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Home » Blog » How to Change Instagram Story Background Colours with Easy Steps?

How to Change Instagram Story Background Colours with Easy Steps?

Written By:

admin
Jun 2, 2026

If you want to make your Instagram stories attractive, you should change the Instagram story background using these easy and simple steps. Whether you want to use a gradient effect, a solid colour, or a photo overlay, you can customise the stories effortlessly.

With these simple techniques, you can easily create attractive and engaging stories to catch your followers’ attention and look perfect on their screens. 

Quick Answer

How to change Instagram story background

Follow these simple steps to change your Instagram story background:

  1. Open a story
  2. Click the drawing tool
  3. Choose a color
  4. Long-press until the screen fills with the colour of your choice

Now you can include text or photos as overlays, create gradients, and use the highlighter tool to create transparent colour effects.

Why Customising Your Instagram Story Background Matters

Your Instagram story background informs people of the mood and tone of the message you are giving them. When you use a default, simple, or white background, it can’t get immediate attention. However, using a background colour or an image makes your story attractive and engages your audience for longer 

  1. Better Branding: Your audience recognises your brand within seconds after the colours of your brand are used consistently in the stories. It directly leads to brand recognition.
  2. More Engagement: The stories with attractive backgrounds stand out from the rest in followers’ feeds. These eye-catching designs stop people from scrolling. They watch your story completely.
  3. Professional Appearance: No matter if you are a content creator, business owner, or influencer, custom backgrounds are proof of your efforts in your stories.
  4. Increased Story Views and Shares: Posting stories with attractive designs and customised backgrounds is one of the tips to get followers on Instagram and get likes and shares too. People prefer saving for later and sharing with their loved ones.

How to Change Background Colour in Instagram Story to Solid? 

How to change background colour in Instagram story

You can change your background to a solid colour in simple, easy steps. It only takes a few seconds. Here is how you can create a beautiful, solid colour background for your story:

Step 1. Open Instagram Stories: Swipe right from the home screen to open the story creation screen.

Instagram story section

Step 2. Upload or Take a Photo: Either choose a photo from the camera roll or click a picture with your phone. Don’t worry about what is in the image, as you will cover it with a solid colour completely.

Upload or take a photo

Step 3. Select the draw tool: Go to the top right corner of the Instagram interface. Tap the pen or smile icon to select the draw option from the menu. 

Open the draw tool

Step 4. Choose Your Perfect Colour: You have a row of preset colours at the bottom of the screen. Select any colour of your choice. To have more colour options, long-press any colour.

Long-press to have multiple colour options

Step 5. Fill the Entire Background: Hold your finger on your Instagram screen for 5 seconds, and the background fills with the colour of your choice.

Hold your finger to fill the background

Step 6. Add Text or Other Elements: You can include text, emojis, and other things on your coloured background to finish your story now.

Add texts or other elements

How to Post Story as Instagram Story Black Background

Almost all content creators and businessmen want to use a clean, minimalist decor with a complete black background in Instagram stories. You should create a black Insta story background to promote content and post aesthetic stories. You should follow the steps given below. 

Using a Blank Photo

Step 1. Either capture or upload any picture to your story from your camera roll.

Capture or upload a picture to your story

Step 2. Access the pen tool from the top right corner and use pure black from the colour palette.

Select the pen tool at the top right

Step 3. Keep holding your finger on the screen till the whole background becomes black.

Hold until the whole screen turns black

Step 4. Now post the black Instagram story with or without text and images layered on top.

Include text or images in your story

How to Add Photos as Instagram Story Background Overlay Quickly?

Sometimes you wish to set a photo or an image as your background besides a solid colour. Using the photo overlays option, you can create more complex and interesting stories.

Step 1) Create Your Story Base: Tap the new story option, now either click a photo or upload one from the camera roll.

Take a new photo or upload

Step 2) Tap the Sticker Icon: Look in the top-right corner and select the sticker button, which is generally shaped like a smiley face.

Tap the sticker icon

Step 3) Choose Photo Sticker Option: Click the photo sticker option to access your phone’s camera roll.

Choose photo sticker option

Step 4) Pick Your Background Photo: Choose an image or Instagram story picture that you want as the background overlay of your story.

Select your background photo

Step 5) Resize and Position Perfectly: To make your picture fit properly in the display as a background, you should zoom in and out and drag it.

Crop and positioning your background perfectly

Step 6) Add Text or Additional Elements: You can now add captions using the text tool or stickers with the sticker button on your background image.

Include texts or other elements

Creating Beautiful Gradient Backgrounds: Colour Transitions Made Easy

The gradient backgrounds are a combination of two or more colours blending into one rather than just a single solid colour. You get stories with a modern, latest, and professional look with different colour combinations.

Step 1. Open Story Creation Screen: Start a new story with the text tool or a picture using a gradient background on Instagram.

Open story creation screen

Step 2. Access the Text Tool: Click the “Aa icon” to access the text tool options at the top of your screen and come back to “Create.”

Access the text tool

Step 3. Open Gradient Options: Again, tap the “Aa icon” at the bottom of your screen for various background colours, including gradients.

Select gradient options

Step 4. Select Your Perfect Gradient: Tap the circle icon (O) on the screen and see different gradients. You can freely match one to your style and choice.

Choose your perfect gradient

Step 5. Customise with Elements Texts: You are free to include text or keep it blank as a gradient background for a minimalist look for the audience.

Customise with texts and other things

Using The Highlighter Tool for Transparent Colour Overlays

You can see the image with a coloured overlay using the highlighter tool. It creates an excellent tinted effect. You can add your mood or atmosphere along with showing a part of your photo at the bottom.

Step 1. Upload Photo: Browse and upload a picture from your phone to your Instagram story.

Open Instagram Story to upload a simple photo

Step 2. Open the Draw Tool: Tap the drawing icon or pen at the top-right corner on the screen.

Open the draw tool

Step 3. Select the Highlighter Pen Tool: You should use the highlighter tool because it is lighter than the normal pen tool. It is usually on the 3rd pen option.

Open the highlighter pen tool

Step 4. Pick Your Overlay Colour: Select the colour you wish to display as your transparent overlay from the palette.

Choose your overlay colour

Step 5. Create the Transparent Overlay: Hold your finger longer on the screen. The longer you hold it. Remove the finger when the colour appeals to you.

Fill the whole background

Step 6. Use Eraser for fine-tuning: You can use the eraser tool to show your photo within the colour overlay.

Use the eraser tool for better tuning

Do’s and Don’ts for Instagram Story Backgrounds

Do’s

  • Use the colours that match your brand identity in stories
  • Try two different colours and finalize the one appears better on mobile screens
  • Your text must be clearly visible and readable with background colour
  • Include contrasting colours to make the stroy eye-catching in your audience’s feed
  • You should save your favourite background temple to use it in all future stories.

Don’ts

  • Never use such background colour combinations that make texts hard to read 
  • You shouldn’t overuse bright colours, as they affect the eyes of viewers
  • Do not repeatedly change the background colours
  • Never post stories without a preview to check everything
  • Don’t ever use low-quality images as background overlays

Troubleshooting: Common Background Colour Problems and Solutions

 When we try someone new for the very first time, we face some problems. We have enlisted the most common issues you might experience alon gwith simple solutions for all of them.

ProblemSolution
Colour doesn’t fill the whole screenRemember, you have to use the pen tool, and not the highlighter tool. Hold down longer on the screen till it fills.
Can’t find the pen toolUpdate the Instagram application to the latest version. The latest updates fix the missing tools problem.
Colours look different postedIt varies on phone screens.  Thus, you can either change the settings of the phone display or choose different colours in Instagram.
The photo overlay appears too smallYou should zoom in on your photo and drag making it fit the whole screen.

Making Your Background Colours Consistent with Your Brand

Suppose you run a business or are someone with a personal brand. If you use your Instagram story background repeatedly, it creates a powerful brand recognition and builds trust with the people who follow you. 

  • Save Your Brand Colours Palette: It will be better if you can take a screenshot of your brand colour palette and save it on your device. Whenever you are creating any story, you can match the exact colour code using the eyedropper tool.
  • Create Reusable Template System: You should create at least 3-4 background templates using any tool, such as Canva, with the same brand colours. You can reuse them in your stories consistently.
  • Plan Your Colour Scheme Strategy: You can choose 2-3 main colours with 2-3 contrasting colours and use them in all your stories. Doing this helps your audience recognise your content in one go.

Conclusion:

You can easily change the Instagram stories background colours. It really matters how your stories look to viewers. No matter if you use a black background,  a gradient effect, or colourful overlays, the shared tips in this guide help you create professional stories.

Start using different colour combinations right away. Don’t forget to be consistent with your brand colours to create brand recognition and trust with your followers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I save background colour combinations?

Instagram does not save customised colour combinations itself. However, you are free to take screenshots of your favourite background colours and save them on your phone. When you create stories, use the eyedropper tool to choose the saved colours. Some creators use Canva to create and save background templates they reuse in their stories.

Why won’t my background colour fill the entire screen?

It generally takes place when you use the highlighter tool besides the pen tool. The highlighter tool makes a transparent overlay. They do not get filled; therefore, select the pen tool, choose your colour, and hold your finger longer on the screen to fill the complete background.

Can we have different backgrounds for different stories in the same post?

Obviously, you can have various backgrounds for different stories in the same post. You should create them separately with your favourite colours and backgrounds. Now add them to your story one by one. Viewers will see all the stories with their backgrounds when they swipe through.

How can I make text easy to read on dark backgrounds?

You should use bright, light-coloured text on dark backgrounds. White and light-yellow colours work well. You can preview stories before you post them, just to confirm whether the text is properly readable or not. If the text is hard to read, change the text colour or add a semi-transparent overlay behind the text.

Can I make a gradient background using just the app, or do I need Canva?

Instagram offers built-in gradient options for you. You should open the text tool (Aa icon), click it again at the bottom, and now tap the circle icon to have gradient backgrounds.

If you want custom gradients far beyond Instagram, go for Canva, as you have unlimited options there. Don’t forget to save gradient pictures and import them on Instagram as photo overlays.

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