Story / fullscreen
Recommended1080×1920 9:16
Standard vertical frame for Snapchat Stories. Design the mid-frame first.
Use in toolSnapchat · Image size
Snapchat Story Size
Snapchat Stories fill the phone at 1080×1920. Keep faces out of top and bottom UI, leave room for stickers and captions, then download a sharp vertical frame in your browser.
Browser tool · nothing leaves your device
Crop your Snapchat Story
Output 1080 × 1920
- 1Upload or try the sample
- 2Drag so the subject stays in the mobile guide
- 3Download 1640×624 (or your selected size)
Click to upload
Upload a vertical photo—or try the sample—then keep faces between the UI risk bands. Leave extra bottom room if you will add captions or stickers.
Drop an image onto the canvas, click inside it, or try the sample
Size specs
Export 1080×1920, but leave the top and bottom quieter—menus, progress, captions, and reply UI sit there after you publish. Bleed backgrounds full-bleed; protect only the message.
Publish
Export this for Snapchat upload.
| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story / fullscreen Recommended | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Standard vertical frame for Snapchat Stories. Design the mid-frame first. | Use in tool |
Stickers and chrome sit on your pixels
A Snapchat Story fills the screen, then Snapchat draws captions, stickers, menus, and reply controls on top. Design the mid-frame as the only guaranteed visible area—edges that look empty in a design tool often disappear once stickers go on.
Stories disappear quickly and are often watched one-handed outdoors. One idea per frame beats a poster full of paragraphs. Save dense offers for a follow-up Snap or a Spotlight still, and keep on-image type large enough to read at arm’s length in bright light.
Export at 1080×1920 so the image stays sharp after Snapchat’s compression. Soft phone screenshots and tiny type get worse after upload, especially on bright screens. Prefer sRGB JPG for photos and PNG when you need hard-edged graphics.
When you reuse an Instagram Story or TikTok cover still, re-check Snapchat’s sticker and caption placement—layouts are similar at 9:16, but chrome is not identical. Leave more bottom margin than you think you need if a caption bar or sticker stack is part of the plan.
Good vs weak crop
Same full-screen frame—top and bottom UI chrome cover anything glued to the edges.
Survives Story chrome
- Subject mid-frame between risk bands
- Headline in the clear center band
- Quiet top and bottom for menus / captions
Hidden by UI
- Title under the top progress / profile row
- CTA sitting on the caption or reply field
- Only important detail at the extreme edge
Before you upload
Tick these off against your crop preview—nothing is saved.
Related surfaces compared
Similar-looking slots often use different ratios—do not reuse one export for all of them.
Story frame
1080 × 1920
This page. Full-screen vertical with Story chrome and stickers.
Spotlight still
Often 9:16
Same vertical idea; re-check chrome if you publish to Spotlight.
Profile picture / Bitmoji contexts
Square circle
Tiny avatar—not the Story art itself.
Chat media
Varies
DM snaps can differ—this page targets Stories.
| Surface | Typical size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Story frame | 1080 × 1920 | This page. Full-screen vertical with Story chrome and stickers. |
| Spotlight still | Often 9:16 | Same vertical idea; re-check chrome if you publish to Spotlight. |
| Profile picture / Bitmoji contexts | Square circle | Tiny avatar—not the Story art itself. |
| Chat media | Varies | DM snaps can differ—this page targets Stories. |
UI chrome to keep clear
Treat the top band as reserved for progress, profile chips, and close controls, and the bottom band as reserved for captions, replies, and sticker stacks. Exact padding varies by device and app version—design with margin, not pixel-perfect assumptions.
Corners are risky after publish: stickers and text tools often land there even if the crop looked empty in your editor.
- Top: progress, name, close / more controls.
- Bottom: captions, replies, swipe hints.
- Corners: stickers and text tools often land here after publish.
- Center band: safest place for faces and short headlines.
What works in a short Story
Stories are glanceable. One product, one face, or one short line of type is enough. If you need steps, use a sequence of Snaps instead of cramming a flyer into one still.
Think in sequences: Snap 1 hooks, Snap 2 shows the detail, Snap 3 points to a reply or next action. Each frame still needs its own mid-band safe zone.
- Prefer high contrast—Stories often play outdoors in bright light.
- Keep busy backgrounds behind the subject, not over the text.
- Export a still first; add lenses or motion inside Snapchat if needed.
- Match brand colors, but do not rely on thin light-grey type.
- Leave a calm lower area if a caption bar is part of the plan.
File requirements
Export 1080×1920 in sRGB. JPG is fine for photos; PNG helps for flat graphics. Very heavy files may take longer to upload on mobile data without looking better after Snapchat re-encodes them.
- Export size
- 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
- Safe content
- Keep critical elements between the UI risk bands
- Formats
- JPG or PNG (sRGB)
- Color
- sRGB preferred
- Still vs video
- Same frame size for vertical video Story frames
Common mistakes
- Reusing a square feed crop with empty bars or stretched edges.
- Putting the only headline at the top edge under progress / profile.
- Adding five stickers that cover the product you meant to show.
- Low-contrast text on a busy photo that fails outdoors.
- Using a wide cover-style crop as a Story background.
- Designing only on a desktop preview that hides mobile chrome.
How to use the crop tool on this page
Upload a vertical (or any) photo, lock the Story preset at 1080×1920, then drag until faces and headlines sit between the UI risk bands. Download when the unsafe top and bottom strips only contain background.
- Bleed backgrounds to the full frame; protect only the message.
- Nothing leaves your device while cropping.
- Add stickers in Snapchat only after a phone preview.
- If you need an Instagram Story next, re-check chrome—same pixels, different UI.
After you download
From this download to a live upload in a few minutes.
- 1
Download the 1080×1920 JPG from the tool.
- 2
Open Snapchat → add to Story (or Memories → Story) and import the photo.
- 3
Add stickers or captions only after confirming the subject still reads clearly.
- 4
Preview once with stickers on—stickers can cover what looked safe in the crop tool.
- 5
If you publish a multi-Snap sequence, spot-check each frame’s mid-band on your phone—not only the first.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Snapchat Story in 2026?
1080×1920 pixels (9:16). That fills a typical phone screen, but Snapchat UI still covers the top and bottom—keep important content in the middle band.
Where should I place text on a Story?
In the middle band—away from top menus/progress and bottom caption UI. Leave extra room if you will add stickers after upload.
Is Snapchat Story size the same as Instagram Stories?
Same frame size (1080×1920). Re-check chrome because stickers, captions, and buttons differ—do not assume one export is safe for both without a phone preview.
Can I upload a square photo as a Story?
Snapchat will pad or crop it. Start from 9:16 in this tool so you control what stays before you publish.
JPG or PNG for Stories?
JPG for photos; PNG for sharp logos or type-heavy graphics. Keep sRGB either way, and avoid huge files that only slow mobile upload.
What about Spotlight?
Spotlight often uses the same vertical idea. Re-check on-device chrome if you publish there—this page focuses on Stories.
How long should a Story video be?
Keep clips short and check Snapchat’s current limits for your account. Still frames should still follow the same 1080×1920 safe zones.