Social Media Image Sizes: Every Platform in 2026
Current profile, post, story, cover, and thumbnail dimensions for Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok — plus how each platform crops and recompresses what you upload, and what to send it so your images stay sharp.
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Check an image →Building images for a specific platform instead? See our full website image size reference.
Quick Answer
Two sizes cover most social posting. Use 1080×1080 (1:1 square) for general feed graphics that need to work everywhere, and 1080×1920 (9:16 vertical) for Stories, Reels, and TikTok. For shared link posts, use 1200×630 (1.91:1) — the same dimensions as an Open Graph image, since that is exactly what the platform reads when it builds the card.
Everything below is the per-platform detail — profile photos, covers, banners, and the format-specific sizes where the two defaults above don't apply.
The Two-Size Cheat Sheet
| Use | Size | Ratio | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square graphic | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | IG, FB, LinkedIn, X feeds |
| Portrait photo | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | IG + FB feed (max height) |
| Vertical / full-screen | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Stories, Reels, TikTok, Shorts |
| Shared link card | 1200×630 | 1.91:1 | FB, LinkedIn, X link previews |
| Landscape / video thumb | 1280×720 | 16:9 | YouTube, X in-stream |
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 320×320 | 1:1 | Displays as a circle; keep the subject centered |
| Square post | 1080×1080 | 1:1 | The classic feed format |
| Portrait post | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | Best-performing feed ratio — most screen height |
| Landscape post | 1080×566 | 1.91:1 | Widescreen photos; least feed real estate |
| Stories & Reels | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Keep text in the central 1080×1420 safe zone |
| Reel cover / grid | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Cropped to 1:1 in the profile grid — center the focal point |
Instagram caps display width at 1080 pixels and downsizes anything larger, so uploading at exactly 1080 on the short side gives the platform a clean source without wasted bandwidth. Reels and Stories share the 9:16 canvas, but interface elements (profile name, caption, action buttons) overlay the top and bottom ~250 pixels — keep essential text inside the middle band.
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 320×320 | 1:1 | Displays as a circle at 170×170 on desktop |
| Page cover photo | 1640×624 | ~2.63:1 | Shows 820×312 desktop, 640×360 mobile — keep content centered |
| Shared post image | 1200×630 | 1.91:1 | Also the link-preview (OG) size |
| Portrait photo post | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | Maximum feed height on mobile |
| Stories | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Same canvas and safe zones as Instagram |
| Event cover | 1920×1005 | ~1.91:1 | Crops on mobile event pages |
Facebook applies some of the heaviest recompression of any platform. Upload at full recommended size and high quality; sending a small or pre-compressed file leaves visible artifacts. The page cover is the trickiest asset — the desktop and mobile crops differ enough that a logo pinned to a corner disappears on one of them. Design the cover so the important content sits in the shared central region.
X (Twitter)
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 400×400 | 1:1 | Displays as a circle |
| Header / banner | 1500×500 | 3:1 | Profile photo overlaps the lower-left corner |
| In-stream image | 1600×900 | 16:9 | Single image; shows uncropped in the timeline |
| Link card image | 1200×628 | 1.91:1 | Summary-large-image card from OG tags |
A single in-stream image displays at up to 16:9 without cropping; multi-image posts crop to a tighter grid, so keep subjects centered when posting more than one. The header banner sits behind your profile photo and account details on the lower-left — leave that corner clear of anything you need visible.
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 400×400 | 1:1 | Accepts up to 7680×4320; displays as a circle |
| Personal background banner | 1584×396 | 4:1 | Profile photo and name overlay the lower-left |
| Company logo | 300×300 | 1:1 | Shown on the page and in search results |
| Company cover | 1128×191 | ~5.9:1 | Very wide and short — a banner, not a photo |
| Shared post / link image | 1200×627 | 1.91:1 | Matches OG card dimensions |
LinkedIn's two banner formats are easy to confuse: the personal background (1584×396, 4:1) and the company cover (1128×191, ~5.9:1) are different shapes and not interchangeable. Both are wide and short, so treat them as typographic banners rather than full photographs — a busy image reads as clutter at that aspect ratio.
