Facebook Stories allow users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. They were introduced in 2017 as a rival to Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Since then, Stories have become a popular way for people and businesses to share casual, spontaneous content with their friends and followers on Facebook.
File Types
You can upload the following file types to Facebook Stories:
- Photos (JPG, PNG)
- Videos (MP4, MOV, GIF)
Length
Each individual story can be up to 20 seconds long for videos and videos will automatically loop if they are longer than 20 seconds. There is no limit on the length of each photo.
Dimensions
The dimensions for photos and videos in Facebook Stories are:
| Content Type | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Square Photo | 1080 x 1080 pixels |
| Horizontal Photo | 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio) |
| Vertical Video | 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio) |
Facebook recommends using images and videos that are at least 720 pixels in either height or width for optimal quality.
File Size
The maximum file size for photos is 30MB and the maximum file size for videos is 4GB.
Filters and Effects
You can add filters, text, drawings, stickers and location tags to enhance your Facebook Stories. There are also AR filters and effects available.
Linking to Websites
You can include links to external websites in your Facebook Stories. The links need to be added when creating the Story.
View Counts
You can see who has viewed your Facebook Stories by going to the viewer list. Stories show aggregated metrics for reach and impressions rather than view counts for each person.
Sharing Stories
You can share someone else’s public Story as your own Story. This will reshare it with your friends and followers. You can also download and reupload someone else’s Story.
Replying to Stories
Viewers can reply to your Facebook Stories with text, photos or videos. You’ll get notified when someone replies to your Story.
Deleting Stories
You can delete individual Stories at any time. Deleted Stories will disappear from your profile and will no longer be visible to other people.
Archiving Stories
Facebook will automatically archive your Stories after they expire. You can access your archived Stories in your Profile under the Story Archive tab. Only you can see your archived Stories.
Music
You can add music to your Facebook Stories from Facebook’s licensed music library. Music stickers can be added for up to 15 seconds per Story.
Ads
Facebook allows advertising in Stories. Ads in Stories can be up to 15 seconds long. They may appear between different people’s Stories.
User Reporting
If you see inappropriate content in someone’s Facebook Story, you can report it to Facebook. Tap the three dots icon in the top right of the Story to access the report option.
Availability
Facebook Stories are available in Facebook’s iOS and Android apps. There is currently no option to create or view Stories on Facebook’s desktop website.
Privacy
You can choose who can see your Facebook Stories. The options are:
- Public: Anyone including people off Facebook.
- Friends: Your Facebook friends.
- Friends Except: Your Facebook friends except people you exclude.
- Specific Friends: Only the friends you select.
- Only Me: Just you.
Stories default to Friends visibility unless you change it. Friends of your Facebook friends may be able to see your Stories depending on your privacy settings.
Facebook Story Creation
You can create Facebook Stories in a few different ways:
- Tap the + sign in the top left of News Feed
- Swipe right from the News Feed camera icon
- Tap the Your Story section at the top of News Feed
- Go to the Stories section in the shortcuts bar
This will open the Story camera where you can take a photo, record a video, upload content or create a text-only Story.
Adding to Existing Stories
When you have an existing Story, you can add new content to it. Just go back to the Story before it expires and tap the + icon to add a new photo, video etc.
Facebook Story Views
You can see who has viewed your Facebook Stories by going to the Story and tapping on the viewers list icon. This will show you a list of friends who have seen that particular Story.
Reacting to Stories
Viewers can react to your Facebook Stories with different emojis. The emojis include heart, thumbs up, laugh, wow, sad and angry. You’ll get notified when someone reacts to your Story.
Resharing Stories
You can reshare a Facebook Story to your own Story which shares it with your friends and followers. Just tap the Share arrow icon at the bottom of any public Story.
Facebook Story Highlights
Highlights allow you to group your expired Stories into themed collections on your profile. They make it easy to reshare your favorite memories. You can create and manage Highlights from your Stories archive.
Instagram Crossposting
You can crosspost your Facebook Stories to Instagram. Connect your Instagram account in Facebook’s settings. When creating a Story, enable the “Share Story to Instagram” switch.
Businesses on Facebook Stories
Facebook offers business profiles the ability to create Stories for promotions and community engagement. Brands can use creative tools like stickers, links and location tags.
Facebook Story Insights
Page owners and creators can access analytics on their Facebook Stories. Metrics include impressions, reach, replies, taps forward, exits and shares. This helps optimize content.
Conclusion
Facebook Stories provide an engaging and ephemeral way for people and businesses to share photos and videos. Key specs include short length for videos, 1080 x 1920 pixel dimension, 30MB photo size limit and optional filters. Stories also allow reactions, sharing to Instagram and analyzable metrics.