The recommended Instagram story size is 9:16 or 1080x1920 pixels, with a safe zone for text, how to find stories that vanished in your archive and how to save them as Highlights. Checked October 2026.
You posted a story and the text is hidden behind icons, or the image was cropped until the product vanished. The cause usually starts with size and placement. This guide covers the recommended Instagram story size, the area to keep clear, how to find stories that vanished and how to save them as Highlights, checked October 2026 against Instagram and Meta help pages. For choosing Highlight categories and cover strategy, see profile makeover for IG and TikTok.
Key takeaways
- Use 9:16 at 1080x1920 pixels as your guide
- Keep about 14% clear at the top and 20% at the bottom
- Stories last 24 hours but stay in your archive, and Highlights stay until you delete them
Which Instagram story size to use
Instagram recommends a vertical 9:16 ratio to fill the story screen. 1080x1920 pixels is the resolution Meta recommends for stories, a fine guide for ordinary story images and videos.
Recommended story size, checked October 2026
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NoteAbout the sources
Instagram Help has no page stating ordinary story size in pixels. The figures above come from Meta's story ad specs, a fair guide for ordinary stories. Help does not explain how images that are not 9:16 are laid out, so check the preview in the app before posting.
Worked out from those percentages on a 1080x1920 canvas, that is roughly 270 pixels at the top and 380 at the bottom. We calculated these figures ourselves and Instagram does not state pixels.
Where to place text so it is not covered
In Meta's ad guidance, 9:16 creative should keep the top, bottom and side edges free of key text and logos, because the profile icon or buttons can cover them. Screens taller than 9:16 may zoom and crop the edges, so keep key items near the center and away from the edges.
Do
Put the product name and price mid-frame
Keep about 14% top and 20% bottom clear
Preview on a real phone before posting
Don't
Put key text against the top or bottom edge
Cover the product with links or stickers
Make a landscape image and hope the app fixes it
Placing text in a story
Checklist before posting a story
Done 0/6
To add moving text and stickers, see how to animate text and stickers in Instagram Stories.
ArticleInstagram Story Text Animation: Moving Text and StickersMake Instagram Story text move with the animate button in the text tool, where the animation style changes with the font, plus GIF stickers, the Edits app and background colors. Checked October 2026.Where to find a story that vanished
A story lasts 24 hours from the time you post it, then disappears from your profile and others' feeds. Instagram saves stories to your archive automatically, a private space only you can see.
Open your own profile
Tap your profile picture or icon at the bottom right.
Tap the menu at the top right
Choose Archive.
Pick a story
They are sorted by date. Tap one to view it, and add it to a Highlight from there.
TipNot in the archive?
Saving is on by default. If a recent story is missing, check whether you turned saving off in account settings, and read Instagram's latest help page because menu names change with versions.
Save stories as Highlights step by step
A Highlight keeps stories on your profile after the 24 hours. The circle sits under your bio and stays until you remove it. There are three ways to start.
Three ways to save a story as a Highlight
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Start a new Highlight
On your profile tap New (or Story highlight if you do not see New).
Name it
Type a short name and tap Next.
Choose stories
Tap the stories to keep, then tap Next.
Choose a cover
Pick a cover image and tap Done.
You can edit it any time. Tap the Highlight, tap More at the top right, then Edit, where you can rename it, add or remove stories or choose a new cover.
What to know before saving a Highlight
Story, archive and Highlight compared
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Instagram notes that people you allow to see your story can see your Highlights too. If a story was shared only with Close friends, check the Highlight audience in the app before saving, since the help page does not cover that case.
WarningBefore saving customer stories
Get permission and hide personal details in chats, reviews or customer names before saving them as a Highlight, since it stays until you delete it.
Which Highlights a small shop should have and how to choose covers are in profile makeover for IG and TikTok, so this guide does not repeat them.
ArticleProfile Makeover for IG and TikTok: Bio, Highlights, LinkFix your IG and TikTok profile in 30 minutes: a 3-line bio formula with examples, 5 highlight categories, picking one link, 5 invented before-and-after cases and a 10-point checklist.Highlight covers display as circles. Instagram Help does not state a cover size, so center the symbol, keep it away from the edge and preview it in the app before saving.
When the shop's stories start getting views
The right size and placement make stories readable, but story viewers come from followers first. If a new shop has few followers, see Instagram followers, Instagram likes, Instagram views or all Instagram services. Ordered numbers do not guarantee sales and do not replace good content. To try a service first, see the free trial page.
Instagram story FAQ
What size is an Instagram story?
Meta recommends 9:16 at 1080x1920 pixels, checked October 2026.
Can I post a landscape image to a story?
Instagram Help does not explain how non-9:16 images are laid out. Check the preview in the app, and make a 9:16 image to be safe.
Can I recover a story that disappeared?
Check Archive in the profile menu. Saving is on by default. If it is missing, check whether saving was turned off.
Who sees my Highlights?
People you allow to see your story can see your Highlights, per Instagram Help.
Can I post stories from a computer?
Yes, through instagram.com, though some features such as certain stickers are mobile-only.
Summary
Make stories 9:16 at 1080x1920 pixels, keep the top and bottom clear, and save the stories you want customers to keep seeing as Highlights. To add flair, go on to moving text and stickers.
