A short Instagram bio is a line of a few words that says who you are without using up the whole space, like "One day at a time" or "Collecting good days." Instagram bios hold up to 150 characters, and everything on this list uses between 7 and 33. The rest of the space is for what you do, your city or a reason to message you.
The count next to each line includes letters, spaces and punctuation. Copy any of them and change whatever you like.
Short and simple bios that fit almost any profile
These don't tie you to a topic, so they work on a personal profile and on one you also use for work. They look good on their own or as the first line, above the rest of your bio.
| Bio line | Characters |
|---|---|
| One day at a time. | 18 |
| Learning as I go. | 17 |
| Simple as that. | 15 |
| Slow and steady. | 16 |
| Made with patience. | 19 |
| My own way. | 11 |
| Good people, strong coffee. | 27 |
| Still under construction. | 25 |
| Curious by nature. | 18 |
| Here for the good parts. | 24 |
Short aesthetic bios for Instagram
An aesthetic bio sets a mood with images and feelings: light, coffee, rain, books, sky. That's why it works best with a feed of photos in similar tones.
| Bio line | Characters |
|---|---|
| Morning light and warm coffee. | 30 |
| Collecting good days. | 21 |
| Between books and windows. | 26 |
| Pink skies, quiet mind. | 23 |
| Small joys. | 11 |
| Sunday all year long. | 21 |
| Rain, tea and silence. | 22 |
| An archive of soft days. | 24 |
| Half sun, half moon. | 20 |
| Poetry in the ordinary. | 23 |
Cute short Instagram bios
A cute bio is warm and a little playful. It works when it sounds like you on a good day, so pick the one you could imagine a friend saying about you. Most of them work on a girl's or a boy's profile, and you can change a word when one doesn't fit: "Made of glitter and coffee" can become "Made of coffee and bad puns."
| Bio line | Characters |
|---|---|
| Sunshine in human form. | 23 |
| Powered by snacks and hugs. | 27 |
| Soft heart, big dreams. | 23 |
| Little things, big smiles. | 26 |
| Kind on purpose. | 16 |
| Happiest with my dog. | 21 |
| Made of glitter and coffee. | 27 |
| Sweet with a little sass. | 25 |
| Hugs over everything. | 21 |
| Blooming at my own pace. | 24 |
Funny short Instagram bios
A funny line can make someone smile before they decide whether to follow you. Skip jokes that need context, because someone who finds you through Explore doesn't know you yet and has to get it on the first read.
| Bio line | Characters |
|---|---|
| Running on coffee and deadlines. | 32 |
| Expert in almost. | 17 |
| No plan B, and plan A is missing. | 33 |
| Late, but I get there. | 22 |
| 70% water, 30% naps. | 20 |
| Professional snack tester. | 26 |
| Born tired. | 11 |
| Planning tomorrow's nap. | 24 |
| Diet starts Monday. | 19 |
| I'll reply when I remember. | 27 |
Lowkey bios for Instagram
A lowkey bio says very little on purpose. It fits a private or quiet account, the kind that posts a few times a year and doesn't want the bio to do any selling.
| Bio line | Characters |
|---|---|
| Just here. | 10 |
| Quiet most days. | 16 |
| Living, mostly. | 15 |
| Around. | 7 |
| Doing my thing. | 15 |
| Offline more than online. | 25 |
| Few posts, good days. | 21 |
| Keeping it low. | 15 |
| Not much to say. | 16 |
| Mostly outside. | 15 |
Short bios with a confident tone
A confident line works best when you would actually say it out loud. If you would never tell a friend "discipline over mood," pick a different one. It also helps when your feed backs the line up: "Watch me grow" fits a profile that shares progress, like workouts, a new skill or a small business finding its feet.
| Bio line | Characters |
|---|---|
| Making it happen. | 17 |
| Watch me grow. | 14 |
| Better every day. | 17 |
| Discipline over mood. | 21 |
| I show up. | 10 |
| Done is better than perfect. | 28 |
| Own your story. | 15 |
| Fearless on most days. | 22 |
| Started from scratch. | 21 |
| Still going. | 12 |
Aesthetic words with meaning for your bio
A single word can be the whole bio. These ten are real dictionary words, with the meaning from Dictionary.com linked next to each one, so you know what you are saying before someone asks.