YouTube
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel profile picture | 800×800 | 1:1 | Displays as a circle at 98×98 |
| Channel art / banner | 2560×1440 | 16:9 | Keep text/logos in the 1546×423 safe area |
| Video thumbnail | 1280×720 | 16:9 | Minimum 640 wide; under 2 MB |
The channel banner is the one asset where the upload size and the visible size differ dramatically. YouTube shows the full 2560×1440 only on large TV displays; desktop, tablet, and mobile each reveal a narrower center crop. The 1546×423 safe area is the only region shown everywhere — put your channel name and logo there and let the rest bleed off. Thumbnails, by contrast, are shown at many small sizes, so use large, high-contrast text that stays legible when scaled down.
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 165×165 | 1:1 | Small circular display |
| Standard pin | 1000×1500 | 2:3 | The recommended default; taller pins get truncated |
| Square pin | 1000×1000 | 1:1 | Works but takes less feed space than 2:3 |
| Idea / video pin | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Full-screen vertical format |
Pinterest strongly favors the 2:3 vertical pin — it fills the most column height in the masonry feed. Ratios taller than 2:3 get visually truncated in the feed with a “more” tap required, so 1000×1500 is the sweet spot. Text overlays are common and encouraged on Pinterest; keep them within the central 80% so nothing clips.
TikTok
| Placement | Upload Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 200×200 | 1:1 | Displays as a small circle |
| Video / image post | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Full-screen vertical |
TikTok is vertical-only for content. The right and bottom edges carry the interface — username, caption, sound, and the action rail of buttons — so keep essential visuals and text within the central column, roughly the middle 80% horizontally and away from the bottom 15%.
Not sure whether an image is actually the size you think it is? Paste its URL and check.
Check image dimensions →How Social Platforms Handle Your Uploads
Every platform in this guide does two things to an upload that affect how it looks: it recompresses the file to save storage and bandwidth, and it crops or scales to fit the placement. Understanding both is what separates a crisp post from a soft, artifact-heavy one.
On recompression: platforms re-encode nearly everything to JPEG at their own quality setting, regardless of what you uploaded. You cannot avoid this, but you can start from a clean source. Upload at the recommended dimensions (not smaller, so the platform downscales rather than upscales) and at high quality (so the platform's compression has good data to work from). A small or already-compressed upload compounds — the platform's re-encode stacks on top of your loss.
On cropping: feed posts are served responsively from one upload, so you rarely need multiple sizes there. Covers and banners are the exception — Facebook page covers, LinkedIn banners, and YouTube channel art each crop differently across devices. For those, design to the documented safe zone and let the outer edges be decorative. The difference between an image's natural and rendered size is exactly what's at play when a banner looks fine in your editor and cropped on the live profile.
Common Mistakes
- Uploading undersized images. A 600-pixel graphic on a placement that displays at 1080 gets upscaled and softened before the platform even compresses it. Always meet or exceed the recommended dimension.
- Putting text near the edges of covers and banners. Facebook covers, LinkedIn banners, and YouTube channel art all crop the edges on mobile. Keep names, logos, and calls-to-action in the documented safe zone.
- Reusing one landscape image everywhere. A 16:9 image posted to Instagram gets letterboxed or cropped; the same image as a Story leaves huge empty bands. Match the placement's aspect ratio — square, portrait, or vertical.
- Uploading PNG photos. A photographic PNG is a large file the platform converts to JPG anyway. Use JPG for photos and reserve PNG for graphics, logos, and anything with text or sharp edges.
- Ignoring interface overlays on vertical content. Stories, Reels, and TikTok place captions and buttons over the top and bottom of the 9:16 canvas. Keep key content in the central safe band or it hides behind the UI.
- Confusing LinkedIn's two banner sizes. The personal background (1584×396) and company cover (1128×191) are different shapes. Using one where the other belongs produces an awkward stretch or crop.
