The three ways to change your Instagram story background
Instagram gives you three main ways to change what appears behind your story content: you can use a solid color, upload a photo from your phone, or use a gradient that blends two colors together. Each method works the same way — you start a new story, then tap the color circle icon at the bottom of the screen before you add text or stickers. The option you choose stays in place until you manually switch to something else.
The solid color option is the fastest. Tap the color circle, then tap the solid color square that appears. Swipe left and right through the color palette to find the shade you want, then tap it to apply it to your entire story background. If you want to use a photo instead, tap the image icon in that same menu, choose a photo from your camera roll, and it will fill the background behind any text or stickers you add later.
Gradients let you blend two colors across the background. Tap the color circle, then tap the gradient option (it looks like two colors fading into each other). Choose your two colors by tapping each color square, swipe through the palette for each one, and the gradient applies immediately. You can also tap and drag across the background to change the angle of the gradient blend.
Key Takeaways
- Tap the color circle icon at the bottom of the screen before adding text or stickers to access background options.
- Solid colors, photo uploads, and gradients are all available from the same menu — swipe to see all three options.
- Photos you upload as backgrounds stay behind your text and stickers, so they do not get covered up.
- Your background choice only affects the current story — the next story you create starts with a blank background unless you repeat the process.
Using a photo from your phone as the background
To use a photo as your story background, start a new story by tapping the plus icon or swiping left from your feed. Tap the color circle at the bottom of the screen, then tap the image icon (it looks like a small square with a mountain). This opens your camera roll. Scroll through and tap the photo you want to use as your background.
Once you select a photo, it fills the entire story canvas. You can then add text, stickers, or drawings on top of it. The photo stays in the background and does not move when you add elements. If you want to replace the photo before posting, tap the color circle again and choose a different image or switch to a solid color or gradient.
Adjusting gradient angle and choosing two colors
When you select the gradient option, Instagram shows you two color squares — one for the starting color and one for the ending color. Tap the first square to open the color palette, swipe to find the color you want, and tap it. Then tap the second color square and repeat the process to choose where the gradient ends.
After you set both colors, you can change the angle of the gradient by tapping and dragging across the background. Drag from top to bottom to make the colors blend vertically, drag from left to right for a horizontal blend, or drag diagonally to angle the gradient. The gradient updates in real time as you drag, so you can see exactly how it looks before you post.
Saving a background color or gradient for future stories
Instagram does not have a built-in favorites feature for backgrounds, but the app remembers the colors you use most often. When you tap the color circle and open the color palette, the colors you have used recently appear at the top of the list. This makes it faster to reuse the same background across multiple stories without scrolling through the full palette each time.
If you want to use the exact same background for several stories in a row, you can take a screenshot of the color code or write down the hex value if you are familiar with color codes. However, most people simply tap the color circle on their next story and select from the recently used colors at the top of the palette.
What happens to your background when you add text or stickers
Text and stickers appear on top of your background — they do not replace it or cover it up permanently. If you add a large block of text, it may visually cover part of the background, but the background is still there underneath. You can move text and stickers around by tapping and dragging them, so you can position them to show more of the background if you want.
If your background is a photo and you add text, make sure there is enough contrast between the text color and the photo so people can read it. A white or black text outline can help text stand out against busy photos. Solid colors and gradients tend to work better with text because they are simpler and do not compete for attention.
Changing your background after you have already started a story
If you have already added text or stickers to your story and then decide to change the background, tap the color circle again. Choose a new solid color, gradient, or photo. The new background replaces the old one, but all the text and stickers you added stay in place on top of the new background. This lets you experiment with different backgrounds without losing your content.
Keep in mind that changing the background after adding content can sometimes make your text harder to read if the new background does not have enough contrast. If that happens, you can change the text color by tapping the text, then tapping the color icon that appears. You can also delete the text and retype it in a different color that works better with your new background.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a video as my story background instead of a photo?
No. Instagram only lets you use still photos from your camera roll as backgrounds. If you want video in your story, you can record it directly in the story camera or upload a video file, but you cannot set a video as a background layer behind text and stickers the way you can with photos.
Does my background choice affect how other people see my story?
Yes. Whatever background you choose — solid color, gradient, or photo — appears the same way for everyone who views your story. The background is part of the story itself, not a personal setting on your phone.
Can I use a background I found online or a screenshot?
Yes. As long as the image is saved to your phone's camera roll or photo library, you can use it as a story background. Download the image to your phone first, then follow the steps to upload it from your camera roll.
What if I want to go back to a blank white background?
Tap the color circle and select white from the solid color palette. This gives you a plain white background, which is the closest option to a blank canvas. You can then add text and stickers on top of it.
Do I have to choose a background every time I post a story?
No. If you do not tap the color circle, your story will have a blank or transparent background by default. You only need to tap the color circle if you want to add a solid color, gradient, or photo background intentionally.