What is a bio on Instagram? Meaning, where it is, examples

If you are new to Instagram, you will keep hearing about “your bio”. Here is what it is, where it is, what is in it and what it is not.

What is a bio on Instagram?

Your bio is the short piece of text on your profile that tells people who you are or what your account is about. “Bio” is short for biography. Some people write a sentence, some write a few lines with emojis, and businesses often use it to say what they do and how to reach them.

On Instagram, a bio can be up to 150 characters, according to Instagram’s Help Center. That is not much room, so every word has to count. The Help Center also says anyone can see your bio, so only write what you are happy to share. See the bio character limit for what 150 characters looks like.

Where is the bio on Instagram?

It is on your profile page, with your name and your photo. To see yours, tap your profile picture in the bottom right. Instagram says anyone can see your bio, which is why it is often the first thing a stranger learns about you.

Bio, name, username and link: what is what?

A profile has a few parts that people mix up:

• Bio. The short text you write about yourself. Up to 150 characters.
• Name. The display name shown on your profile. You can write it differently from your username.
• Username (handle). Your unique @name, which people use to find and tag you. See what an Instagram handle is, or try the free Instagram username generator for ideas.
• Link. A website address you add separately, in the Links part of your profile. Instagram says you can add up to 5 websites. This is where “link in bio” points: see what link in bio means.

So a link is not part of the bio text. It is a separate field next to it.

How to add or edit your bio

Instagram’s Help Center describes these steps for the app:

1. Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to open your profile.
2. Tap Edit profile at the top.
3. Tap Bio and write your bio.
4. Tap Done to save.

There is a longer walk-through, including editing on a computer and what to do if it will not save, in how to edit your bio on Instagram.

What goes in a good bio?

Most good bios do three things: say who you are or who you help, give one reason to trust you, and tell people what to do next. For example:

• Photographer in [City] | Natural light, relaxed sessions | Book below 👇
• Baker in [City] 🍰 | Custom cakes | Orders open Fridays
• Notes on slow travel | New guide every month

Replace the square brackets with your own details. There are 60 more in Instagram bio ideas, and a three-part method in how to write a bio for Instagram. Our free Instagram bio generator can also build a few from your own words, and the Instagram font generator can style them.

What a bio is not

• It is not your caption. A caption goes with a single post. Your bio stays on your profile.
• It is not your username. You can change your bio any time without changing your @name.
• It is not where the link goes. Add your website in the Links field, then say “link in bio” in your posts.

One more tip

Because the bio is short, many people use it to point at one page that holds everything else, such as a shop, bookings and a contact form. A Linkerzz page is free to start, and how to make a link in bio page walks through it.