Social media image sizes in 2026, from each platform's own documentation

Most lists of social media image sizes copy each other, and several numbers in circulation are years out of date. This guide quotes each platform's own help centre, developer documentation or ad specifications, as read on 25 October 2026, and says where a platform publishes no size at all. Sources are listed at the end of each section.

Three changes catch teams out this year:

• Instagram now keeps portrait photos up to 3:4 (1080×1440). Its help centre used to stop at 4:5 (1080×1350). Posting tools that use Instagram's API are still limited to 4:5.
• YouTube thumbnails can be 3840×2160 and up to 50 MB when uploaded from a computer, instead of the long-standing 1280×720 and 2 MB.
• The LinkedIn Company Page cover is now 1512×256. Many guides still give 1128×191 or 4200×700.

Quick reference

The sizes most teams need, with the ratio to crop to. Details and limits follow per platform.

Where	Size to export	Ratio
Instagram feed, square	1080×1080	1:1
Instagram feed, portrait	1080×1350, or 1080×1440	4:5, or 3:4
Instagram feed, landscape	1080×566	1.91:1
Instagram and Facebook Stories, Reels	1080×1920 (ads: 1440×2560)	9:16
Facebook and Instagram feed ads	1440×1800	4:5
Link preview (og:image)	1200×630	1.91:1
Facebook Page cover	851×315	see Facebook
X header	1500×500	3:1
LinkedIn image post	1080 px wide	3:1 to 4:5
LinkedIn Company Page cover	1512×256	about 5.9:1
LinkedIn personal background	1584×396	4:1
LinkedIn article cover	1920×1080	16:9
YouTube thumbnail	3840×2160 (minimum 640 wide)	16:9
YouTube channel banner	2560×1440, text inside 1235×338	16:9
Pinterest pin	1000×1500	2:3

Instagram

Instagram stores feed photos at up to 1080 pixels wide. It keeps the original proportions when the ratio is between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 3:4 (portrait), which Instagram describes as "a width of 1080 pixels with a height between 566 and 1440 pixels". A photo outside that range is cropped to a supported ratio. A photo narrower than 320 pixels is enlarged; a wider one than 1080 is scaled down.

Post type	Size and ratio
Square	1080×1080, 1:1
Portrait	1080×1350 (4:5) or 1080×1440 (3:4, the tallest kept)
Landscape	1080×566, 1.91:1
Carousel	Up to 20 photos and videos; the orientation chosen for the first applies to all
Reels	Ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, at least 720 pixels and 30 frames per second
Reel cover	420×654 (1:1.55) according to the help centre; the developer documentation recommends 9:16. The cover cannot be changed after upload.
Stories	9:16 recommended in the developer documentation; no size in the help centre

Posting through a scheduling tool. Instagram's publishing API accepts JPEG files up to 8 MB, 320 to 1440 pixels wide, with a ratio between 4:5 and 1.91:1. A 3:4 image sent through a scheduler may be cropped to 4:5. Post 3:4 images from the app, or export 4:5 for scheduled posts.

Profile grid. Instagram's profile grid shows posts as 3:4 rectangles since early 2025. Instagram announced it but has no help centre page describing the crop. Keep the subject inside the centre of a 4:5 or 1:1 image if you care how it looks on the grid.

Ads (Meta Ads Guide). Feed ads: JPG or PNG, 4:5, 1440×1800 recommended, up to 30 MB, at least 500 pixels wide. Stories and Reels ads: JPG or PNG, 9:16, 1440×2560, up to 30 MB. Keep about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free of text and logos, where Instagram places its buttons and captions.

Profile picture. Instagram publishes no size.

Sources: Instagram Help Center, "Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram", "Share multiple photos or videos", "Reel size"; Instagram Graph API reference, "IG User Media"; Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels image specs. Read 25 October 2026.

