Nothing kills a good creative faster than a bad crop. Your logo sliced in half on a Facebook cover, a headline hidden behind the TikTok caption, a Pinterest pin squashed into a blurry rectangle. The fix is not more design talent, it is using the correct social media image sizes and respecting each platform’s safe zones.
This guide lists the current pixel dimensions for profile photos, feed posts, stories, covers and ads across the seven platforms that matter most, and pairs every size with practical advice: where the interface hides your content, which file format to export, and what file size limits to stay under so compression does not destroy your image.
Quick answer: the three sizes that cover 80% of your work
If you only remember three numbers in 2026, remember these:
- 1080 x 1350 px (4:5 portrait): the default for feed posts on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. It takes the most vertical screen space without being cropped.
- 1080 x 1920 px (9:16 vertical): stories, Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest video pins.
- 1080 x 1080 px (1:1 square): the safest multi purpose size when one asset must be reused everywhere, including X and LinkedIn documents.
Everything else in this article is refinement, and refinement is what stops your brand from looking amateur. mailup.com has a solid rundown on this.
Universal rules before you open your design tool
- Design in pixels, not inches or centimetres. Screens do not care about DPI. A 1080 x 1350 px file at 72 ppi and the same file at 300 ppi look identical online, but the second one is heavier for no reason.
- Use sRGB colour. Files exported in CMYK or Adobe RGB will look dull or shifted once uploaded.
- Keep a 10% margin on every edge. Interface elements, rounded corners and circular crops eat into your artwork.
- Never upload wider than the platform renders. Uploading a 4000 px wide image to Instagram just triggers heavier recompression. Export at the recommended width.
- Export text heavy graphics as PNG, photos as JPG. Details on this in the file format section below.
- Work from one master file per aspect ratio. Build 4:5, 9:16 and 1:1 versions rather than stretching a single asset.
Instagram image sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 320 x 320 px | 1:1 (circular crop) |
| Portrait feed post | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Square feed post | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Landscape feed post | 1080 x 566 px | 1.91:1 |
| Carousel slide | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 (keep all slides identical) |
| Story | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Reel cover image | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 (grid crop 4:5) |
| Profile grid thumbnail | Auto crop from your post | 4:5 |
Instagram safe zones
- Stories and Reels: keep the top 250 px and the bottom 340 px free of important text. The top holds your profile name and close button, the bottom holds the caption, audio ticker and action buttons. Your real working area is roughly the centre 1080 x 1330 px.
- Reel covers: the vertical cover is cropped to a 4:5 rectangle in your profile grid. Place logos and headlines in the middle of the frame so they survive both crops.
- Profile grid: because the grid now shows vertical thumbnails, a 1:1 post gets trimmed on the sides. If grid consistency matters to you, publish in 4:5.
- Profile photo: design inside a circle. A square logo with tight edges will lose its corners.
Instagram file format tips
- JPG at quality 85 for photography, PNG for flat colour, screenshots and text overlays.
- Keep files under 8 MB to reduce aggressive server side compression.
- Avoid thin 1 px lines and small light grey text, they are the first casualties of compression.
Facebook image sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 320 x 320 px | Minimum 170 x 170 px, circular crop |
| Page cover photo | 1640 x 856 px | Displays 820 x 312 px on desktop, 640 x 360 px on mobile |
| Group cover | 1640 x 856 px | 1.91:1 |
| Event cover | 1920 x 1005 px | 1.91:1 |
| Portrait feed post | 1080 x 1350 px | Best mobile real estate |
| Square feed post | 1080 x 1080 px | Safe everywhere |
| Shared link image | 1200 x 630 px | Set as your Open Graph image |
| Story | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Feed ad | 1080 x 1080 px or 1080 x 1350 px | 1:1 or 4:5 |
| Story and Reels ad | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Carousel ad card | 1080 x 1080 px | All cards must share the ratio |
Facebook safe zones
- Page cover: the desktop and mobile crops are different. Keep essential text within the central 820 x 312 px area, and expect the left side to be partly covered by the profile picture on desktop.
- Vertical ads: Meta reserves roughly the top 14% and the bottom 20% of a 9:16 placement for the profile name and the call to action. Keep copy in the middle 66%.
- Link previews: if your site’s Open Graph image is not 1.91:1, Facebook will crop from the centre. Test with the Sharing Debugger before a campaign launch.
Facebook file format tips
- PNG for covers and any graphic containing your logo or a headline, JPG for photos.
- Static image ads accept up to 30 MB, but a well exported 1080 px file rarely exceeds 1 MB.
- Do not embed a URL as tiny text in the image, it never survives compression on mobile.
LinkedIn image sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Personal profile photo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 circular |
| Personal background banner | 1584 x 396 px | 4:1 |
| Company logo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 |
| Company page cover | 1128 x 376 px | 3:1 |
| Portrait feed post | 1200 x 1500 px | 4:5 |
| Square feed post | 1200 x 1200 px | 1:1 |
| Landscape feed post and link preview | 1200 x 627 px | 1.91:1 |
| Article cover image | 1200 x 644 px | 1.86:1 |
| Document post page | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 (4:5 also supported) |
| Life tab company photo | 900 x 600 px | 3:2 |
| Life tab custom module | 502 x 282 px | 16:9 |
| Sponsored content image | 1200 x 627 px | 1.91:1 |
LinkedIn safe zones
- Personal banner: your profile photo overlaps the lower left corner on desktop and mobile positions differ. Keep text in the right two thirds and away from the bottom 100 px.
