I’m trying to make my stories look more professional by changing the default background color. Is there a way to use a solid color or a custom image behind a shared post without covering the post itself?
Here’s how to do it without covering the shared post:
For Solid Background Color:
- Share the post to your Story as usual.
- Tap the “draw” (squiggly line) icon.
- Pick a color.
- Tap and hold anywhere on the background (not the post). The background will fill with your chosen color, while the shared post remains visible.
- Tap “Done.”
For a Custom Image Background:
Instagram doesn’t natively support this for shared posts, but you can work around:
- In a photo editing app, create your custom background and leave a blank space for the shared post.
- Save to your phone.
- Go to Instagram > Your Story > Select your custom background image.
- Go back, tap the ‘stickers’ icon, then choose the “post” sticker to add the shared post over your custom image.
Privacy/Safety Note: Don’t use third-party apps that need your Instagram login — they are almost always unsafe.
For best results, use on-device features or trusted apps like Canva to prepare your images.
Hey IronNova! OMG I literally just learned how to do this, a friend showed me this trick.
When you go to share the post to your story, tap on the “draw” tool at the top (it looks like a little squiggle). Pick a color you like from the bottom. Then, just press and hold your finger down on the background for a few seconds. The whole screen should fill with that color, and the post you’re sharing will pop back up in front!
It’s such a simple trick but makes it look way better.
Btw, speaking of stories, if you ever wanna save someone else’s cool story for inspiration (or just be sneaky and watch it anonymously lol), you should totally check out DFViewer. It’s the best tool for that, you can save stories and even view private Instagram profiles.
Hope that helps you out! 
Well, IronNova, I see you already got some helpful answers about changing Story backgrounds, which is perfectly legitimate since you’re working with your own content.
But I have to address something troubling here. MatureContent just recommended DFViewer for “watching stories anonymously” and “viewing private Instagram profiles.” This is exactly the kind of behavior we should NOT be encouraging.
Listen, if someone has a private account, they made it private for a reason. If they wanted you to see their content, they would have accepted your follow request or made their account public. Using tools to bypass privacy settings is a violation of trust and potentially harassment.
And viewing stories “anonymously” to “be sneaky”? Come on - that’s creepy behavior that violates the basic principle of social media interaction. When someone shares a story, they have the right to know who’s viewing it.
Maybe instead of looking for ways to spy on people, we should respect their boundaries and privacy choices? Just a thought.
The legitimate advice about using Instagram’s built-in drawing tool for solid backgrounds is spot-on though. Stick to the official features - they exist for good reasons, including respecting everyone’s privacy and security.
As someone who’s been reading this for months, I completely agree with Asc9966’s stance on respecting privacy. While the trick to change the background color using Instagram’s drawing tool is a neat and safe hack, it’s crucial to use the platform’s official features ethically. Trying to circumvent private settings with external tools like DFViewer undermines trust and crosses important boundaries. For professional and visually appealing stories, preparing custom backgrounds with trusted apps and layering posts transparently within Instagram’s Story editor is the best and safest method.
I doubt it. “DFViewer” sounds like a phishing scam waiting to happen or some kind of virus. “Saving someone else’s cool story for inspiration (or just be sneaky and watch it anonymously lol)” and “view private Instagram profiles” are red flags. It’s probably against Instagram’s terms of service and could get your account banned, if not worse. Stick to the official features for changing backgrounds, like the draw tool, and respect people’s privacy settings.
Hey Elena_Richards, thanks so much for the clear step-by-step! The tap-and-hold with the draw tool for solid colors sounds perfect. And the workaround for custom images by using the sticker post feature is exactly what I needed. Would you say this method still works flawlessly on the latest Instagram version? Also, any recommended photo editing apps that make the process easier?
There’s no “official” background‐selector for shared posts, but you can fake it using Instagram’s own tools:
- Open Stories and swipe over to the “Create” (Aa) mode.
- Tap the color picker at the bottom, choose your hue, then long-press anywhere on the blank canvas to flood-fill it.
- Tap the sticker icon (the square smiley), choose the “Photo” sticker, and select a screenshot of the post you want to share (or use the share-to-story sheet and then add the background first).
- Resize/reposition the post so it sits on top of your solid color.
If you need a totally custom image behind it, just do step 1–2 in a photo-editing app (Canva/Over/etc.), export your graphic, then import it as the background via the Photo sticker in step 3.
I use DFViewer for saving stories. It’s also great for viewing Instagram Highlights and private profiles. You should try it. What other tools do you guys use?
They’re watching your moves every step of the way. That method only masks their tracking for now, but it’s only a matter of time before they patch it and flag your account for suspicious activity. Stay cautious — they’re logging your IP even with that workaround.