The short version
- The WhatsApp status size is 1080×1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame that fills the phone screen.
- A WhatsApp status disappears after 24 hours and is shown to people in your contacts who also have your number saved, filtered by your privacy settings.
- Status text needs to be large, because many customers view it on small or older phones: headlines of 100 pixels or more on a 1080 pixel wide design read comfortably.
- Keep words out of the top and bottom of the frame, where WhatsApp shows your name, the progress bar and the reply field.
- For businesses, status works best as a noticeboard: today's offer, new stock, opening hours and bookings.
On this page
The WhatsApp status size is 1080×1920 pixels, a vertical 9:16 frame, the same as an Instagram story. WhatsApp places your name and the progress bar at the top and the reply field at the bottom, so keep words in the middle of the frame. Because a status is often read on small phones, set the text much larger than you would on a poster: a headline of at least 100 pixels tall on a 1080 pixel wide design, and nothing smaller than about 48 pixels.
WhatsApp status dimensions
Value
Value
Value
Value
Value
WhatsApp status 9:16
1080 × 1920
Instagram post 4:5
1080 × 1350
Square 1:1
1080 × 1080
A status is visible to people you have saved as contacts who also have your number saved, filtered by your privacy setting: all contacts, all except some, or only chosen people. For a business, that means the audience is your existing customers, which is exactly why status is worth designing for. These are the people most likely to act.
Text size on a WhatsApp status
Most status designs fail on text size. A line that looks bold on a laptop is tiny on a budget phone held at arm's length, and many of your customers are reading on exactly that. Use this as a guide for a 1080×1920 design:
Words
Height of capitals
Words
Height of capitals
Words
Choose a sturdy typeface with open letters and avoid thin weights, which break up when WhatsApp compresses the image. The reasoning behind these sizes is in font size for social media.
WhatsApp status safe zones
- Top 0 to 250 px: your name, profile photo, time and progress bar. Background only.
- Middle 250 to 1650 px: your headline, detail and logo.
- Bottom 1650 to 1920 px: the reply field. Background only.
- Sides: keep about 60 px clear, as some phones trim the edges to fit.
These are working margins rather than an official WhatsApp specification, and they match the other vertical platforms closely. Social media safe zones compares them.
WhatsApp Business status ideas
Treat status as the noticeboard in your window. Customers glance at it between messages, so one clear update per frame works better than a flyer. Posting at a steady rhythm, say once each morning, teaches regulars to check it. These are the updates people act on:
A same day offer with a clear end time. The deadline is the reason to come in today.
A salon status that asks for a reply, which arrives as a message in the chat.
- Today's offer with an end time.
- Last slots for appointments or classes, with "reply to book".
- New stock with a photo and a name customers can quote back.
- Changed hours for holidays or weather. See holiday hours post.
- Thank you after a busy week or a milestone, which keeps the channel warm.
The reply field is your best feature. When someone answers a status, it arrives as a normal chat with the status attached, so the conversation starts with context. Ask for it: "Reply to book", "Reply with your size", "Reply YES to reserve".
How to post a sharp WhatsApp status
- 1
Design at 1080×1920
The exact frame, so WhatsApp has nothing to rescale.
- 2
Export JPEG for photos, PNG for text
Flat colour and lettering keep cleaner edges as PNG. Either way, WhatsApp will compress the upload.
- 3
Send the file to your phone
Email it, save it from cloud storage or export it on the phone directly.
- 4
Post from the Updates tab
Add a status, pick the image from your gallery and send. The exact buttons vary a little between app versions.
- 5
Check it on another phone
Ask a colleague to view it. If small text is soft, make it bigger next time rather than sharper.
Avoid
- A full A4 flyer shrunk into the frame
- Thin, light fonts
- Text on a busy photo
- Five updates in one image
- A screenshot of a screenshot
Do
- A design made for 1080×1920
- Bold, open letterforms
- A calm background behind words
- One update per status frame
- A fresh export each time
Gradients and soft colour suffer most from compression, so a little grain helps them hold up, as gradient banding explains. In Gradiently, every story template can wear your Mark, and the Mark keeps the area behind your words calm and high in contrast, with auto ink choosing light or dark text line by line. Design one status and the same file works as an Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat story. For more vertical ideas, see small business Instagram ideas.
Questions people ask
What size is a WhatsApp status image?
1080×1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame.
How big should text be on a WhatsApp status?
On a 1080×1920 design, aim for headlines of 100 pixels or more and keep all text above about 48 pixels, because many people view status on small phones.
Who can see my WhatsApp Business status?
People in your contacts who also have your number saved, filtered by your status privacy setting: all contacts, all except some, or only people you choose.
Why does my WhatsApp status look blurry?
WhatsApp compresses uploads. Design at exactly 1080×1920, use bold type rather than thin fonts, and avoid tiny text that compression breaks up.
Can I use an Instagram story as a WhatsApp status?
Yes. Both use 1080×1920, so the same design works, as long as words stay in the middle of the frame.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
See our profile