- Company page cover: the logo sits on the left edge on desktop. Anchor your tagline centre or right.
- Document carousels: LinkedIn adds a title bar and page counter over the bottom of the slide. Leave the last 120 px of each square page clear.
- Feed previews: long 4:5 images are expanded on mobile but truncated in some desktop views, so put the hook in the top half.
LinkedIn file format tips
- PNG is the better choice on LinkedIn because most creatives contain text, charts or slide layouts.
- Documents should be uploaded as PDF at the exact page ratio you designed, not as a set of images.
- Body copy inside graphics should be at least 24 px at 1080 px width to stay readable on mobile.
TikTok image and video sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 400 x 400 px | Minimum 200 x 200 px, circular |
| Video | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Photo post slide | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16, up to 35 images |
| Video cover | 1080 x 1920 px | Profile grid crop is 1:1.35 |
| In feed ad | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 strongly preferred |
TikTok safe zones
TikTok has the most crowded interface of any platform. On a 1080 x 1920 px canvas, plan for:
- Top: 130 px reserved for the search and following bar.
- Bottom: around 480 px reserved for username, caption, music title and the ad button.
- Right: around 120 px reserved for the profile, like, comment and share icons.
- Left: keep a 60 px margin.
That leaves a usable text zone of roughly 900 x 1310 px in the upper centre. Anything outside it will be readable only in the editor, not in the app.
TikTok file format tips
- Photo posts: JPG or PNG, under 20 MB per image.
- Video: MP4 or MOV, H.264, 1080p, 30 fps or more, with a bitrate of at least 8 Mbps so movement does not turn blocky.
- Upload from a desktop when possible, mobile uploads over weak connections get recompressed harder.
X (Twitter) image sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 circular |
| Header image | 1500 x 500 px | 3:1 |
| Single in stream image | 1600 x 900 px | 16:9 |
| Square in stream image | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Portrait in stream image | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Summary card large image | 1200 x 628 px | 1.91:1 |
| Summary card small image | 800 x 800 px | 1:1 |
X safe zones
- Header: the profile photo overlaps the bottom left, and the header is cropped shorter on mobile. Keep visuals centred and avoid the bottom 120 px.
- Timeline previews: images taller than 16:9 are cropped to a preview and only fully visible when tapped. If your message is in a tall graphic, put the key line in the vertical centre.
- Multi image posts: two, three or four image posts are cropped into tiles. Use square sources so no crop is fatal.
X file format tips
- JPG and PNG up to 5 MB, GIF up to 15 MB on mobile.
- PNG keeps screenshots and code snippets crisp, which matters because X compresses JPGs quite hard.
- Set an Open Graph and a twitter:card image on your website so shared links never render as a bare text box.
Pinterest image sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 280 x 280 px | 1:1 circular |
| Standard pin | 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3 |
| Square pin | 1000 x 1000 px | 1:1 |
| Video pin | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Carousel slide | 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3, identical across slides |
| Collections pin main image | 1000 x 1000 px | 1:1 |
| Board cover | 800 x 800 px | 1:1 |
Pinterest safe zones
- Stick to 2:3. Taller pins get truncated in the feed with a “see more” fade, which hides your closing message and your logo.
- Keep text out of the bottom 100 px, that area is where the title and profile attribution sit in some views.
- Place your logo in a top corner, at around 8% of the pin width. It stays visible even when the pin is saved and re shared.
Pinterest file format tips
- PNG for graphic pins with text, JPG for lifestyle photography, up to 20 MB.
- Pinterest is a visual search engine, so name the file descriptively and always fill the alt text field.
- High contrast typography wins, thin serif text at small sizes disappears in the feed.
YouTube image sizes
| Placement | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Channel profile picture | 800 x 800 px | Displays at 98 x 98 px, circular |
| Channel banner | 2560 x 1440 px | Safe area 1546 x 423 px, under 6 MB |
| Video thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px | 16:9, minimum width 640 px, under 2 MB |
| Video upload | 1920 x 1080 px | 16:9, 4K at 3840 x 2160 px |
| Shorts | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Display ad companion banner | 300 x 60 px | PNG or JPG, under 150 KB |
YouTube safe zones
- Banner: only the central 1546 x 423 px is guaranteed to show on every device. Everything outside it appears on TV screens only, so treat it as decorative background.
- Thumbnails: the bottom right corner is covered by the video duration badge, and the bottom edge is covered by the red progress bar on rewatch. Keep faces and text away from it.
- Thumbnails again: preview your design at 210 x 118 px. If the headline is unreadable at that size, cut words until it is. Three to five words is the sweet spot.
- Shorts: the bottom 380 px and right 140 px hold the title, channel name and action icons.
YouTube file format tips
- Thumbnails: JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP, under 2 MB. Export PNG when the design has large flat colour areas, JPG at quality 90 for photo based thumbnails.
