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How To Change Background Color On Instagram Story

Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

Last Updated on July 15, 2024
How to change background color on Instagram story
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Instagram is a popular platform where millions of people post photos and videos every day. This app also has a messaging section, which makes it convenient for chatting with your followers. Stories are also available, and they are a feature that allows your followers to see a photo or a video for 24 hours after it was posted. If you want to customize it and create your stories just the way you want them to be, we got you covered with this article where we explain how to change the background color on Instagram stories.

The Customization Options For Your Story

Instagram allows its users to customize everything. From their profile to their photos and videos, each piece can be designed and edited personally. When you post on your story, there are a couple of features you can use to make it feel more personal to your followers.

When you post a photo on your story, in most cases it won’t cover the entire screen. That is why the background is filled with a specific color which Instagram algorithms choose in order to match its theme. When the color is similar to the palette featured in your photo, the background is more comfortable on the eyes and will almost feel inexistent.

But depending on your own preferences, you might want to change this color to a specific one. Brands will have their own color which they want to use everywhere, and influencers will choose a specific color for their posts. Regardless of who you are, the background color of your story is fully customizable to you and you can let your imagination run wild.

How To Change the Background Color on Your Story

You can only change the background color while you are posting the story. If you already posted something and you need to edit it, there is no option to modify and edit the story. This restriction is applied because some of your followers already saw your story and they won’t be notified if you make a change.

But if you haven’t posted yet, continue by following the steps below. They will teach you how to change the color and you will see that the process is fairly simple and effortless.

Step

1

Open Instagram

Open Instagram from your Home screen or App library and press on your profile picture.

Step

2

Select a video or photo

Select a photo or a video from the gallery that just opened. You can also select multiple files at the same time.

Step

3

Tap the pen icon

Once you selected the desired content you want to share, look for the Pen icon situated at the top left side of your screen. This button allows you to make visual edits to your story, and you will have to press it.

Step

4

Select a color

After you pressed the pen, you will see several colors displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can select the background color here, and there are many presets to choose from.

Step

5

Hold down

Hold the finger on your screen and you will notice how the entire screen turns to the color you selected in the previous step. 

Step

6

Upload photo or video

Because the screen turned to a different color, you will have to upload your photo or video again. But when you do it, this time the background will keep the preset color that you applied in the previous step. 

As you can see, changing the background color is easy although it is a little bit tricky and it is not entirely a direct process. But you don’t need to have superior tech skills to impress your followers with your edits. They will surely notice that the background color is different from the default one placed by Instagram, and they might even ask you how you do it.

How to change the background color when you are sharing a post

With the tutorial presented above, you now know how to change the background color when you upload a photo or a video from your own gallery. The media has not been posted on Instagram yet, and that is why you have to follow that process to change the background color.

Sharing a post on your story is similar to uploading a photo, but the process can be quite different. While it is still easy to do, you will also find out that the process is rather similar.

Step

1

Open Instagram

Open Instagram from your Home screen or App library and search for the post you want to share on your story.

Step

2

Share to your story

Once you found the post, share it to your story by using the sharing button and selecting “Add Post to Your Story”

Step

3

Tap on the pen

The story window is now open as well as the editing buttons. Choose the Pen from the top right corner and select your preferred color from the palette that just became available.

Step

4

Change the background color

Hold your finger on the screen in order to cover the background with your color. The background will change and you can finish posting your story.

As you can see, the background instantly changed to the color that you picked. In this situation, you won’t have to upload the post again since it was not covered by your editing process.

Conclusion

There are plenty of customization options for Instagram users, as Meta wants their customers to have complete freedom over the things they share. As long as they fall within the community’s guidelines, you can share anything you desire and modify your posts, reels, and stories to your own preference. 

Changing the background color of your story might not be a straightforward process, but you will realize that it is a simple one. After you do it several times, it becomes natural and you will remember it easily. 

Si Yan contributed to PC Guide in 2022 and supported with content creation. Previously working at a major electronics company, she brought her knowledge of consumer tech to the site.