| Word | What it means | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Serendipity | An aptitude for making good discoveries by accident | 11 |
| Ephemeral | Lasting a very short time | 9 |
| Wanderlust | A strong desire to travel | 10 |
| Petrichor | The earthy scent of rain falling on very dry ground | 9 |
| Solitude | The state of being alone | 8 |
| Halcyon | Calm and peaceful, or happy and carefree | 7 |
| Luminous | Shining, bright | 8 |
| Resilient | Recovering readily from adversity | 9 |
| Euphoria | A state of intense happiness and self-confidence | 8 |
| Kindred | Alike in nature, as in "kindred spirit" | 7 |
Short Instagram bios for a small business
If your profile is also where you find clients, the short line can say what you do. Instagram itself recommends that you include keywords and relevant locations in your bio, because its search matches profiles by text. A line like "Nails that last" looks nice at the top, but it's the words "nail tech" in your name or bio that help you show up when someone types them into search.
| Bio line | For | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Nails that last. | Nail tech | 16 |
| Cuts that grow out well. | Hairdresser | 24 |
| Workouts that fit your week. | Personal trainer | 28 |
| Real food, no drama. | Nutritionist | 20 |
| Photos of the people you love. | Photographer | 30 |
| Moving without the headache. | Real estate agent | 28 |
| Skin care, nothing extra. | Esthetician | 25 |
| Party cakes made to order. | Cake maker | 26 |
| Books balanced, mind clear. | Bookkeeper | 27 |
| Tutoring at your pace. | Private tutor | 22 |
To build the full business bio line by line, see these Instagram bio ideas for your small business, with templates by profession. If you serve one city, also read how to show up in Instagram search in your city.
Can you put a short bio line in the Name field?
You can, but the Name field, the bold line above your bio, is also read by Instagram search. Instagram recommends using a profile name related to what you post to show up in relevant searches. On a personal profile, keep your name there and put the short line in the bio. On a work profile, the Name field does more with your service, as in "Ana Souza | Nail Tech," and the short line goes at the top of the bio.
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How many characters fit in an Instagram bio?
An Instagram bio fits up to 150 characters, according to Later, a company that makes Instagram tools. A 20-character line takes up a little over an eighth of that. The image below shows two bios built with lines from this article, one personal and one for a nail tech, with the count for each line.
In the nail tech's bio, the short line sits at the top and the other three give the service and city, the hours and what to do next. Even so, 41 characters are left. Our count leaves out line breaks, so keep a few characters spare for them and for an emoji.
How do you put your short bio on its own line?
Later suggests typing your bio in your phone's Notes app first and then pasting it into Instagram, because that keeps the line breaks in place. It's the easiest way to give the short line its own row, with everything else below it. After you save, open your profile on your phone and check it, since a small screen can break the line somewhere else.
What to change before you copy and paste a bio
Bio lists get copied a lot, so the same line can end up on many profiles. A small change makes it yours: swap one word for something from your own life, so "Rain, tea and silence" becomes "Rain, tea and jazz" if music is your thing, or "Happiest with my dog" becomes "Happiest with my cat." You can also drop the period at the end if you like a lighter look, which takes one character off the count.
Then read the line next to your profile photo and your grid. A line that sounds good in a list can clash with a feed of very different photos. Also make sure it still makes sense to a stranger, because people who open your profile from Explore or from a friend's tag don't know you yet.
Should a short bio have emojis?
One emoji at the end of a line can set the tone, but Later advises using them sparingly and notes that emojis can make your bio harder to follow for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader, the phone feature that reads text out loud. A line like "Collecting good days" already works without one. If you want one, use a single emoji after the line.
How do you write a short bio that sounds like you?
- Ask how others describe you. Ask two people close to you for one word. The line often comes from that answer.
- Look at your feed. Travel and coffee photos call for an aesthetic line. A feed full of memes calls for a funny one. A work profile calls for a line that says the service.
- Read it out loud. If it sounds like a greeting card, swap it for something you would say.
- Check the space. Add up the line and the rest of the bio and make sure it stays under 150.
- Change it when you get tired of it. You can edit your bio whenever you like, and today's line doesn't have to last all year.
If you also use your profile for work, captions come right after the bio, and these Instagram captions for your business can help. If you are still deciding on the account type, read what changes with an Instagram business account.
Frequently asked questions
How do you do a short bio?
Pick one line of two to five words that says something true about you, put it at the top, and add one or two details below, such as your city or what you do. Keep the whole bio well under the 150-character limit.
How do you make a bio cute?
Use warm, simple words and something small you love, like your dog, coffee or the sun. "Soft heart, big dreams" and "Happiest with my dog" both fit in under 25 characters.
What are some bio ideas?
Start from what people see on your feed: travel, food, books, pets, work or faith. Then choose a style from this list, such as simple, aesthetic, cute, funny, lowkey or confident, and keep the line short enough to leave room for one detail about you.
Do hashtags in your bio help you get found?
Not through hashtag search. According to Later, a hashtag in your bio becomes a clickable link, but it doesn't make your profile show up when people search for that hashtag. To be found, Instagram recommends keywords and your location in the bio text.