How to Resize Images for Social Media (Every Platform)

Every social media platform has specific image size requirements, and posting the wrong dimensions results in awkward cropping, blurry photos, or wasted screen space. If you have ever uploaded a perfect photo only to see it stretched, squished, or sliced in half, incorrect sizing was the culprit.

This guide covers the exact pixel dimensions, aspect ratios, and file size recommendations for every major platform. We also cover quality optimization tips so your images look sharp without ballooning your upload time. Use our free Image Resizer to apply any of these sizes in seconds with no signup required.

Instagram Image Sizes

Instagram is the most dimension-sensitive platform. Different placements require different sizes, and getting them wrong means your content looks unprofessional in a feed full of polished visuals.

Feed Posts

• Square: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1 ratio) — the default and most common format
• Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px (4:5 ratio) — takes up more vertical space in the feed, which means more screen real estate
• Landscape: 1080 x 566 px (1.91:1 ratio) — used less often because it appears smaller in the grid

Square posts are the safest choice for consistency across your grid. Portrait posts (4:5) perform well for engagement because they fill more of the user’s screen while scrolling, but they display as squares in the profile grid.

Stories and Reels

• Stories: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16 ratio) — full-screen vertical format
• Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16 ratio) — same dimensions as Stories

Anything smaller than 1080px wide gets upscaled by Instagram, which introduces blur. Always start with 1080px width at minimum.

Profile Picture

• Upload size: 320 x 320 px (minimum)
• Display size: 110 x 110 px on mobile, 180 x 180 px on desktop
• Shape: Circular crop — leave important elements away from the edges

Facebook Image Sizes

Facebook handles images differently across placements, and the platform displays cover photos at different sizes on desktop versus mobile.

Cover Photo

• Desktop: 820 x 312 px
• Mobile: 640 x 360 px
• Safe zone: Keep text and critical elements within the center 640 x 312 px area to avoid cropping on either device

The cover photo is one of the first things visitors see on your page. Since desktop and mobile crop it differently, upload at 820 x 462 px and center your content.

Feed Posts

• Recommended: 1200 x 630 px (1.91:1 ratio) for link shares
• Photo posts: 1080 x 1080 px or 1200 x 1200 px for square images
• Maximum upload: 2048 x 2048 px (Facebook compresses anything larger)

Profile Picture

• Upload: 170 x 170 px minimum
• Displays at: 170 x 170 px on desktop, 128 x 128 px on mobile
• Shape: Circular crop on all placements

Event Cover Image

• Recommended: 1920 x 1005 px (1.91:1 ratio)

Twitter (X) Image Sizes

Twitter compresses images aggressively, so uploading at the correct size helps minimize quality loss.

Profile Header Banner

• Recommended: 1500 x 500 px (3:1 ratio)
• File size: Under 5 MB

In-Feed Images

• Single image: 1200 x 675 px (16:9 ratio) or 1200 x 1200 px (1:1 square)
• Two images: Each displays at 700 x 800 px
• Three images: One large (700 x 800) + two stacked (700 x 400)
• Four images: Four equal tiles (700 x 400 each)

For single-image tweets, landscape orientation (16:9) gets the most visual impact. Square images work well but take up less feed space.

Profile Picture

• Recommended: 400 x 400 px
• Displays at: 200 x 200 px (circular crop)

LinkedIn Image Sizes

LinkedIn’s professional audience expects polished, properly sized images. Poorly formatted images stand out negatively on a platform where credibility matters.

Personal Profile Banner

• Recommended: 1584 x 396 px (4:1 ratio)
• Minimum: 1128 x 191 px

Company Page Banner

• Recommended: 1128 x 191 px

Feed Posts

• Landscape: 1200 x 627 px (1.91:1 ratio)
• Square: 1200 x 1200 px
• Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px (4:5)

Profile Picture

• Recommended: 400 x 400 px
• Displays at: 100 x 100 px in feed, larger on profile page
• Shape: Circular crop

YouTube Image Sizes

YouTube thumbnails are one of the highest-impact image assets in digital marketing. A strong thumbnail directly affects click-through rates and, therefore, video views.

Custom Thumbnails

• Recommended: 1280 x 720 px (16:9 ratio)
• Minimum width: 640 px
• File size: Under 2 MB
• Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP

Thumbnails appear across YouTube search results, suggested videos, and the homepage. At smaller display sizes (like sidebar suggestions), text under 60pt becomes unreadable. Use large, bold text and high-contrast colors.

Channel Banner

• Upload size: 2560 x 1440 px
• Safe area for all devices: 1546 x 423 px (centered)
• Desktop displays: 2560 x 423 px
• Mobile displays: 1546 x 423 px

YouTube’s channel banner is one of the trickiest images to get right because it crops differently on TV, desktop, tablet, and mobile. Always keep text and logos within the safe area.

