What is the best image size for Instagram posts in 2026?

The optimal Instagram post size depends on orientation. For square posts, use 1080x1080 pixels (1:1). For portrait posts (which take up more screen space and get more engagement), use 1080x1350 pixels (4:5). For landscape, use 1080x566 pixels (1.91:1). Portrait 4:5 is recommended for maximum visibility in the feed.

What size should a Facebook cover photo be?

The recommended Facebook cover photo size is 820x312 pixels. However, Facebook displays the cover differently on desktop (820x312) and mobile (640x360), so important content should be centered. Upload at 820x462 pixels to ensure it looks good on both. Use JPEG or PNG under 100KB for fastest loading.

What is the ideal YouTube thumbnail size?

YouTube thumbnails should be 1280x720 pixels with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The minimum width is 640 pixels. Use JPEG or PNG format, and keep file size under 2MB. Use high-contrast text, close-up faces, and bright colors for maximum click-through rate.

Should I design images at 2x resolution for social media?

Yes. Most modern phones have high-density (Retina) displays that show 2x or 3x the standard pixel count. Designing at the recommended sizes (which already account for this) ensures your images look sharp. Do not upload images smaller than the recommended dimensions, as platforms will upscale them and they will appear blurry.

What image format is best for social media uploads?

JPEG is best for photographs — smaller file size, fast upload, and platforms re-compress everything anyway. PNG is better for graphics with text, logos, or screenshots where you need sharp edges. Avoid uploading BMP or TIFF — they are unnecessarily large and offer no quality advantage since platforms convert to JPEG internally.

Social Media Image Sizes 2026: The Complete Guide for Every Platform

Pixel dimensions, aspect ratios, and file size limits for Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest

By Ben Praveen J · March 24, 2026

Upload an image at the wrong size and the platform will crop it, stretch it, or compress it into a blurry mess. Every social media platform has specific dimensions it expects, and they change regularly. This guide gives you the exact pixel dimensions for every image type on every major platform — updated for 2026.

Bookmark this page. You will need it every time you create a new post, update a profile, or design an ad.

Instagram Image Sizes

Instagram is the most dimension-sensitive platform. The wrong aspect ratio means your image gets auto-cropped, cutting off important content.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Max File Size
Profile photo	320 x 320	1:1	N/A
Feed post (square)	1080 x 1080	1:1	30 MB
Feed post (portrait)	1080 x 1350	4:5	30 MB
Feed post (landscape)	1080 x 566	1.91:1	30 MB
Stories / Reels	1080 x 1920	9:16	30 MB (image) / 4 GB (video)
Carousel	1080 x 1080	1:1	30 MB per image

Best practice: Use 1080 x 1350 (portrait 4:5) for feed posts whenever possible. Portrait images take up more screen real estate in the feed, which means more engagement. Square (1:1) is the safe default for carousels since all slides must share the same aspect ratio.

Stories and Reels: Always design at 1080 x 1920. Keep important text and elements away from the top 250 pixels (where the username overlay appears) and bottom 250 pixels (where the CTA and description appear).

Facebook Image Sizes

Facebook displays images differently on desktop and mobile, so design with both in mind. The dimensions below are the recommended upload sizes.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Notes
Profile photo	170 x 170	1:1	Displays at 176x176 on desktop, 36x36 in comments
Cover photo	820 x 312	~2.63:1	Mobile displays 640x360 crop — center content
Feed post (shared image)	1200 x 630	1.91:1	Optimal for link previews too
Stories	1080 x 1920	9:16	Same as Instagram Stories
Event cover	1920 x 1005	~1.91:1	Important content in center 1200x628 area
Group cover	1640 x 856	~1.91:1	Cropped differently on mobile

Cover photo tip: The Facebook cover photo is cropped differently on desktop (820x312) and mobile (640x360). Upload at 820x462 to ensure it looks good on both. Place critical content (text, logos) in the center area that is visible on both crops.

Feed posts: 1200x630 is the universal safe size. It works perfectly for standard posts and doubles as the link preview image when sharing URLs.

Twitter/X Image Sizes

Twitter/X uses a 16:9 crop for in-feed image previews. If your image is not 16:9, the preview will crop it, and users must click to see the full image.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Max File Size
Profile photo	400 x 400	1:1	2 MB
Header / banner	1500 x 500	3:1	5 MB
In-stream image (single)	1600 x 900	16:9	5 MB (JPEG/PNG) / 15 MB (GIF)
Card image (link preview)	800 x 418	1.91:1	5 MB

In-stream images: Upload at 1600x900 for the sharpest display. Twitter/X will display the full image without cropping. If you upload a taller image (like 4:5), the preview will crop to 16:9 and users must tap to see the full image.

Header image: The 1500x500 header is cropped differently depending on screen size. Keep important elements in the center 60% of the image to ensure they are visible on all devices.

LinkedIn Image Sizes

LinkedIn images are especially important for professional branding. Low-quality or incorrectly sized images undermine credibility on a professional platform.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Notes
Profile photo	400 x 400	1:1	Displays at various sizes; upload at 400px minimum
Background / banner	1584 x 396	4:1	Cropped on mobile — center content
Feed post (shared image)	1200 x 627	1.91:1	Also used for link preview images
Article cover image	1200 x 644	~1.86:1	Displayed at top of LinkedIn articles
Company logo	300 x 300	1:1	Displays at various smaller sizes

Profile photo: Upload a high-quality headshot at 400x400 pixels minimum. LinkedIn displays profile photos at various sizes across the platform (from tiny comment icons to full profile view), so start with a sharp original.

Banner image: The 1584x396 banner is one of the widest on any platform. Mobile devices crop the sides significantly, so keep all important content — text, logos, contact information — in the center 60% of the banner.