Facebook

Item	Official specification
Page cover, computer	"16:9 aspect ratio", at least 400×150; "loads fastest as an sRGB JPG file that's 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and less than 100 kilobytes". The profile picture covers part of the left side.
Page cover, phone	"2.4:1 aspect ratio", same minimum and same 851×315 file. The profile picture overlaps the bottom by about 40 pixels.
Page profile picture	320×320 for best quality, shown at 176×176 on computers and 196×196 on phones, cropped to a circle. Use PNG for logos and text.
Personal cover	At least 720 pixels wide.
Link preview	At least 1200×630, as close to 1.91:1 as possible, 600×315 minimum for the large preview, up to 8 MB.
Feed ads	JPG or PNG, 4:5, 1440×1800, up to 30 MB, at least 600×750.
Stories ads	JPG or PNG, 9:16, 1440×2560, up to 30 MB; same safe zones as Instagram.

Facebook's cover photo page is inconsistent: it states 16:9 for computers but recommends 851×315, which is about 2.7:1. In practice, design an 851×315 image (or a larger image with the same proportions) and keep text and logos in the middle, away from the left side where the profile picture sits and the bottom edge, which phones crop.

Facebook publishes no size for ordinary feed photos or organic Stories. The ad sizes above work for both.

Sources: Facebook Help Center, "What are the dimensions of my Page's profile picture and cover photo?" and "Add or change your cover photo"; Meta for Developers, "Images in link shares"; Meta Ads Guide, Facebook Feed and Stories image specs. Read 25 October 2026.

X (Twitter)

Item	Official specification
Image in a post	Ratios between 2:1 and 3:4 are shown in full; no recommended pixel size. Up to 4 photos per post.
Files	JPEG, PNG or GIF, photos up to 5 MB (GIF up to 15 MB on the web).
Profile photo	400×400 recommended, up to 2 MB.
Header	1500×500 recommended; up to 60 pixels at the top and bottom can be cropped.
Link card, large image	2:1, from 300×157 to 4096×4096, under 5 MB.
Image ads	1200×1200 (1:1) or 1200×628 (1.91:1); also 1080×1080, 1920×1080 (16:9), 1080×1920 (9:16), and the newer 1440×1800 (4:5) and 1080×1620 (2:3). PNG or JPEG, up to 5 MB.

X removed its developer page on link cards in 2026. The card specification above comes from the last archived copy (January 2026).

Sources: X Help Center, "How to post photos and GIFs", "Help with profile photo upload", "Ad creative specifications"; X API media best practices; archived X developer documentation, "Summary card with large image". Read 25 October 2026.

LinkedIn

Item	Official specification
Image post	1080 pixels wide recommended, at least 552×276, ratio from 3:1 to 4:5 (outside that range the image is centred and cropped). Up to 20 images, 5 MB each.
Link preview	1200×627 minimum, 1.91:1, up to 5 MB.
Company Page cover	1512×256, PNG or JPEG, up to 3 MB. Keep key details away from the edges, especially the lower right.
Company logo	400×400 recommended, 268×268 minimum; check it on light and dark backgrounds.
Personal background	1584×396, JPG or PNG, under 8 MB.
Profile photo	Between 400×400 and 7680×4320, up to 8 MB.
Article cover	1920×1080, cropped to 16:9.
Single image ads	1200×628 (1.91:1), 1200×1200 (1:1) or 720×900 (4:5), up to 5 MB. Images under 401 pixels wide show as a thumbnail.

LinkedIn's image post page was last updated about two years ago; the Company Page page about two months ago.

Sources: LinkedIn Help, articles a527229 (image posts), a521928 (link previews), a563309 (Company Page images), a568217 and a549049 (profile and background), a521719 (articles), a426534 (single image ads). Read 25 October 2026.

YouTube

Item	Official specification
Video thumbnail	3840×2160 recommended, at least 640 pixels wide, 16:9, JPG or PNG. Up to 50 MB when uploaded from a computer, 2 MB from a phone. Custom thumbnails need a verified account.
Shorts thumbnail	2160×3840, 9:16, uploaded from YouTube Studio on a computer.
Channel banner	At least 2048×1152, 16:9, up to 6 MB; 2560×1440 recommended for TVs. Text and logos must fit in the central 1235×338 area, the part every device shows.
Profile picture	Up to 15 MB, shown at 98×98.
Video watermark	At least 150×150, square, under 1 MB.

For a vertical video with a 16:9 custom thumbnail, YouTube generates a 4:5 thumbnail for the home, explore and subscriptions feeds. Keep the subject in the centre of the thumbnail.

