Trending Audio to Boost Your Story’s Searchability

Increase the searchability and engagement factor of your Instagram Stories with trending sounds. 

Get trending audio suggestions using Vista Social’s publisher. 

When creating a new Story, click the tripe-dot settings menu in the video’s thumbnail and click ‘Pick sound.’ 

Vista Social will present a list of trending audio suggestions for Instagram. Select the one you like and click ‘Apply sound.’

What if My Instagram Story Is Still Blurry?

If your Instagram Story appears low-quality despite using the correct resolution and aspect ratio, try the following:

• Turn off data saving: Check your phone’s settings to see if you have a data-saving feature enabled. Turn it off and reload your Story to see if the quality improves. 
• Ask another user to check: Have someone else view your Instagram Story to check its quality. Ideally, find someone from a different area.
• Try another camera app: If you use a third-party camera app to create Instagram Stories, switch back to your device’s default camera app. Also, avoid using Instagram’s camera feature to avoid taking fuzzy images.  

Best Practices to Follow

Create Instagram stories that pack a punch by using their dynamic and trendy features. Doing so keeps your followers engaged, amplifies your personal or corporate brand, sells products, and uses them for influencer marketing.

Here are some best practices to follow.

Use high-quality Content

Since Instagram compresses videos and images when uploading, make sure that your images are at the very least 71 PPI (pixels per inch) before uploading.

Take Advantage of Editing Apps

If you need help with creativity—Adobe Spark, Lumen 5, or Canva apps can help edit, create graphics, and enter other specs without distorting the original size of your image/video.

Stick to the Correct Sizing

Messing around with the story dimensions will leave you with poor-quality content.

Always use vertical videos/images or a 9:16 or 16:9 aspect ratio for your Instagram story uploads.

FAQs on Instagram Story Size

What size are Stories on Instagram?

Instagram Stories are 1080px by 1920px in size—an aspect ratio of 9:16. This size perfectly fits the screens of most smartphones and tablets.

What is the maximum size for Instagram Story? 

In terms of file size, Instagram Stories can be up to 30MB for images in the following formats: PNG, GIF, and JPG. For videos, the file size limit is 4GB (MOV and MP4). 

How do I get 4K quality on Instagram Stories?

As of writing, Instagram currently doesn’t support 4K videos on both Stories and Reels. If you try to upload video content with these dimensions, Instagram automatically scales them down to 1080×1920 (1080p), which causes a slight loss in quality. 

Publish Winning Instagram Stories with Vista Social

Publishing high-quality Instagram Stories is just one aspect of getting exceptional results from your Instagram marketing campaigns.

You need to publish consistently and at the correct times for sustainable growth. 

Use Vista Social to automate an endless supply of Stories and keep your followers hooked. Take advantage of engagement generation features like trending audio, social media listening, review management, and more. 

Get started today with a free Vista Social account. Good luck!