# Instagram Story size: pixels, safe zone and file limits

Use **1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16)** for an Instagram Story — the same full-screen vertical shape as a Reel. Meta's own Stories ad-design page actually recommends a sharper **1440 x 2560**, at the identical 9:16 ratio; either works, 1080 x 1920 is just the more commonly quoted number. For the feed, carousel and Reel sizes, see our [Instagram post size guide](https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-post-size).

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## What is the best size for an Instagram Story?
Export at **1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall**, a 9:16 ratio that fills a phone screen edge to edge. Instagram's Help Center does not publish a separate pixel spec for an organic (non-ad) Story — a Story is always full-screen, so there is no app-side cropping rule to state the way there is for a feed photo. The one official number comes from Meta's own Stories AD design page, which recommends going sharper:
| Source | Resolution | Ratio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Most common recommendation (and ours) | 1080 x 1920 | 9:16 |
| Meta's own Instagram Stories ad spec | 1440 x 2560 | 9:16 |
Both are the same shape at different pixel counts — 1440 x 2560 is exactly 1080 x 1920 scaled up, so neither crops or stretches the other. Design at 1080 x 1920 unless you are exporting for a paid ad and want the extra sharpness.
![Story frame with top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% sides as Meta's ad-safe margin, and a green safe zone in the middle](https://superprofile.bio/seo-img/instagram-story-safe-zone.webp)

Sample layout, not a live screenshot. Percentages: Meta's Instagram Stories ad-spec pages, read 3 November 2026. Applying them to an organic Story is our own recommendation, not a Meta rule.

## What is the Instagram Story safe zone?
Meta's own guidance for Instagram Stories ads: leave roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of text, logos or other key creative elements, so an ad's own profile icon or call-to-action button doesn't cover them. Meta does not publish an equivalent guidance page for an organic (non-ad) Story; using the same margins there is our own recommendation, not a stated Meta rule, since an organic Story's UI (profile name, caption area, reply field) sits in roughly the same place on screen
Searching for this figure turns up different numbers on different blogs — some say the bottom safe margin is 20%, others 35%. We checked [Meta's own Instagram Stories ad-spec pages](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/image/instagram-story) directly: the image, video and carousel ad specs all state the same 14% / 35% / 6% split, and none of those three pages mentions a 20% figure — so 35% is the number this page uses.
Nothing enforces this on an organic Story — Instagram will not stop you from putting text at the very top. It is a design recommendation, not a technical limit, so your own app version and device are the real test: preview the Story on your phone before you post.

## What file types and limits apply?
Most of the file-size numbers repeated online (image up to 30 MB, video up to 4 GB) are from Meta's Stories **ad** spec, not a published limit for an ordinary Story you post yourself. Instagram's own Story-editing help page covers recording and trimming, not a file-size table, so we don't state an organic-Story file cap as if Instagram published one.
Meta's own Instagram Stories ad spec recommends 1440 x 2560 pixels, a sharper image at the same 9:16 ratio as the commonly quoted 1080 x 1920; minimum width is 500 pixels, aspect-ratio tolerance 1%, file type JPG or PNG up to 30 MB.
If you post a Story from SuperProfile's scheduler instead of the Instagram app, SuperProfile's own real limits apply, and we verified them in the code rather than copying a blog: JPEG, PNG or WEBP photos up to 30 MB and at least 320 pixels wide; PNG and WEBP are converted to JPEG, a photo wider than 1440 pixels is scaled down to 1440, and HEIC photos are not supported (export as JPEG first). Video: a scheduled Reel can run 3 seconds to 15 minutes; a video inside a carousel or a Story video can run 3 to 60 seconds, and a Story video can be up to 100 MB.

## Does SuperProfile crop my Story photo?
No, not the way it treats a feed photo: if a feed photo is taller than 4:5 or wider than 1.91:1, the SuperProfile composer crops it from the centre to the nearest allowed edge (4:5 or 1.91:1) and tells you what it did; photos already inside that range are not cropped, and Story photos are not cropped. A Story photo keeps the shape and composition you uploaded — unlike a feed photo, which SuperProfile crops to fit Instagram's 4:5-to-1.91:1 feed range. The file-format rules from the section above still apply, though: a PNG or WEBP Story photo is still converted to JPEG, and one wider than 1440 pixels is still scaled down to that width — the composition isn't cropped, but the file itself can still change.
Scheduling tools (including SuperProfile's) publish Stories through Meta's own API, which follows a different rule: Meta's own Content Publishing API asks for a JPEG up to 8 MB and recommends a 9:16 aspect ratio, to avoid cropping or blank space

## Can I schedule a Story at this size?
Yes. SuperProfile's Instagram scheduler publishes Stories through Meta's official Instagram content publishing API, so you need an Instagram professional account (creator or business), because Meta's publishing API works only with professional accounts. The scheduler itself is available on all SuperProfile paid plans, from Schedule in the dashboard; free creators see an upgrade prompt. You can also attach an Auto-DM to a scheduled Story, covered in [scheduling an Instagram post with Auto-DM](https://superprofile.bio/guides/schedule-instagram-post-with-auto-dm).
Start with the [Instagram scheduler](https://superprofile.bio/products/instagram-scheduler), or see the full size table for feed, carousel, Story and Reel in our [Instagram post size guide](https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-post-size) and the [Instagram Reel size guide](https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-reel-size).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the Instagram Story size in pixels?
1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 ratio. Meta's own Stories ad-design page recommends a sharper 1440 x 2560 at the same ratio; either works.

### What is the Instagram Story safe zone?
Roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side — Meta's own guidance for Instagram Stories ads. We recommend the same margins for an organic Story too, since its profile icon, name and caption area sit in a similar place on screen, though Meta doesn't publish this guidance for organic Stories specifically.

### Is the Instagram Story safe zone 20% or 35% at the bottom?
35%, per Meta's own Instagram Stories ad-spec pages (image, video and carousel all state the same figure). We didn't find a 20% figure on any of those three pages.

### Does Instagram crop my Story photo?
Instagram doesn't publish a cropping rule for Stories the way it does for feed photos, because a Story is always full-screen. SuperProfile's scheduler doesn't crop a Story photo's composition either — though a PNG or WEBP photo is still converted to JPEG, and one wider than 1440 pixels is still scaled down to that width.

### What is the maximum file size for an Instagram Story?
Instagram doesn't publish a file-size limit for an ordinary Story the way Meta does for Stories ads (30 MB image, 4 GB video). Through SuperProfile's scheduler, a Story photo can be up to 30 MB and a Story video up to 100 MB, 3 to 60 seconds long.

## More guides

- [Instagram Reel size, aspect ratio and cover size](https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-reel-size)
- [Instagram Creator Studio: what replaced it and how to schedule](https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-creator-studio)
- [Schedule Instagram posts from Claude or ChatGPT](https://superprofile.bio/guides/schedule-instagram-posts-from-claude-chatgpt)
- [Instagram trial reels: eligibility, how to post and schedule](https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-trial-reels)
- [How Instagram DM automation works](https://superprofile.bio/instagram-dm-automation)
- [All SuperProfile guides](https://superprofile.bio/guides)

Last updated 3 November 2026.

Source: https://superprofile.bio/guides/instagram-story-size