Every social media platform has different image dimensions. Instagram wants squares and 4:5 portraits. LinkedIn wants 1200x627 for link previews. YouTube thumbnails are 1280x720. X (Twitter) crops images differently on mobile and desktop. And the dimensions change every year or two when platforms redesign their interfaces.
Uploading the wrong size means your image gets cropped awkwardly, squished, stretched, or surrounded by ugly black bars. Your carefully composed photo loses the subject's head or cuts off the key text.
The Image Resizer handles the resize. This guide gives you all the dimensions you need, updated for 2026, with tips on how to design photos that work across multiple platforms.
Instagram Dimensions (2026)
Instagram supports several aspect ratios, and the platform has gotten more flexible over time.
Feed post (square): 1080 x 1080 px (1:1). The classic Instagram format. Still the safest option because it displays well in grid view.
Feed post (portrait): 1080 x 1350 px (4:5). Takes up more screen space in the feed, which means more visibility. This is the preferred format for maximum engagement.
Feed post (landscape): 1080 x 566 px (1.91:1). Takes up less vertical space, so users scroll past it faster. Use only when the content requires a wide format.
Stories and Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16). Full-screen vertical format. Leave the top and bottom 10% free of critical content, as the username overlay and action buttons cover those areas.
Profile picture: 320 x 320 px minimum, displayed as a circle. Design with the circular crop in mind and keep important elements centered.
Carousel: Same dimensions as feed posts. All images in a carousel should use the same aspect ratio. Mix-and-match ratios produce inconsistent cropping.
Use the Image Crop to crop your photos to the exact 4:5 or 1:1 ratio before uploading. This gives you control over what stays in frame instead of letting Instagram decide.
Facebook, LinkedIn, and X Dimensions
Facebook: - Feed image: 1200 x 630 px (1.91:1). This ratio is also used for link preview images (Open Graph) - Cover photo: 820 x 312 px (desktop), displays as 640 x 360 on mobile. Design for the mobile crop - Profile picture: 170 x 170 px (desktop), displayed as a circle - Event cover: 1200 x 628 px - Stories: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)
LinkedIn: - Feed image: 1200 x 627 px (1.91:1). Same as Facebook link previews - Article cover: 1200 x 644 px - Profile picture: 400 x 400 px minimum, displayed as a circle - Background/banner: 1584 x 396 px - Company page cover: 1128 x 191 px
X (Twitter): - In-stream image: 1600 x 900 px (16:9). Twitter crops to 2:1 in the timeline, so keep critical content in the center - Profile picture: 400 x 400 px, displayed as a circle - Header image: 1500 x 500 px (3:1) - Card image (link preview): 800 x 418 px (1.91:1)
The 1200 x 630 dimension appears across Facebook, LinkedIn, and X for link previews. If you are creating Open Graph images for your website, this one size covers all three platforms.
The Image Resizer lets you set exact pixel dimensions. Type in the target size, choose whether to crop or fit, and download the result.
**Facebook:** - Feed image: 1200 x 630 px (1.91:1).
YouTube and TikTok Dimensions
YouTube: - Thumbnail: 1280 x 720 px (16:9). This is one of the most important images in content creation. A good thumbnail can double your click-through rate. Keep text large (readable at 100px wide) and faces prominent - Channel banner: 2560 x 1440 px. The safe area for text and logos is the center 1546 x 423 px because the banner is cropped differently on TV, desktop, and mobile - Profile picture: 800 x 800 px, displayed as a circle - Community post image: 1280 x 720 px (16:9)
TikTok: - Video/thumbnail: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16). Full-screen vertical - Profile picture: 200 x 200 px minimum
Pinterest: - Pin image: 1000 x 1500 px (2:3). Taller pins get more engagement because they take up more space in the feed - Profile picture: 165 x 165 px
For YouTube thumbnails, design at 1280 x 720 and check that it looks clear when scaled down to 120 x 68 (the size it appears in suggested videos). If the text is not readable at that size, it is too small.
Compress your thumbnails after resizing with the Image Compressor. YouTube accepts up to 2 MB, but smaller files load faster in search results.
Designing for Multiple Platforms at Once
Creating separate images for every platform is ideal but time-consuming. Here is a practical approach for when you need to post the same content everywhere.
Start with the largest canvas. Design at 1080 x 1350 (Instagram portrait). This gives you enough vertical and horizontal space to crop for other platforms.
Keep key content centered. Place your main subject, text, and logos in the center 60% of the image. The edges are what get cropped when you adapt to different aspect ratios.
Crop strategically: - 1080 x 1350 (4:5) for Instagram portrait - Crop top and bottom to get 1080 x 1080 (1:1) for Instagram square - Crop to 1200 x 630 (1.91:1) for Facebook/LinkedIn/X link previews - Crop to 1280 x 720 (16:9) for YouTube thumbnails
Use templates. Create a template file with overlay guides showing the safe zones for each platform. Place your content inside the innermost safe zone, and it will work everywhere.
The Image Crop lets you crop the same source image to different aspect ratios. Upload once, crop four times, download four platform-specific versions.
For high-volume content creation (daily posts across platforms), the time investment in a good template pays for itself within a week.
File Size Limits and Format Tips
Each platform has upload limits:
- Instagram: 30 MB max. JPEG or PNG
- Facebook: 30 MB max. JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
- LinkedIn: 10 MB max for images. JPEG, PNG, GIF
- X: 5 MB for photos (15 MB for GIFs). JPEG, PNG, GIF
- YouTube thumbnails: 2 MB max. JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
- TikTok: Thumbnail extracted from video, limited customization
- Pinterest: 20 MB max. JPEG, PNG
Most phones produce JPEGs well under these limits, but edited images (especially PNGs with transparency) can exceed them. The Image Compressor reduces file sizes without visible quality loss.
Format recommendations: - Use JPEG for photographs and images with many colors - Use PNG only when you need transparency (logos, graphics with transparent backgrounds) - Avoid BMP and TIFF (large files, no advantage over JPEG for social media) - GIFs should be short and small (under 5 MB for reliable playback on all platforms)
Always upload the highest quality image the platform accepts. The platform will compress it further on their end. Starting with a high-quality upload means less degradation in the final result.
FAQ
Why do platforms keep changing their image dimensions?
Platform redesigns, new device screen sizes, and changing user behavior (shift from desktop to mobile) drive dimension changes. Instagram added portrait format when users shifted to mobile-first browsing. Platforms optimize their layouts for engagement, and image dimensions follow.
Should I always use the maximum recommended resolution?
Yes. Uploading higher resolution images gives the platform more data to work with, resulting in better quality after their compression. Uploading a 500 x 500 image for an Instagram post that displays at 1080 x 1080 will look blurry on high-density screens.
Can I use the same image for Instagram and YouTube?
Not without cropping. Instagram portrait is 4:5, YouTube thumbnails are 16:9. If you design with key content centered, you can crop the same source for both, but the compositions will look different. Test both crops before posting.
What DPI should I use for social media images?
DPI (dots per inch) only matters for print. Social media images are measured in pixels. A 1080 x 1080 image is the same on screen whether it is 72 DPI or 300 DPI. Save at 72 DPI for slightly smaller file sizes.
### Why do platforms keep changing their image dimensions.
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