How to change highlight covers on Instagram

The steps below cover iPhone, Android and new highlights. If you need covers first, make a matching set with the tool on this page.

Change the cover of an existing highlight

iPhone

1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
2. Tap and hold the highlight, then tap Edit highlight. You can also tap the highlight, tap More (three dots) in the bottom right, then tap Edit highlight.
3. Tap Edit cover.
4. Pick a new cover: one of the highlight's stories, or an image from your phone's photos.
5. Drag and pinch to place it in the circle, then tap Done.

Android

1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
2. Tap and hold the highlight and tap Edit highlight, or tap the highlight, tap More (three dots) in the bottom right, then tap Edit highlight.
3. Tap Edit cover, choose the image, position it in the circle, and tap Done.

The steps are the same on an iPad. On a computer, Instagram lets you edit a highlight's name and stories (click the highlight, then More, then Edit), but set covers in the phone app.

Add a cover when you create a highlight

You choose a cover while making a new highlight, so you don't need to edit it afterwards.

1. Go to your profile and tap New (the plus). If you don't see New, tap Story highlight.
2. Select the story or stories to add, then tap Next in the top right.
3. Tap Edit cover to choose a cover photo, and enter a name for the highlight.
4. Tap Add (iPhone) or Done (Android) in the top right.

Add a cover without posting it as a story

You don't need to post a cover as a story first. When you tap Edit cover, choose the image from your phone's photos instead of one of the highlight's stories. Your followers won't see it in your stories; it only appears as the cover.

That makes it easy to use a designed set:

1. Make your covers in the tool on this page and download them (one by one or as a zip).
2. Save the PNGs to your phone's photos. On an iPhone, open each file and tap Save Image; on Android, they're in your Downloads folder.
3. Follow the steps above for each highlight, choosing the matching cover from your photos.

Getting the cover to look right

• Use the full story size. Covers are 1080 × 1920 pixels, the size of a story. See Instagram highlight cover size for why.
• Keep the icon in the middle. Your profile shows only a circle from the centre of the image.
• Use the same style for every cover. One background and one icon colour make the row of circles look like a set. Only the icon should change.
• Let the name do the talking. The highlight's name appears under the circle, so the cover only needs a symbol: a plane for travel, a question mark for questions.

Changing all your covers at once

Instagram changes covers one highlight at a time. To restyle your whole profile:

1. Make the full set in one go, so every cover shares the same colours.
2. Download them as a zip. The files are numbered (01-travel.png, 02-food.png…) in your order.
3. Work along your highlights from left to right, matching each one to its file.

If the option isn't there

Some people don't see Edit cover straight away. Check that your Instagram app is up to date, then try the other route (tap the highlight, then More, then Edit highlight). If you're on a computer, switch to the phone app.

A highlight always needs a cover. If you don't want a custom image any more, pick one of the highlight's stories as the cover instead.