Social Media Image Sizes: The Complete 2026 Guide
Getting your image sizes right is one of the quietest ways to look more professional online. Upload a photo at the wrong dimensions and it gets cropped in awkward places, stretched until it's blurry, or squeezed into a thumbnail nobody can read. Get it right and your posts look sharp on every device.
The tricky part is that every platform uses different sizes, and they change them more often than anyone would like. This guide pulls together the current recommended dimensions for all the major platforms in one place, explains the aspect ratios behind them, and shares practical tips so your images always look their best.
Why image size matters more than you think
Social platforms compress and resize every image you upload. If you start from a picture that's too small, the platform stretches it to fit — and stretching adds blur and blocky artefacts. If your image is the wrong shape (aspect ratio), the platform crops it to fit its slot, often cutting off the exact part you cared about, like your face or your headline text.
Uploading at the recommended size solves both problems at once. The platform has the pixels it needs to stay sharp, and the crop matches what you designed. On a phone screen — where the vast majority of social browsing happens — the difference between a correctly-sized image and a wrong one is instantly obvious.
Instagram image sizes
Instagram is a portrait-first platform, so vertical images win. Use a square 1080×1080 for classic feed posts, or a 1080×1350 portrait (4:5) to take up the most vertical space and stop the scroll. Landscape posts are 1080×566.
Stories and Reels both use a full-screen 1080×1920 (9:16) frame. Keep any text or key elements in the middle, because the top and bottom of the screen are covered by the profile bar, caption and action buttons. Your profile photo displays at 320×320.
Facebook image sizes
Facebook's cover photo is 851×315 on desktop but is cropped more tightly on mobile, so keep logos and text centred. Shared link posts look best at 1200×630, which also matches the Open Graph preview size used when your links are shared.
Your profile photo is 170×170, stories are 1080×1920, and event covers are 1920×1005. As a rule, cleaner covers with minimal text look more professional and perform better than busy, text-heavy ones.
LinkedIn image sizes
LinkedIn separates personal and company sizes, which trips a lot of people up. A personal profile background (banner) is 1584×396 (4:1), while a company Page cover is 1128×191. Design them separately.
For posts, a shared link image works best at 1200×627 and a standalone square image at 1080×1080. Profile photos are 400×400 for people and 300×300 for company logos. Because your profile photo overlaps the lower-left of your banner, keep important content in the upper and centre-right area.
YouTube, X, TikTok and Pinterest
YouTube thumbnails are 1280×720 (16:9), and channel banners are uploaded at 2560×1440 but only the central 1546×423 'safe area' shows on every device — keep your logo and text inside it.
X (Twitter) headers are 1500×500 (3:1). TikTok videos and photos fill a 1080×1920 (9:16) screen. Pinterest rewards tall pins: use a 2:3 ratio at 1000×1500 for the most reach, but don't go beyond 2:3 or your pin gets cropped in the feed.
Three rules that always apply
First, design mobile-first — most people will see your image on a phone, so check how it looks small. Second, keep key text and logos in a central safe zone, because every platform crops the edges differently across devices. Third, always start from the exact recommended size at high quality; platforms compress uploads, so never scale up a small image.
If you already have an image at the wrong size, don't stretch it — crop it to the correct ratio instead. Our free size tools do exactly that: pick your platform, upload your image, and download it cropped to the perfect dimensions.
Tools mentioned
Social Media Image Size Guide
Every recommended image size for Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube and more.
Instagram Image Sizes
Correct pixel sizes for Instagram posts, stories, reels and profile photos.
LinkedIn Cover Photo Size
Exact LinkedIn banner, cover, profile and post image dimensions.
YouTube Thumbnail & Banner Size
Exact YouTube thumbnail, channel banner and profile image dimensions.