Instagram is now one of the most influential social media tools for personal branding, business marketing, and visual storytelling. Of its numerous features, Instagram Story Highlights are a significant tool to select and present your finest content in visually appealing form.
But although the feature itself is strong, getting it to look great is where you run into trouble—and that’s where Canva is your best friend. Whether you own a small business, are an influencer, content creator, or just someone who wants clean and visually appealing things, Canva makes it simple to produce professional-looking Instagram Story Highlight covers in minutes.
In this guide, we’ll take you through using Canva for Instagram Story Highlights—from designing great-looking covers to creating your highlights like a pro.
Why Instagram Story Highlights Are Important
Let’s cover the why real quick before we dive into the how.
Instagram Stories expire after 24 hours. Story Highlights, though, let you keep those stories forever, visible just below your bio. Imagine looking at Highlights as your Instagram portfolio—a useful space to share:
Product collections
Behind-the-scenes stuff
Customer feedback
FAQs
Tutorials
Events
Brand values
With good design and organization, your Story Highlights can make it easy for first-time visitors to get to know you and what you do.
Now, let’s go through the step-by-step guide of creating your highlights using Canva.
Step 1: Sign Up or Log in to Canva
To begin, go to Canva. You can access it on the web or download the app for iOS or Android.
You don’t have to be a Pro user to make highlight covers, but having a Canva Pro subscription does grant you extra templates, icons, and stock images to use.
After logging in, navigate to the search bar and enter “Instagram Story Highlight Covers” or just “Instagram Story”. Canva already has pre-sized templates (1080×1920 px), ideal for Story covers.
Step 2: Select a Template or Create from Scratch
Option 1: Use a Template
Canva has hundreds of Instagram Highlight Cover templates for various themes—fashion, food, travel, beauty, wellness, business, and more. Browse around and choose one that fits your brand or style.
Option 2: Start from Scratch
Like to create your own? Choose “Create a Design” > “Instagram Story” to bring up an empty canvas. This allows you total control to customize the background, include icons, color change, and set your brand tone.
Step 3: Personalize Your Design
This is where magic occurs. A great Highlight cover is clean, simple, and visually coherent. You want them to align with your Instagram look but also clearly convey what each highlight is all about.
A. Select a Background Color
Tap the background and select a color from the top menu. If you have a brand color palette, use your hex codes for continuity.
Tip: Neutral or pastel colors tend to appear clean and sophisticated on Instagram profiles.
B. Insert Icons or Graphics
Go to Canva’s “Elements” tab to access thousands of icons. Look for keyword searches such as:
“camera” for behind-the-scenes
“cart” for shop/products
“airplane” for travel
“plate” for food
Drag the icon to the middle of the canvas. Simple is better—too much detail will be lost at small sizes.
C. Use Consistent Design
Use the same layout for all your highlight covers:
Same icon style (outline or filled)
Same background color or alternating brand colors
Center-aligned icons
This gives your profile a polished and professional appearance.
Step 4: Download Your Highlight Covers
Once you’re happy with your design, click Download in the top right corner.
File type: Choose PNG for best quality.
Download as: Individual files or a ZIP folder, depending on how many designs you’ve created.
Save the files to your phone’s photo library or desktop if you’re uploading from the Instagram web.
Step 5: Upload Your Covers to Instagram
You can add your new Canva highlight covers in two ways:
Option 1: Add to an Existing Highlight
Go to your Instagram profile.
Tap and hold the highlight you want to edit.
Choose Edit Highlight.
Tap Edit Cover.
Select the cover from your photo gallery.
Resize and position it as needed.
Tap Done.
Option 2: Make a New Highlight
Post something to your Instagram (it can be an empty one if you prefer).
Press the “Highlight” button at the bottom of the post.
Make a new Highlight title (e.g., “Tips”, “Behind-the-scenes”, etc.).
Go to your profile, tap and hold the new highlight, and adjust the cover as described above.
Pro Tips for Improved Highlight Covers
- Stay True to Your Brand
Use your brand colors, logo, and fonts consistently to create recognition. Canva Pro enables you to save a brand kit to easily access it. - Steer Clear of Text on Covers
Instagram crops and compresses pictures, and small text will be illegible. Use icons or symbols to represent visually your categories instead. - Keep it Simple
Busy designs look disorganized and unprofessional. Limit each cover to one icon, and avoid filling the space. - Use Naming Strategically
Short, descriptive highlight names (10 characters or less) work best. Examples:
“Shop”
“Tips”
“BTS”
“Reels”
“Q&A”
They assist users in knowing what each highlight is about at a glance.
Bonus: Use Canva for Story Content Too!
Even though covers are crucial, don’t overlook the content within your highlights. Canva is an effective tool for designing the stories themselves as well.
You can make:
Story promos
Quote posts
Testimonials
Sale announcements
Tutorials and how-to guides
Browse “Instagram Story” templates in Canva, and you’ll discover thousands of professionally designed, ready-to-use layouts that you can adjust to fit your brand.
How to Use Canva for Instagram Story Highlights
Canva for Instagram Story Highlights is a total game-changer. It’s free, simple, and has all the features you need to give your profile some serious flair. Your highlights lead to your content—have them look as great as what they’re highlighting.
With a bit of creativity and a dash of Canva, you can transform your Instagram profile into a spick, branded, and professional page that lures visitors in and has them returning for more.
