Getting image sizes right is one of the most overlooked parts of social media work. Use the wrong dimensions and your cover photo gets cropped, your ad looks blurry, or your story disappears into letterboxing. This guide covers every major platform — verified against official documentation and updated for 2026.

Why Image Sizes Matter

Each platform renders images differently. Facebook compresses JPEGs aggressively; Instagram resamples anything that isn't exactly 1080px wide. Upload the right size and you get crisp, uncompressed images. Upload the wrong size and the platform's algorithm fills in the gaps — never with good results. Uploading oversized images also increases load time, which hurts both user experience and ad quality scores.

Quick ruleAlways upload at the maximum recommended resolution. Platforms scale down more gracefully than they scale up.

Facebook Image Sizes

Facebook uses different cropping rules depending on where the image appears — profile, timeline, groups, ads, or events. The platform also renders images differently on desktop vs mobile, so always check your uploads on both.

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Profile Photo170×170 px1:1Displays as circle on mobile
Cover Photo851×315 px2.7:1Minimum 400×150 px
Shared Image1200×630 px1.91:1Most common post format
Story1080×1920 px9:16Full-screen vertical
Event Cover1920×1005 px1.91:1Cropped to 470×174 in feed
Group Cover1640×856 px1.91:1

Instagram Image Sizes

Instagram recommends uploading at 1080px width for all post types. The platform downsamples automatically, but uploading at the correct width gives you the sharpest result. For portrait posts, the 4:5 ratio takes up the most vertical space in the feed, which increases visibility.

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Profile Photo320×320 px1:1Displays as 110×110 circle
Square Post1080×1080 px1:1Classic feed format
Portrait Post1080×1350 px4:5Maximum vertical feed space
Landscape Post1080×566 px1.91:1Minimum ratio allowed
Story / Reels Cover1080×1920 px9:16Safe zone: 1080×1420 px
Carousel Card1080×1080 px1:1All cards must match ratio
Instagram tipFor feed posts, portrait (4:5) takes up more vertical space than square or landscape — that means more real estate per scroll, and generally better organic reach.

X (Twitter) Image Sizes

X crops in-stream images in the timeline before the user clicks to expand. The safe zone for a single landscape image is roughly the center 16:9 area, but the full 1600×900 upload is shown when expanded.

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Profile Photo400×400 px1:1Displays as 200×200 circle
Header / Banner1500×500 px3:1
Single in-stream image1600×900 px16:9Cropped in feed, full on expand
2 images (side by side)700×800 px each7:8
3 images700×800 + 1200×686MixedLeft image is taller
4 images (grid)1200×675 px each16:9

LinkedIn Image Sizes

LinkedIn is used across desktop, mobile app, and mobile browser — all of which render images slightly differently. The cover/banner image is especially prone to cropping on mobile, so keep key content away from the top and bottom edges.

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Profile Photo400×400 px minimum1:1Max 8 MB
Profile Banner1584×396 px4:1Mobile crops vertically
Post Image1200×627 px1.91:1Most common feed format
Portrait Post1080×1350 px4:5Max vertical for feed
Company Logo300×300 px1:1
Company Page Banner1128×191 px5.91:1
Article Cover Image1920×1080 px16:9

YouTube Image Sizes

YouTube's channel art (banner) is the trickiest image on any platform — it displays at very different sizes depending on whether the viewer is on TV, desktop, tablet, or mobile. The safe zone for text and logos is the center 1546×423 px area, which is visible on all devices.

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Channel Art / Banner2560×1440 px16:9Safe zone: 1546×423 px center
Profile Photo800×800 px1:1Displays as circle
Video Thumbnail1280×720 px16:9Max 2 MB, JPG / PNG / GIF
End Screen1280×720 px16:9
Community Post Image1280×720 px16:9

TikTok Image Sizes

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Profile Photo200×200 px minimum1:1Displays as circle
Video / Cover Image1080×1920 px9:16Used as video thumbnail
Photo Post (portrait)1080×1920 px9:16Preferred
Photo Post (landscape)1920×1080 px16:9Horizontal option

Pinterest Image Sizes

Pinterest was designed around vertical imagery — tall pins dominate the feed and outperform square or horizontal formats by a significant margin. The standard 2:3 ratio is the sweet spot: tall enough to dominate, short enough not to get cut off.

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Standard Pin1000×1500 px2:3Best performing ratio
Square Pin1000×1000 px1:1
Long Pin1000×2100 px1:2.1Maximum before feed cutoff
Profile Photo165×165 px1:1
Board Cover222×150 px3:2

Snapchat Image Sizes

Image TypeRecommended SizeAspect RatioNotes
Snap / Story1080×1920 px9:16Full-screen vertical
Profile Photo320×320 px1:1
Spotlight1080×1920 px9:16Keep UI safe zone in mind
Cheat sheet overview of profile photo and cover image dimensions across major social platforms

Profile photos, cover images, and feed posts each follow different dimension rules per platform

Quick Reference: All Platforms

PlatformProfile PhotoCover / BannerFeed PostStory / Vertical
Facebook170×170851×3151200×6301080×1920
Instagram320×320—1080×10801080×1920
X (Twitter)400×4001500×5001600×900—
LinkedIn400×4001584×3961200×627—
YouTube800×8002560×14401280×720—
TikTok200×200—1080×19201080×1920
Pinterest165×165—1000×1500—
Snapchat320×320—1080×19201080×1920
Design tipWhen designing for multiple platforms at once, start with 1080×1920 (9:16). Build your composition inside a centered 1080×1080 safe zone. That single asset can be cropped to almost every feed and story format without losing key visual elements.