# WhatsApp status size: 1080 x 1920 for business updates

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/whatsapp-status-size)

For a local shop, a salon or a tutor, WhatsApp status reaches the customers who already have your number. A clear 1080×1920 design turns that quiet channel into a daily noticeboard.

## 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.

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

| Property | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Size | 1080×1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 vertical |
| Formats | Photo (JPEG or PNG), video (MP4), or WhatsApp's built in text status |
| How long it stays | 24 hours |
| Who sees it | Your contacts, as set in status privacy |

One frame for every status. Images in other shapes are shown with empty bands or cropped.

- WhatsApp status 9:16: 1080 × 1920
- Instagram post 4:5: 1080 × 1350
- Square 1:1: 1080 × 1080

A status beside a feed post and a square, to scale. Posting a square image to status leaves the top and bottom third empty.

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:

| Text | Height of capitals | Words |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Headline | 100 to 160 px | Two to six |
| Detail line | 56 to 80 px | One short sentence |
| Small print | 48 px minimum | Address, hours or a code |

Generous sizes for a phone screen. If you need text smaller than 48 px, you have too much text.

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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 vertical WhatsApp status from a bakery announcing a 2 for 1 pastry offer today until 4pm

A same day offer with a clear end time. The deadline is the reason to come in today.

A vertical WhatsApp status from a salon saying two slots left on Friday, reply to book

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/out-of-office-graphic).
- **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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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](https://gradiently.design/guide/snapchat-story-size). For more vertical ideas, see [small business Instagram ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/small-business-instagram).

## FAQ

### 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.