Instagram Story Size Guide

By Melon Cut ·

Stories fill the whole phone screen, which makes size and layout more important than on any other format. This Instagram story size guide gives the dimensions, the margins and the mistakes that cause text to be hidden.

The size to use

Make stories at 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 ratio. It is the same shape as a phone held upright. If you make a picture at a different ratio, Instagram will crop it or add bars, and you lose control of what is seen.

The same size is right for story-style video. In Melon Cut Design, 9:16 social videos can be up to 30 seconds long.

What covers a story

A story is not an empty canvas. When someone views it, Instagram places things on top of your picture:

  • the progress bar and the account name along the top
  • the message box and send button along the bottom
  • the sticker or link area, wherever you add it

That is why the safe area is larger vertically than horizontally. In Melon Cut Design the story keeps 8% clear on each side and 14% clear at the top and bottom. Anything you want to stay readable should sit inside that frame.

A simple layout map

Think of the screen as three bands:

  1. Top band: leave empty, or use only a plain background colour or sky.
  2. Middle band: headline, key message and main subject.
  3. Bottom band: leave empty so the reply box does not cover anything, unless it is a purely decorative area.

If you want a logo, put it just inside the safe area rather than at the very edge. In Melon Cut, the logo is placed the way your guidelines allow.

For a deeper look at text placement, see Keep Text Inside the Safe Area of a Story.

Common mistakes

  • Making the picture square and stretching it. Always start with 9:16.
  • Small text. A story is held at arm's length. If a line is smaller than a thumb's width, increase it.
  • Putting an offer at the bottom. The reply box sits on it.
  • Overloading one frame. One idea per frame, then another frame.
  • Forgetting contrast. White text on a pale photo disappears. Ask for a darker area or a solid band behind the words.

Prompts that respect the layout

A vertical 9:16 story with a soft blue gradient background. Centre of the picture: a single glass of lemonade with ice, bright and simple. Large text in the middle third: "Lemonade is back". Empty space above and below.

A vertical story, warm cream background, hand-drawn style leaf pattern only near the left and right edges. Centre text: "Open late on Friday". Keep top and bottom clear.

Reuse for other uses

The same 1080 x 1920 file can be reused for other vertical placements, though each network has its own interface. Check each one before you assume it. Our social media sizes page lists the formats we support.

Check before you post

Look at the picture on a real phone if you can. Check that nothing important is near the top or bottom edge, and read every word for spelling, dates and prices.

Doing it in Melon Cut

Open Melon Cut Design, switch to Social and choose the story format. The size and the margins are set for you, so you can focus on the idea. Download the file and post it yourself. For more on this format, read Create Instagram Stories with AI.

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