Flyers · Glossary
WhatsApp status size: 1080 x 1920 pixels
A WhatsApp status fills the phone screen in a 9:16 vertical frame, so 1080 by 1920 pixels is the size to make it. WhatsApp does not publish a pixel specification for status images or videos, and it scales whatever is posted to fit the screen. Each status disappears 24 hours after it is posted.
Status is WhatsApp's version of Stories: photos, videos and text shown full screen to contacts for a day. Because it is viewed upright on a phone, the right size is simply the shape of a phone screen.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
4 min read · Published
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Frame to design for | 1080 x 1920 px, 9:16 | The full screen phone shape; Meta's Stories spec uses 9:16 |
| Published pixel spec | None | WhatsApp Help describes how to post, not sizes |
| How long a status lasts | 24 hours, cannot be changed | Tech Advisor |
| Who can see it | Contacts chosen in status privacy settings | WhatsApp Help |
| Meta's Stories margins, for reference | 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% sides | Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Stories |
| Blank canvas on this page | 1080 x 1920 px PNG | This page |
No official size, one obvious shape
WhatsApp's help pages explain how to create and share a status but give no pixel dimensions. In practice the viewer shows each status full screen on an upright phone, which is a 9:16 shape on most handsets. An image or video at 1080 by 1920 fills that screen with no bars, at a resolution matching the width of most phones. Landscape photos still post, but they appear as a band in the middle with empty space above and below.
Keep the edges clear
The status viewer draws the contact name and progress bars along the top and a reply field along the bottom. WhatsApp does not publish those areas as numbers. Meta's Stories specification for Instagram, a sister app with a similar layout, asks for the top 14 percent and the bottom 35 percent of a 9:16 frame to stay free of key elements, which is a reasonable margin to borrow: put the message in the middle of the frame, away from both ends.
Statuses for a small business
Businesses use status to show today's specials, opening hours on a holiday or a quick before and after photo to contacts who already have their number. Because a status lasts 24 hours, it suits time limited news rather than evergreen information. One clear message per status, large text, and a photo that reads at a glance work better than a flyer with every detail, which is hard to read in the few seconds a status is shown.
Common mistakes
Posting an A4 flyer as a status, which is shown small with bars and is unreadable. Placing the key line at the very bottom, under the reply field. Using a wide video that plays as a thin strip. Forgetting that a status disappears after a day, so a weekly offer has to be reposted. And sending long videos that viewers skip past before the message appears.
Making a status image or video
The flyer editor's Instagram Story canvas is 1080 by 1920, the same 9:16 frame, so a status image can be made there directly: choose Instagram Story under Format and export a PNG or JPG at 2160 by 3840, which the phone scales down. For video, the video builder's vertical format is also 1080 by 1920 and exports an MP4. The blank 1080 by 1920 PNG on this page is a ready canvas for any phone editor.
Questions people ask
Can I post a landscape video to WhatsApp status?
Yes, but it plays as a band across the middle of the upright screen, with empty space above and below. Cropping a vertical 9:16 frame from the centre of the action, or recording upright in the first place, fills the screen and makes text and faces larger.
Can I control who sees my WhatsApp status?
Yes. WhatsApp's help pages describe status privacy settings that limit a status to all contacts, all contacts except some, or only chosen people. A business that shares offers by status can keep personal updates separate by choosing the audience each time.
Do WhatsApp statuses lose quality?
Media sent through messaging apps is usually compressed to keep it light on mobile data, so fine text and gradients can look softer than the original. Starting from a clean 1080 by 1920 image with large, high contrast text gives the best result after compression.
How do I save a WhatsApp status before it disappears?
Keep the original file on the phone or computer that made it; a status is deleted from WhatsApp 24 hours after posting. For business use, a folder of the images and videos posted makes it easy to reuse them or turn them into posts elsewhere.
Can people tap a web address in a status image?
No. Words in an image are part of the picture, so a web address printed on a status cannot be tapped. Print a short, memorable address in large type, or send the link in a chat to people who reply to the status, which is often how a status turns into an order.
Make one with flyers
The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own.
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Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .