On this page
Your Instagram highlight covers are the first thing a new visitor sees under your bio, and they get cropped into tiny circles. Upload the wrong size or put your icon off-center, and it ends up cut off, blurry, or just plain messy. This guide gives you the exact Instagram highlight cover size, the safe zone that survives the circular crop, and a fast way to make a matching set.
What Is the Instagram Highlight Cover Size?
The recommended Instagram highlight cover size is 1080 x 1920 pixels with a 9:16 aspect ratio, the same as an Instagram Story. Instagram then crops the center of that image into a circle on your profile. Keep your icon or text inside the middle of the canvas so it survives the crop.
Here is the quick reference.
| Item | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| Canvas size | 1080 x 1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 |
| Displayed as | A circle cropped from the center |
| Safe zone for icon or text | Roughly the center 700 x 700 px |
| File type | PNG or JPG |
| Background | Solid color or simple gradient (no transparency) |
A 1080 x 1080 square also works, because Instagram lets you drag and zoom the image inside the circle when you choose a cover. Many creators still prefer 1080 x 1920 so the same file can double as a Story graphic.
The Highlight Cover Safe Zone
The circle is much smaller than the canvas. Instagram crops from the center, so anything near the top, bottom, or edges disappears.
Use this rule: keep everything important inside the middle 700 x 700 px of a 1080 x 1920 canvas, and make the icon itself about 400 to 500 px wide so it has breathing room inside the circle.
A few practical notes:
- Center the design both ways. On a tall canvas, the vertical center is at 960 px.
- Test at thumbnail size. On a phone, a highlight is roughly the size of a coin. If you cannot read it at 100 px wide, simplify it.
- Use one icon or one to two letters. Words do not fit. The highlight title sits below the circle anyway.
- Do not rely on the edges. Gradients and borders at the very edge will be cut.
Instagram's own Help Center explains how to add a Story to a highlight and change the cover from your profile. In the cover picker, you can choose a photo from your camera roll and reposition it inside the circle, which is how square images work too.
How to Make Instagram Highlight Covers (Step by Step)
Here is a simple process for a set that looks like one brand.
1. Decide on Your Highlight Categories
Most brands do well with 4 to 8 highlights. Common ones include About, Services, Reviews, FAQ, Behind the Scenes, Offers, and Contact. Your content pillars are a good starting point for what to feature.
2. Choose a Style and Stick to It
Pick one style for every cover so the row looks intentional:
- Solid color + one icon (the classic, clean look)
- Gradient background + white icon
- Illustrated icons in your brand colors
- Photo covers that match your feed aesthetic
Two to three brand colors are plenty. If you have not defined your look yet, our guide on creating a social media aesthetic will help.
3. Design Each Cover at 1080 x 1920
You can do this in any design tool. With Krumzi, you can describe the whole set in plain language and get editable designs back, with no templates. The 1080 x 1920 Story preset is built in, so you do not have to type dimensions. A prompt that works well:
Design six Instagram highlight covers at 1080 x 1920 for a skincare brand. Solid blush pink background, a simple white line icon centered in the middle for each: About, Products, Reviews, FAQ, Offers, Contact. Keep every icon inside the center 700 px. Consistent style across all six.
Two Krumzi features save the most time here:
- Batch mode generates 2 to 10 distinct designs from one brief in parallel, so you can create the entire row at once and download them all as a zip.
- Brand Kit (on Pro and Ultra) applies your logo, colors, and fonts automatically so each cover matches your feed. It uses Google Fonts, and you can use icons, emojis, shapes, and background colors or gradients from the editor.
After generation, you can nudge the icon, change a color, or swap the background with the editor or a chat message. Our guide on how to make an Instagram Story covers the same 9:16 canvas in more depth.
4. Export as PNG or JPG
Export each cover as a PNG or JPG at 1x. A 1080 x 1920 file is more than enough, and the circle will be displayed small. Keep file names clear (about.png, services.png) so you can find them later.
5. Upload the Covers as a Story
In Instagram, you add the image to a highlight by posting it as a Story (you can archive it or post it to your highlight and then remove it from your active Stories) and then selecting it as the cover in Edit Highlight, Edit Cover. You can also pick the image from your camera roll when editing the cover. If you need help with the steps, see the Instagram Help Center link above.
6. Name the Highlights Short
Highlight titles get truncated after about 15 characters, so keep names short: "Reviews," "FAQ," and "Shop" beat "Customer Reviews and Testimonials."
Highlight Cover Design Ideas
- Minimal line icons on a solid pastel background
- Bold single letters in a brand font
- Emoji covers for a casual, personal brand
- Photo crops with a soft overlay
- Gradient circles with a white icon
- Hand-drawn style icons for artists and creative businesses
- Cut-out photos on a brand-color background. If you need a cleaner photo, see our guide to cropping a picture into a circle.
Common Highlight Cover Mistakes
- Placing the icon too high or too low, so the circle crops it
- Using tiny text that cannot be read at thumbnail size
- Mixing styles across covers so the row looks cluttered
- Using photos with busy backgrounds that turn to mud when cropped
- Forgetting the Story preview shape. If your cover also shows up in a Story view, a 1080 x 1920 canvas looks better than a stretched square.
If you also publish Reels, Instagram Reels cover size and design uses a similar safe-zone approach for the profile grid crop.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size should Instagram highlight covers be?
Use 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16), the same as an Instagram Story. Instagram crops a circle from the center of the image, so keep your icon or text within the middle of the canvas.
Are Instagram stories 3/4 or 9:16?
Instagram Stories are 9:16, which is 1080 x 1920 pixels. The 3:4 ratio (1080 x 1440) is used for some feed post formats, not for Stories or highlight covers.
How many highlights should I have on Instagram?
There is no fixed limit, but 4 to 8 well-named highlights are easy for visitors to scan. Put the most important ones (like About, Offers, or Reviews) first.
Can I use a square image for a highlight cover?
Yes. A 1080 x 1080 square works, because you can drag and zoom the image inside the circle when you choose the cover. A 1080 x 1920 canvas has the advantage of also working as a Story graphic.
Why is my highlight cover blurry or cut off?
Blurry covers usually come from low-resolution images or from zooming in too far in the cover picker. Cut-off covers come from placing the design near the edges. Re-export at 1080 x 1920 and keep the main element in the center 700 x 700 px.
A month of posts, designed before your coffee cools
Describe the post. Krumzi designs it from scratch, on your brand, fully editable.
Start your free trial7-day free trial. No charge until day 8. Cancel online anytime.
