Want your Instagram Stories to stand out? Customizing the background color is key to eye-catching posts. Whether you're sharing a photo, video, reposting a friend's post, or highlighting a Reel, a simple color change can significantly elevate your content. This guide will walk you through exactly how to change background color on Instagram Story, covering various scenarios. You'll figure out how to add solid colors, gradients, and how to change background color on Instagram Story with pictures or without video.
But before you go, you’d better know the limits of the Instagram Story background color changing tool.
💡 Challenges with the Native Instagram Story Background Tool
- Limited color palette options may not match your desired aesthetic.
- Precise color matching to external branding or images can be difficult.
- The tool lacks advanced features like gradient or pattern backgrounds.
- Sometimes, after adding stickers or text, the background color application can be inconsistent.
Do you want more control and creative options for your Instagram Story backgrounds?
Struggling with precise color matching? Aiarty Image Matting enables you to accurately match colors from external branding or images in batch, ensuring consistency across your content.
Customize your Instagram Story background easily with Aiarty Image Matting:

1. How to Change Background Color on Instagram Story (Basic Steps)
Changing the background color of your Instagram Story is a simple way to enhance your content and make it stand out. Whether you're adding text or creating a clean backdrop, Instagram offers an easy-to-use tool for customizing your story.
Step 1: Open Instagram Story Camera
Launch Instagram and swipe right to open the Story camera.
Step 2: Take/Upload a Photo or Video
Take a new photo on your device or upload an exisiting one from your gallery. You can also record a short video if you want a dynamic background.

Step 3: Tap the Color Picker Tool (Paintbrush Icon)
Once your photo/video is ready, tap the paintbrush icon at the top of the screen to access the color tools.

Step 4: Select a Solid Color and Drag to Fill the Background
Choose a solid color from the color palette and drag your finger across the screen to fill the background.
Step 5: Add Text/Stickers Overlay (Optional)
After changing the background color, you can add text, stickers, or even GIFs on top of the color to personalize your story further.

Pro Tip: Use the eyedropper tool to match your brand colors for consistency across your social media posts.
Visuals: Include screenshots of the color picker tool for a clearer understanding.
Also read: How to Change Background Color for Instagram Story in Photoshop
2. How to Change Background Color on Instagram Story When Reposting a Post
Reposting a feed post can sometimes limit your customization options, but with a few creative tweaks, you can still make it your own.
Step 1: Repost a feed post to your Story
To repost, tap the paper airplane icon below the post, then select "Add to Story."
Step 2: Tap the post to edit
Once it’s on your Story, tap the post to bring up editing options.

Step 3: Use the color picker or sticker method
You can now add a solid color background or use the sticker method to layer a background color behind the post.
Note: Instagram restricts editing options for reposted content. If you want more flexibility, consider using third-party apps like Canva for advanced customization. The guide also applies to how to change background color on Instagram Story when sharing Reels. Reels have fewer editing options compared to photos or videos, so use text and stickers creatively.

3. How to Create a Gradient Background on Instagram Story
Want to add a touch of artistic flair to your Instagram Stories? Ditch the flat, solid colors and elevate your visuals with a smooth, dynamic gradient background. Whether you're aiming for a subtle blend or a vibrant color explosion, creating a gradient background is a simple way to make your Stories stand out. Let's learn how to change background color on Instagram Story gradient.
Step 1. Begin by opening the Instagram application. Initiate the Instagram Stories creation process: either swipe right on the home screen or tap the plus icon and choose "STORY."

Step 2. Locate and select the text tool, indicated by the "Aa" icon, positioned on the left side of the screen.

Step 3. To cycle through available background color gradients, simply tap the circular color selector in the bottom right corner of the display.

Step 4. Customize your Story by adding text, shoutouts, animated GIFs, interactive polls, questions, donation prompts, countdown timers, or quizzes. These options are accessible by scrolling through the creative tools displayed at the bottom of the screen. Layout options are available at the top center of the screen. When in the text or template sections, additional stickers or all templates can be viewed by selecting the appropriate on screen prompts.
4. Beyond Instagram's Limits: Perfect Story Background Color with Aiarty
Tired of ins limited color options and time-consume edits? Aiarty Image Matting leverages cutting-edge AI to deliver instant, precise background swaps. This software eliminates the need for complex masking and edge refinements, allowing you to change background and background colors for Instagram Story with a simple click.
Its four advanced AI models excel at handling diverse image complexities, from challenging lighting and busy scenes to intricate textures and architectural details. Crucially, Aiarty Image Matting maintains the integrity of transparent and semi-transparent elements, ensuring flawless results even with delicate subjects.
Simple Steps to Change Background Color for Instagram Story
Step 1. Launch Aiarty Image Matting and drag your images into the interface. Initiate the AI analysis by clicking "Start," enabling automatic subject detection and precise matting.

Step 2. Navigate to the "Background" option under effects, select the color change icon, and choose your desired background color. Confirm your selection.

Step 3. Select "Use gradient color" if needed. Review the changes using the preview slider, ensuring seamless detail preservation. Export individual images with "Single Export" or process multiple images simultaneously using "Batch Export."

Conclusion
While Instagram offers some built-in options to change your Story's background color, they have limitations. For more creative control, try using Artify Image Matting. The tool can precisely remove the background from your images and place them on any color or image you desire. This gives you greater flexibility and opens up a world of possibilities for unique and eye-catching Instagram Stories.
FAQs
Some stories, especially reposts or ads, have restrictions on background customization. If you can't change the background color directly within Instagram, try using third-party apps like Canva or Adobe Spark to design your background before uploading it to your Story.
You can save a colored background as a template using Instagram Highlights. Simply post the Story with the colored background and add it to a Highlight. Alternatively, save it as a draft so you can reuse the background in future posts.
This could be due to screen calibration differences or Instagram's image compression algorithms, which sometimes alter the color appearance. Ensure your device's display is calibrated, and try adjusting your post's quality settings to minimize the effect of compression.
Unfortunately, once a Story is posted, you can't directly change the background color. However, you can delete the Story and re-upload it with the desired background color or use a third-party app to design the updated background before reposting it.
This could be due to screen calibration differences or Instagram's image compression algorithms, which sometimes alter the color appearance. Ensure your device's display is calibrated, and try adjusting your post's quality settings to minimize the effect of compression.