YouTube Image Sizes

YouTube thumbnails are arguably the most important image on any social platform — they directly determine whether someone clicks your video.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Max File Size
Channel art / banner	2560 x 1440	16:9	6 MB
Video thumbnail	1280 x 720	16:9	2 MB
Profile photo	800 x 800	1:1	N/A

Channel art: YouTube displays channel art differently on TV (2560x1440), desktop (2560x423 center crop), tablet, and mobile. The "safe area" for text and logos is the center 1546x423 pixels. Design the full 2560x1440 but keep critical content in the center safe area.

Thumbnails: Always upload custom thumbnails at 1280x720. Use large, readable text (if any), high-contrast colors, and close-up faces for maximum click-through rate. Keep file size under 2 MB — compress with Image Compressor if needed.

TikTok Image Sizes

TikTok is primarily video, but profile images and video cover frames still matter.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Notes
Profile photo	200 x 200	1:1	Upload higher res for quality; TikTok resizes
Video dimensions	1080 x 1920	9:16	Full-screen vertical video

Profile photo: While TikTok displays at 200x200, upload at 400x400 or higher for sharpness on high-density screens. Use a clear, recognizable image — most viewers see your profile photo at thumbnail size in comments and the For You Page.

Video: Always shoot and export at 1080x1920 (9:16). TikTok downscales higher resolutions, and upscales lower ones — both result in suboptimal quality. 1080x1920 is the sweet spot.

Pinterest Image Sizes

Pinterest is a visual search engine where image size directly affects discoverability and engagement. Taller pins dominate the feed.

Image Type	Dimensions (px)	Aspect Ratio	Notes
Standard Pin	1000 x 1500	2:3	Optimal size; taller pins allowed up to 1000x2100
Profile photo	165 x 165	1:1	Upload at 400x400 for clarity
Board cover	222 x 150	~3:2	Small display size; keep simple

Standard Pins: The 2:3 ratio (1000x1500) is Pinterest's sweet spot. Pins taller than 2:3 (like 1000x2100) take up more feed space but may be truncated in some views. Avoid square or landscape images — they get lost in the vertical feed layout.

Rich Pins: Use the same 1000x1500 dimensions. Rich Pins pull metadata from your website (price, availability, recipe details), so ensure your site's Open Graph tags are set correctly.

Resize images for any platform: Image Resizer — set exact pixel dimensions. Image Cropper — crop to any aspect ratio. Free, instant, no signup.

Quick Tips for All Platforms

Always design at the recommended size or larger. Uploading undersized images forces the platform to upscale, resulting in blurry visuals. Never upload below the minimum dimensions.
Compress after resizing. Resize your image to the exact dimensions needed, then run it through Image Compressor to reduce file size without visible quality loss. This produces the fastest-loading images.
Use PNG for text-heavy graphics. If your image contains text, logos, or sharp lines, use PNG. JPEG compression creates visible artifacts around text edges. For photographs without text, JPEG is fine.
Use JPEG for photos. Photographs with gradients, natural scenes, and complex color compress beautifully as JPEG. PNG would produce a file 3-5x larger with no visible benefit.
Account for Retina displays. The dimensions in this guide already account for standard high-density displays. Do not double them — the platforms handle display scaling internally.
Test on mobile. Over 80% of social media usage is on mobile devices. Always preview your images on a phone before publishing. Cover photos and banners are cropped differently on mobile.
Keep file sizes reasonable. Platforms re-compress your uploads, but starting with a reasonably sized file (under 1-2 MB for most images) ensures the platform's compression does not degrade quality further. Use Image Compressor to optimize before uploading.

Universal Image Size Cheat Sheet

If you want one image size that works reasonably well across most platforms, use these defaults:

General feed post: 1200 x 630 pixels (1.91:1) — works on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X link cards
Square post: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1) — works on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
Vertical / Stories: 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16) — works on Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, TikTok, YouTube Shorts
Profile photo: 400 x 400 pixels (1:1) — works everywhere; platforms resize as needed

How to Resize and Optimize Images

Follow this workflow for every social media image:

Check the dimensions in the tables above for your target platform and image type.
Resize your image to the exact pixel dimensions using Image Resizer.
Crop if needed to match the correct aspect ratio using Image Cropper.
Compress the final image using Image Compressor to reduce file size while maintaining quality.
Upload to your platform. The image will display at maximum sharpness with fast load times.

FAQ

What is the best image size for Instagram posts in 2026?: For maximum engagement, use 1080x1350 pixels (portrait, 4:5 ratio). This takes up the most screen space in the feed. For square posts or carousels, use 1080x1080 pixels. For landscape, use 1080x566. Stories and Reels should be 1080x1920 (9:16).
What size should a Facebook cover photo be?: Upload at 820x312 pixels for desktop display. However, mobile shows a 640x360 crop, so place important content in the center. For best results on both, upload at 820x462 and center your key elements. Use JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with text.
What is the ideal YouTube thumbnail size?: YouTube thumbnails should be 1280x720 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio) with a minimum width of 640 pixels. Keep file size under 2 MB — use Image Compressor if needed. Use high-contrast text, close-up faces, and bright colors for maximum click-through rate.
Should I design images at 2x resolution for social media?: The dimensions in this guide already account for standard display density. Upload at exactly the recommended sizes — the platforms handle display scaling internally. Uploading at 2x the recommended size wastes bandwidth and the platform will downscale anyway. Just use the exact dimensions listed in the tables above.
What image format is best for social media uploads?: Use JPEG for photographs — it produces smaller files and platforms re-compress everything anyway. Use PNG for graphics, screenshots, or images with text where you need sharp edges. Avoid BMP and TIFF as they are unnecessarily large. WebP is not yet accepted by all platforms for upload, so stick with JPEG or PNG.

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