Instagram Story Size: 1080x1920 (2026)
The Instagram Story size is 1080x1920 pixels at a 9:16 aspect ratio, the same vertical canvas as Reels and TikTok. The catch: Instagram covers the top and bottom of the screen with UI, so anything important needs to live in the center 1080x1420 safe zone.
Full vertical. Same canvas as Reels.
Instagram Story size at a glance
The numbers you need, ready to copy into your canvas.
The top and bottom 250 pixels belong to Instagram's UI: profile name and progress bar up top, reply box down below. Keep faces and text out of both.
Or describe it and let the AI Instagram story maker design it at exactly 1080x1920 with the safe zone already handled.
Where the safe zone sits
Avoid placing text or faces in the top 250px (profile + ticker) or bottom 250px (reply box + reactions).
Every Instagram size in one place
A quick-reference table. Krumzi's AI designer handles these dimensions automatically when you pick the format, so this is really just for the manual crowd.
Or let Krumzi build the Instagram design for you.
Describe what you need. Krumzi handles the layout, fonts, and colors, then exports a ready-to-publish design at the exact 1080x1920 format. No template hunting.
Design a story with AIInstagram design tips that matter
Knowing the pixel sizes is half the battle. Here's what separates designs that get engagement from designs that don't.
Keep text inside 1080x1420
The top and bottom 250px each are taken by Instagram UI. Plan your design with the inner safe zone in mind.
Highlight covers crop to a circle
Highlight covers display as a 60x60 circle. Center any logo or icon and avoid placing important detail near the edges.
Vertical only
Stories will technically accept horizontal images by adding huge blurred bars. It looks bad. Always design at 9:16.
Animation outperforms static
Even subtle motion (a gradient sweep, a text fade) significantly increases tap-through rates compared to static images.
Frequently asked questions
1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall, 9:16 aspect ratio. This applies to photo stories, video stories, and Story ads.
The safe zone is the center 1080x1420 area. The top 250px holds your profile name and progress bar; the bottom 250px holds the reply box. Don't put important content in those zones.
1080x1920 pixels. But Instagram crops to a 60x60 circle for the highlight tray, so design with a centered icon and ignore the outer edges.
Instagram will accept it but add blurred bars to fill the 9:16 frame. It looks unprofessional. Always export at 1080x1920 vertical.
Yes. Both are 1080x1920 at 9:16. Stories last 24 hours; Reels are permanent posts that appear in the Reels feed.
Related size guides
Designing for one platform usually means designing for several. Here's what people look up next.
Instagram Post
Portrait. Takes up the most feed real estate.
Instagram Reel
Full-screen vertical video and cover.