Instagram story size: 1080x1920 dimensions and safe zones

Quick answer: story dimensions

The ideal size for an Instagram story is 1080 x 1920 px, a 9:16 ratio. It fits most phone screens exactly. A lower-resolution image gets upscaled and looks soft. An image in a different ratio gets borders, a background colour or a zoom.

Video stories use the same ratio. Photo stories stay on screen for a few seconds by default, so keep the product and text simple enough to read in that time.

Safe zones: where content should go

The top of a story shows your profile picture, name and progress bar; the bottom shows the reply bar and like button. These sit on top of your content.

• Leave roughly the top 250 px and bottom 250 px clear.
• Keep the product and key text inside the central 1080 x 1420 px area.
• Don't put text right at the side edges; some phones trim a little there too.

These figures aren't a hard rule, just a practical margin. The interface can take up slightly different space depending on the phone.

Step by step: preparing a product photo for a story

1. Check the photo's ratio. A vertical phone photo is around 3:4 and fits a story with a small addition.
2. Put the product in the centre of the frame, with nothing important in the top and bottom safe zones.
3. If the photo is wider than a story, add space instead of cropping. A blurred copy of the photo or a matching flat colour at the edges is better than cutting the product.
4. Bring the image to 1080 x 1920 px and save it as JPEG.
5. To add text, use Instagram's text tool after uploading, or place the text in the image beforehand.
6. Preview on your phone before sharing: is text cut off, is the product visible?

Instead of doing this by hand, our free Instagram resizer turns a photo into story format, keeps the product centred and fills the edges with a blurred background.

Fitting a landscape photo into a story

Cropping a landscape photo to 9:16 throws away more than two-thirds of it. There are two better options:

• Place the photo in the middle and add space above and below. Use that space for the product name, price or a short call to action.
• Use only the part of the photo that shows the product. This only works if the product is centred and large enough.

The same applies to square photos: adding space above and below usually looks cleaner than cropping.

What to share in stories

• New arrivals: one clear photo with "On the shelf today".
• Stock updates: items running low or back in stock.
• Behind the scenes: short moments from how the product is made.
• Customer reviews: a screenshot of a review you have permission to share.
• Questions and polls: which colour people prefer, which product to restock.

For more, see Instagram post ideas for small businesses; most of them work as stories too.

Can stories be scheduled?

Yes. For business and creator accounts, Instagram's official publishing interface supports stories. You can prepare a story in a posting tool and have it published at the time you choose. Setup is covered in how to auto-post to Instagram.

There is one limit to keep in mind: stories published through the official interface can't have music, polls, link stickers or mention stickers. Text and graphics need to be in the image beforehand. If you want interactive stickers, post that story manually from the app.

When you create a post in Vitrin and pick the "Story" format, it goes to Instagram as a story rather than a feed post. If you also share it on other platforms, Vitrin prepares a separate 4:5 copy for them.

Stories vs feed posts

A feed post stays on your profile, carries a caption and hashtags, and can show up in search and Explore. A story disappears after 24 hours unless you add it to Highlights, and it has no caption field. They don't replace each other: promote products permanently in the feed and share daily news and live moments in stories. Highlights titled "New in", "Ordering", "Shipping" and "Reviews" help new visitors find answers to the most common questions quickly.

Frequently asked questions