Channel Profile Picture

• Recommended: 800 x 800 px
• Displays at: 98 x 98 px in search results

Aspect Ratios: A Quick Reference

Understanding aspect ratios saves time when resizing. Rather than memorizing every pixel dimension, knowing the ratio lets you calculate the right size for any resolution.

Ratio	Common Uses	Example Dimensions
1:1	Instagram feed, Facebook photo posts	1080x1080, 1200x1200
4:5	Instagram portrait posts	1080x1350
16:9	YouTube thumbnails, Twitter images	1280x720, 1920x1080
9:16	Instagram Stories/Reels, TikTok	1080x1920
1.91:1	Facebook link previews, LinkedIn posts	1200x628
3:1	Twitter header	1500x500
4:1	LinkedIn banner	1584x396

Use our Aspect Ratio Calculator to convert between dimensions while maintaining the correct proportions.

Image Quality and File Size Tips

Getting the dimensions right is half the battle. The other half is making sure your image looks sharp after the platform compresses it.

Start Large, Resize Down

Always begin with the highest-resolution version of your image. Resizing a 4000px photo down to 1080px produces a much sharper result than upscaling a 600px image to 1080px. Upscaling forces the software to guess pixel values that don’t exist, which creates blur.

JPEG Quality Settings

For social media, a JPEG quality of 80-90% provides the best balance between visual clarity and file size. Below 70%, you start seeing compression artifacts — blocky patches in gradients, halos around text, and muddy details. Above 95%, file sizes increase dramatically with minimal visible improvement.

Avoid Double Compression

Every time a JPEG is saved, it loses quality. If you download an image from one platform and re-upload it to another, it gets compressed twice. Start from your original file whenever possible, not from a version that has already been uploaded and compressed by another service.

Color Space

Social media platforms display images in sRGB color space. If your photo editing software exports in Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, colors may look muted or shifted when viewed in a browser. Export in sRGB for consistent results across all platforms.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the Platform Auto-Crop

Uploading an incorrectly sized image and hoping the platform will crop it “close enough” rarely works. You lose control over what gets cut off. A headshot where the top of the head is cropped, or a product photo where the product edges are trimmed, looks careless.

Using the Same Image Everywhere

A single image at 1200x1200 might work on Facebook and Instagram, but it will look terrible as a YouTube thumbnail (wrong aspect ratio) or a LinkedIn banner (far too tall). Prepare platform-specific versions of your key images.

Ignoring Mobile Display

Over 80% of social media browsing happens on mobile devices. Test your images on a phone screen before posting. Text that looks fine on a desktop monitor may be illegible at mobile dimensions.

Forgetting About Retina Displays

Modern phones have screens with 2x or 3x pixel density. An image that appears 540px wide on screen actually needs 1080px of image data to look sharp on a retina display. This is why Instagram requires 1080px even though posts display at roughly 540px wide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use PNG or JPEG for social media?

JPEG is better for photographs and images with smooth gradients. PNG is better for graphics with sharp edges, text overlays, and transparency. However, most platforms convert everything to JPEG during upload anyway, so the difference is minimal for photos. If file size is a concern (it often is for Facebook and Twitter uploads), JPEG at 85% quality is the practical choice.

What happens if I upload an image that is too small?

The platform will upscale it to meet the minimum display size, which introduces blur and pixelation. Instagram, for example, displays feed posts at 1080px wide. An image uploaded at 500px wide will be stretched to 1080px, doubling its size and making every pixel visible. Always meet or exceed the recommended dimensions.

How do I resize images without losing quality?

Use a tool that applies proper resampling algorithms. Our Image Resizer uses high-quality bicubic interpolation when resizing. The key rule: you can always downscale without visible quality loss, but upscaling beyond 150% of the original size will always introduce some softness.

Do social platforms strip EXIF data from uploaded images?

Most major platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) strip EXIF metadata from uploaded images for privacy reasons. This means GPS coordinates, camera settings, and other metadata are removed. However, you shouldn’t rely on this. Strip EXIF data yourself before uploading if privacy is a concern.

How often do platform image size requirements change?

Platforms update their image specifications periodically, usually once or twice per year. Major redesigns can change dimensions significantly. Check the platform’s official creator documentation at least quarterly, or bookmark this guide for updated references.

Resize Your Images Now

Stop guessing at dimensions and hoping for the best. Our Image Resizer includes built-in presets for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Upload your image, select the platform, and download the correctly sized result in seconds. Your images stay completely private — nothing is stored or shared.