Tools That Help
The highest-leverage move for social images is starting from a correctly sized, cleanly compressed source — because the platform's own recompression can only ever add loss on top of yours. A couple of ways to check and prep your assets:
- Social Media Image Resizer — drop an image, pick a platform preset from this guide, and crop it to the exact dimensions in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
- Image Dimension Finder — paste an image URL to confirm its real pixel dimensions before you post, so you know you're uploading at (not below) the target size.
- Responsive Image Tester — preview how an image scales across viewport widths, useful for judging how a banner will crop on mobile versus desktop.
- PNG / JPG to WebP converters — for images you host yourself and link into posts, convert to WebP to cut file weight before the platform ever touches them.
ShortPixel
A web-based bulk compressor for JPG, PNG, and WebP. Drop in a batch of social graphics, pick a quality preset, and download optimized versions ready to upload — a clean source means the platform's recompression starts from the best possible file. The standalone web tool needs nothing installed.
Try ShortPixelFrequently Asked Questions
What is the best all-purpose social media image size?
1080×1080 pixels (1:1 square) is the single safest size across platforms. It posts cleanly on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X without cropping, and it is large enough that each platform downscales rather than upscales it. When you can only make one graphic, make it a 1080-pixel square. For vertical content — Stories, Reels, TikTok — switch to 1080×1920 (9:16).
What size should a social media post image be?
For in-feed link and photo posts, 1200×630 pixels (1.91:1) is the cross-platform standard — it matches the Open Graph card spec that Facebook, LinkedIn, and X use for shared links. For native photo posts where you control the crop, portrait 1080×1350 (4:5) takes the most vertical space in the Instagram and Facebook feeds and typically earns more attention than a square or landscape image.
Why do my social media images look blurry after uploading?
Every platform recompresses uploads to save bandwidth, and uploading an undersized or already-compressed image compounds the loss. Three fixes: upload at the exact recommended dimensions (not smaller), use PNG for graphics and text-heavy images so edges stay crisp, and upload at high quality since the platform will compress again on its end. Facebook and Instagram in particular apply heavy JPEG compression, so start from a clean, correctly sized source.
What is the safe zone on a YouTube channel banner?
Upload YouTube channel art at 2560×1440 pixels, but keep all text and logos within the central 1546×423 "safe area." That center strip is the only part guaranteed to show on every device — the wider banner is progressively revealed on larger screens (TV, desktop) and cropped on mobile. Anything important placed outside the safe area gets cut off for most viewers.
What aspect ratio does Instagram use?
Instagram supports three feed ratios: 1:1 square (1080×1080), 4:5 portrait (1080×1350), and 1.91:1 landscape (1080×566). Stories and Reels are 9:16 vertical (1080×1920). Portrait 4:5 is generally the best-performing feed ratio because it occupies the most screen height without being cropped. Regardless of ratio, upload at 1080 pixels on the shortest relevant dimension — Instagram caps display width at 1080.
Do I need different image sizes for mobile and desktop?
For posts, no — platforms serve responsive variants from a single upload. For cover and banner images, yes: Facebook page covers, LinkedIn banners, and YouTube channel art all crop differently on mobile versus desktop. Design these with a mobile-safe center zone and treat the outer edges as decorative, since mobile viewers see a narrower crop. The per-platform tables below note the safe dimensions for each.
Should I use JPG or PNG for social media?
Use JPG for photographs and PNG for graphics, logos, screenshots, and anything with text or sharp edges. Platforms recompress both, but PNG survives the round trip better for flat-color and text content because it starts lossless. For photos, a high-quality JPG uploads faster and looks identical after the platform re-encodes it. Avoid uploading a PNG photo — it is a large file that the platform converts to JPG anyway.
Related Guides
- Best image sizes for websites in 2026 — the full reference for hero, blog, thumbnail, and favicon images on your own site.
- Open Graph image size — the 1200×630 link-preview card is what most platforms build from your OG tags.
- Natural vs rendered image dimensions — why a banner that looks right in your editor can crop on the live profile.
- Image formats compared: WebP vs PNG vs JPEG — which format to start from before a platform recompresses it.
- Squarespace image sizes — platform blog headers double as the og:image for social shares.
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