How I Change My Instagram Story Background Color (And You Can Too)

Alright, let me break this down real simple.
If you’ve ever made an Instagram Story and hated how the background looked behind your photo or text—yeah, same.

I used to think I was stuck with whatever IG gave me. But turns out, there are some easy ways to change the background color and actually make your stories look good. Like, “hey, did you hire a designer?” kinda good.

Here’s exactly how I do it. You don’t need to be a tech genius. If you can tap a screen and hold for like 2 seconds, you’re golden.

What I’m Gonna Show You

Step	What You’ll Learn
1	What a story background actually is
2	How I change it if there’s no photo
3	How I change it with a photo (sneaky trick)
4	How to use Instagram’s built-in gradients
5	My quick pro tips that make stories look cool

First Things First – What’s a “Story Background”?

Let me explain it like this:

You post something on your story—maybe a selfie, a question box, whatever. Behind that stuff is a color, right? That’s your background color.

Here’s what I mean:

Yeah, that color behind your photo? That’s what we’re messing with today.

When I Want a Plain Color Background (No Photo)

If I’m just posting a text story, changing the background color is super easy.

Here’s what I do:

1. I open Instagram and swipe right to get into Stories.
2. I tap “Aa” to start a text story.
3. I type whatever I want—maybe a quote, a question, or just random thoughts.
4. At the top, I tap the circle color icon to change the background color.
5. I keep tapping it to scroll through all the colors.

Sometimes I even tap the color wheel to pick a specific color if I’m feeling fancy.

When I Want to Change the Background Behind a Photo

Now this one’s a little trickier because Instagram’s weird about it.

The problem:

When I upload a photo, IG gives me this ugly blurred version of the same photo as the background. Ew.

But here’s how I change it:

The Solid Color Trick (I use this a lot)

1. I upload my photo to Stories.
2. I tap the Draw Tool (it’s the squiggly line at the top).
3. I pick a color I like from the bottom row.
4. Then I tap and hold anywhere on the screen.
5. Boom—whole screen fills with that color.

BUT WAIT. Now the photo’s gone, right?

Here’s how I bring it back…

How I Add My Photo Back As a Sticker

1. I open my phone’s Photos app and find the picture I want.
2. I tap Share → Copy Photo.
3. Then I go back to Instagram.
4. If I do it right, I see “Add Sticker” pop up.
5. I tap that and my photo comes back, this time as a sticker.

Now I can move it around, resize it, rotate it—whatever I want. Looks way cleaner with a solid background behind it.

Using Instagram’s Gradient Backgrounds

If I’m not in the mood for a plain color, sometimes I go with Instagram’s built-in gradients. They look slick.

How I get those:

1. I open Stories and tap “Aa” to make a text story.
2. I tap the color circle at the top.
3. Each tap gives me a new background, including gradients like:
   • Purple → Pink
   • Orange → Yellow
   • Blue → Green

Just tap till you find the vibe you’re going for.

Want Any Color You Want? Use the Color Picker

This one’s a game-changer.

1. I tap the Draw tool.
2. I hold down on any color at the bottom to open a slider (to fine-tune the shade).
3. OR I tap the eyedropper tool to pick a color straight from my photo.

So if I want my background to match my hoodie or the sky in my pic? Easy.

My Quick Pro Tips for Making Stories Look Cool

Tip	What I Do
1	I use bright backgrounds with bold, white text.
2	I throw in a few GIFs or stickers to keep it fun.
3	I tap the “Highlight” tool to make my text glow.
4	I layer stuff—like shapes behind text for contrast.
5	Sometimes I use Canva or Unfold if I want to go all-out.

Recap: Here’s What Works and How

Situation	Can I Change the Background?	What I Do
Text Story	✅ Yes	Tap the color icon
Photo Story	✅ Yep	Use the Draw Tool trick
Gradient Vibes	✅ Yep	Tap color icon in text mode
Custom Color	✅ 100%	Use color picker / eyedropper

Screenshot This Mini Cheat Sheet

Here’s my go-to quick steps when I forget:

Instagram Story Backgrounds:

Text Story:
- Tap “Aa”
- Tap color icon = change background

Photo Story:
- Upload photo
- Tap Draw tool
- Pick color
- Tap and hold screen = solid color background
- Copy photo from gallery, paste it back as sticker

Use color picker to match anything!

Boom. Done.

That’s It!

Now you know how to change your Instagram story background like a pro.
It’s not rocket science—just a few tricks Instagram hides from you.

So next time you post something and want it to look like you’ve got graphic designer skills?
Use these steps. No filters, no fluff—just straight-up results.

And if you want more little guides like this?
You already know who’s got your back.

—Sahadat.