Sources: YouTube Help, "Add video thumbnails" (72431), "Manage your channel branding" (10456525), "Upload YouTube Shorts" (12779649). Read 25 October 2026.

TikTok

TikTok publishes no pixel size for organic photo posts. A photo post holds up to 35 photos, cropped in the app. Through TikTok's developer API, photos are limited to 1080p, JPEG or WebP, 20 MB each. The 1080×1920 size found in most guides is a sensible 9:16 export, not a published TikTok specification.

Item	Official specification
In-feed video ads	9:16 at 540×960 or more (also 16:9 and 1:1), up to 500 MB. TikTok provides safe-zone templates because the covered area depends on caption length.
Carousel ads	2 to 35 images: 1200×628, 640×640 or 720×1280, JPG or PNG.
Profile photo	At least 20×20.

Sources: TikTok Support, "Making a post" and "Profile photo"; TikTok for Developers, Media Transfer Guide; TikTok Ads Help, in-feed ads (updated June 2026) and carousel ads (updated September 2026). Read 25 October 2026.

Pinterest

Item	Official specification
Standard pin	2:3, 1000×1500
Files	JPEG, PNG, WEBP, BMP or TIFF, up to 20 MB
Long pins	Cut off in the feed. Pinterest's pages disagree on where: beyond 2:3 ("might get cut off") or beyond 2:4.2. Stay at 2:3.
Profile cover	At least 800×450, 16:9
Board cover	No size published

Sources: Pinterest Help, "Review Pin specs", "Pinterest product specs", "Promoted Pins overview", "Edit a board", "Personalize your profile". Read 25 October 2026.

Link previews (og:image)

The image a page shows when its link is shared comes from the page's og:image tag. One file can serve every platform:

• Export 1200×630 (1.91:1). Meta asks for at least 1200×630, LinkedIn for at least 1200×627.
• X shows large link cards at 2:1, so it crops a little from the left and right of a 1.91:1 image. Keep text away from the side edges.
• Stay under 5 MB (the lowest limit, LinkedIn and X).
• Set og:image:width and og:image:height so the image appears on the first share.
• Platforms cache the image by its address. To replace it, publish it under a new URL.

Producing every size from one image

A campaign image usually needs eight to twelve of these formats. Three practices keep the work manageable:

1. Shoot or design with room around the subject. A subject centred with space on every side survives a 1.91:1 crop, a 4:5 crop and a 9:16 crop. Tight framing forces you to extend the image instead.
2. Crop from one approved master, not from previous exports. Each export made from another export loses quality and multiplies versions.
3. Use the focus point. Cropping to many ratios at once only works when every crop is centred on the same subject, not on the centre of the image.

When a crop would cut the subject, the image can be extended instead: AI outpainting draws the missing sky, floor or backdrop so the whole original stays in the frame. See AI photo editing for brand teams for what that does well and what to check.

How freedam produces social formats

In freedam, Social Export on an image's page produces a set of social formats in one pass. You tick the formats, pick the focus point every crop is centred on, adjust any single frame, and generate the files at each preset's size. Exporting the same format with the same framing again reuses the earlier file. In Studio, the Crop tool has the same presets and extends the image with AI when the crop box goes past the edge, so a landscape photo can become a 9:16 story without losing the product. The originals are never changed, and the exports stay attached to the asset they came from.

Details: Studio.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best size for an Instagram post in 2026?

1080×1350 (4:5) works everywhere, including scheduling tools. 1080×1440 (3:4) takes more space in the feed and matches the profile grid, but only when posted from the Instagram app, because Instagram's publishing API still stops at 4:5.

What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?

YouTube recommends 3840×2160 with a minimum width of 640 pixels, 16:9, up to 50 MB from a computer and 2 MB from a phone. A 1280×720 thumbnail is still accepted.

What size is the LinkedIn company banner?

1512×256, PNG or JPEG, up to 3 MB, according to LinkedIn's help page updated in 2026. Keep important details away from the edges and the lower right corner.

What image size works for link previews on every network?

1200×630 at 1.91:1, under 5 MB, with the text kept away from the left and right edges for X.

Does TikTok have an official photo size?

No. TikTok publishes sizes for ads and an API limit of 1080p, but no size for organic photo posts. Export 1080×1920 (9:16) for full-screen photos.