- Banner: JPG or PNG under 6 MB, avoid small text entirely.
- Design the thumbnail before you edit the video. It is the single biggest lever on click through rate.
Ad sizes at a glance
| Platform | Feed ad | Vertical ad | Key safe zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080 x 1350 px | 1080 x 1920 px | Central 66% of vertical frame | |
| 1080 x 1080 px | 1080 x 1920 px | Avoid top 250 px and bottom 340 px | |
| 1200 x 627 px | 1080 x 1350 px | Leave bottom 120 px for the CTA bar | |
| TikTok | Not applicable | 1080 x 1920 px | Top 130 px, bottom 480 px, right 120 px |
| X | 1600 x 900 px | 1080 x 1350 px | Keep the message vertically centred |
| 1000 x 1500 px | 1080 x 1920 px | Bottom 100 px reserved for the title | |
| YouTube | 1920 x 1080 px video | 1080 x 1920 px Shorts | Bottom right holds the duration badge |
File formats explained in one minute
| Format | Best for | Avoid when |
|---|---|---|
| JPG | Photography, gradients, anything without fine text | The design has sharp edged text or a logo on flat colour |
| PNG | Text overlays, logos, charts, screenshots, transparency | The file balloons past the platform limit |
| WebP | Your own website and YouTube thumbnails | Uploading to platforms that quietly reconvert it |
| MP4 (H.264) | All video placements | Bitrate is below 8 Mbps at 1080p |
Five habits that stop bad compression
- Export once from the master file. Every re save of a JPG loses quality permanently.
- Match the platform width exactly, do not upscale a 600 px image to 1080 px.
- Use a solid or subtly textured background behind text instead of a busy photo.
- Keep minimum type size at 24 px on a 1080 px canvas, 32 px for vertical formats viewed at arm’s length.
- Check the published post on a real phone, not only in the scheduling tool preview.
A repeatable production workflow
- Build three master canvases: 1080 x 1350, 1080 x 1920 and 1080 x 1080 px.
- Add safe zone guides as locked layers with the numbers from this guide.
- Design the 4:5 version first, then adapt to vertical by moving elements into the central band rather than stretching them.
- Export a naming convention such as campaign_platform_ratio_v1, for example launch_ig_4x5_v1.png.
- Re check dimensions once per quarter. Platforms change their interfaces without notice, and a template built two years ago is almost certainly cropping something today.
What changed recently and what to watch
- Vertical is the default. The 4:5 portrait format now outperforms square on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn simply because it occupies more screen.
- Grid crops matter again. Instagram’s vertical profile grid means square posts lose their edges in your profile view.
- One asset for all platforms is over. The safe zones on TikTok and Instagram Reels are different enough that a shared vertical file usually gets covered somewhere.
- Link preview images are still neglected. A single 1200 x 630 px Open Graph image improves how your pages look on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and messaging apps at once.
FAQ
What are the recommended social media image sizes in 2026?
Use 1080 x 1350 px for portrait feed posts, 1080 x 1080 px for square posts, 1080 x 1920 px for stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts, 1200 x 630 px for link previews, and 1280 x 720 px for YouTube thumbnails. Profile photos should be at least 400 x 400 px.
Is Instagram 9:16 or 4:5?
Both, depending on placement. Feed posts are best at 4:5 (1080 x 1350 px). Stories and Reels are 9:16 (1080 x 1920 px). A 9:16 image posted to the feed will be cropped, and a 4:5 image posted to a story will show background bars unless you fill them intentionally.
What size is 4×5 for social media?
A 4:5 image is 1080 x 1350 px at the standard mobile resolution. Larger equivalents include 1200 x 1500 px, often used on LinkedIn, and 1600 x 2000 px if you need a print friendly master file.
How do I resize an image for social media without losing quality?
Start from the largest original you have, crop to the target aspect ratio first, then scale down to the exact pixel dimensions. Export as PNG if there is text and JPG at quality 85 to 90 if it is a photo. Never enlarge a small image to fit a bigger canvas, it will look soft and compress badly.
What is a safe zone and why does it matter?
A safe zone is the part of your image guaranteed to stay visible after the platform overlays its own interface, such as captions, buttons, profile names and progress bars. Designing inside the safe zone is the difference between a call to action people can read and one hidden behind a share icon.
Should I use the same image on every platform?
You can reuse the same concept, but not the same file. At minimum, produce one 4:5 version for feeds, one 9:16 version for vertical placements and one 16:9 version for X, YouTube and link previews. It is roughly ten extra minutes per campaign and it removes most crop problems.
What file size limits should I respect?
As a practical rule, keep static images under 5 MB, YouTube thumbnails under 2 MB, YouTube banners under 6 MB and Pinterest images under 20 MB. A correctly exported 1080 px creative is usually well under 1 MB anyway.
Bookmark this page
Platform interfaces shift constantly, so treat this as a living reference rather than a one time read. Save it, share it with your designers, and rebuild your templates whenever a size on this page no longer matches what you are using. Correct social media image sizes will not make a weak idea perform, but wrong ones will absolutely bury a good one.