Instagram Story size and format
The Instagram Story size is 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio. That is also the size reels use. Keep important text and stickers away from the top and bottom edges, because the interface covers roughly the first and last 250 pixels with the profile bar and the reply field. The Stickstories editor works at 1080x1920 by default, so there is nothing to calculate and no cropping surprises.
The Instagram Story format is 1080 x 1920 pixels, with a 9:16 (vertical) aspect ratio. With Stickstories you design your Stories at the exact size and schedule them with no cropping.
Instagram Story dimensions and pixels
The recommended size is 1080 x 1920 px (9:16). Stickstories works in that format by default so your Stories look sharp with no borders.
No cropping or odd margins
Forget about calculating pixels by hand: the editor keeps the vertical Story format and places every element inside the safe area.
Create and schedule at the right size
Design the Story at the correct size, add stickers and music, and schedule it to publish automatically.
The safe area, in pixels
The canvas is 1080x1920, but Instagram draws its own interface on top. As a rule of thumb, leave the top 250 pixels and the bottom 250 pixels free of anything that has to be read or tapped: that is where the account name, the timer bar, the reply box and the share icons sit. The middle 1080x1420 is where your message should live.
What happens with the wrong size
A square 1080x1080 image gets letterboxed with bars or filled with a blurred background. A 4:5 feed photo gets cropped at the sides or scaled down. A horizontal video ends up as a small strip in the middle. None of it is fatal, but it looks like a repurposed post rather than a Story.
Sizes for the other Instagram formats
Feed posts are 1080x1080 for square, 1080x1350 for the 4:5 portrait that takes up the most screen, and 1080x566 for landscape. Reels match Stories at 1080x1920. If you only remember one number, remember 1080 wide: every Instagram format uses it.
Stickstories in numbers
- What it publishes
- Stories, feed posts, reels
- Auto-posting
- Runs on Stickstories servers. No phone and no "tap to share" notification.
- Interactive stickers kept
- link, poll, quiz, question, countdown, slider, mention, hashtag, location
- Music
- Instagram catalog plus your own audio, per slide.
- Story format
- 1080x1920 pixels (9:16)
- Accepted files
- JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, MP4, MOV, MP3, M4A — up to 200 MB each
- Price per account / month
- €9.90 (1-3) · €8.90 (4-10) · €7.90 (11+)
- Free trial
- 7 days, 1 account, no credit card
- Contract
- Monthly, cancel anytime from the panel
Frequently asked questions
What is the Instagram Story size?
1080 x 1920 pixels, with a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio. Instagram scales it to the device screen, so those are the pixels to design at.
What is the safe area for a Story?
Leave roughly the top 250 and bottom 250 pixels clear. Instagram places the profile bar, the progress bar, the reply field and the share buttons there, and they will cover anything you put underneath.
What aspect ratio does a Story use?
9:16. The same ratio as reels, and the reason a square or landscape image never quite fits.
How many MB can a Story video be?
In Stickstories you can upload video up to 200 MB per file, in MP4 or MOV.
Can I use a square image in a Story?
You can, but Instagram will pad it with bars or a blurred background. If the image matters, either export it at 1080x1920 or build the Story on a 1080x1920 canvas and place the square image inside it.
Keep reading
- Instagram Story templates In Stickstories a template is a Story you have already built and keep to reuse: same layout, same brand colours, same st...
- Instagram Story editor The Stickstories editor is a browser canvas at 1080x1920 where you build Instagram Stories with a mouse and a full-size...
- Schedule Instagram Reels automatically Stickstories schedules Instagram reels alongside Stories and feed posts, from the same calendar and the same dashboard....
