Social media image sizes (2025 update) for every platform

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When clients first asked us to manage their social media, we thought handling the images would be easy. We believed we could make one nice graphic, upload it everywhere, and the platforms would adjust it for us.

But soon, we noticed problems like cut-off headers, stretched images, and text that didn’t show on phones. We learned that each platform has its own rules, and they keep changing. We wasted time fixing errors, resizing images, and explaining why posts didn’t look right after going live.

Now, we follow a list of updated image sizes for each platform. We also use templates for the most common post types our clients need. This helps us work faster, avoid mistakes, and keep our content looking clean and professional — whether it’s a post, ad, or story.

This guide includes all of that: current image sizes, tips, ad sizes, and tools we use to make it all easier. After helping many brands with social media, we can say that getting the image size right is one of the most important first steps.

Why You Should Care About Social Media Image Sizes

We used to think image size wasn’t that important. We believed that if the content was strong, it would still work. But after working on many campaigns — and fixing a lot of formatting mistakes — we learned image size affects performance more than we expected.

Better visuals mean better results.

We tested posts with the same text and design but different image sizes. The results were clear. One looked sharp and fit well; the other looked cropped and messy. The better-looking post got more clicks every time.

This wasn’t just our experience.

The 2025 Global Social Media Trends report says Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are top platforms for both engagement and leads, and they all rely heavily on visuals. If your image looks blurry or cut off, people might scroll past before even reading the caption.

Poorly sized ads might not run at all.

When we ran one of our first paid Meta ads, it didn’t go live. The image was too small. No warning, no fix — it just didn’t run. We only found out when we checked the numbers later.

LinkedIn can also be strict. Sometimes image ads don’t perform well just because the size or shape is slightly wrong. If a campaign isn’t doing well, the image size is one of the first things we check.

Your brand may not look the same everywhere.

We’ve seen logos cut off, visuals that don’t line up, and designs that look great on desktop but messy on mobile. These mistakes make your brand look less professional.

Once we started using the correct image sizes for each platform, everything looked better. No more missing edges, no off-brand designs. Just smooth, clear posts across all platforms.

That’s important because your visuals are often the first thing people notice.

Social Media Image Sizes by Platform

We used to try a one-size-fits-all method. We made one design, resized it for a few platforms, and thought it would work everywhere. But it never turned out right.

Each social media platform handles pictures in its own way. Some crop images tightly, some reduce the quality, and others use different shapes for photos. Now, we use a full list of image sizes and make our designs to fit those exactly.

Here’s the list we always keep handy:

Facebook Image Sizes

Profile: 320 x 320 px
Cover: 851 x 315 px
Feed post: 1080 x 1350 px
Stories: 1080 x 1920 px

Ad sizes:

Feed: 1080 x 1080 px
Link ad: 1200 x 628 px
Story ad: 1440 x 2560 px
Link preview: 1200 x 630 px

We see the most problems with cover photos. They may look fine on desktop but can get cut off on phones. To avoid this, we always center the main subject and keep key info away from the edges.

Instagram Image Sizes

Profile: 320 x 320 px
Square post: 1080 x 1080 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px
Landscape: 1080 x 566 px
Stories and Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
Grid thumbnail: 161 x 161 px
Reels cover: 420 x 654 px

Ad sizes: Same as normal posts

For Instagram, we use tall images the most. The 4:5 portrait format works better than square and gets more attention. If Instagram is important for your brand, free Instagram grid tool can help keep your feed looking good.

Twitter (X) Image Sizes

Profile: 400 x 400 px
Header: 1500 x 500 px
Feed post:
- Landscape: 1600 x 900 px
- Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px
Link preview: 1200 x 630 px

Ad sizes:

Single image: 1200 x 628 px
Square: 800 x 800 px
Carousel: 800 x 418 px

We used to post more landscape images on X, but now we’re testing tall ones. They use more screen space on phones and can get better results.

TikTok Image Sizes

Profile: 200 x 200 px
Feed, Stories, Carousel: 1080 x 1920 px

Ad options:

Vertical (minimum): 540 x 960 px
Carousel (landscape): 1200 x 628 px

TikTok is a full-screen platform, so we use tall images here. Even ads need to fit this shape to avoid empty black bars on the sides.

LinkedIn Image Sizes

Profile: 400 x 400 px
Cover images:
- Personal: 1584 x 396 px
- Company: 1128 x 191 px
Feed post: 1200 x 627 px
Life tab:
- Hero: 1128 x 376 px
- Gallery: 900 x 600 px
Ad sizes:
- Carousel: 1080 x 1080 px
- Sponsored content: 1200 x 627 px

On LinkedIn, it’s important to look polished. We check every post twice, especially on company pages, because even small errors are easy to spot on a professional platform.

Social Media Image Sizes by Platform

At first, we thought one image size would work for all platforms. We used to create one design and just resize it for two or three sites. But that didn’t work as we expected.

Every platform shows pictures in its own way — some crop them, some shrink them, and some need different shapes. Now, we follow a proper size guide and design each image for its platform.

Here’s our go-to list:
Facebook Image Sizes

Profile: 320 x 320 px
Cover: 851 x 315 px
Feed post: 1080 x 1350 px
Stories: 1080 x 1920 px
Ad formats:
- Feed: 1080 x 1080 px
- Link ad: 1200 x 628 px
- Story ad: 1440 x 2560 px
- Link preview: 1200 x 630 px

Cover photos often get cropped on phones. We center the main part and keep important text away from the sides

Instagram Image Sizes

Profile: 320 x 320 px
Square post: 1080 x 1080 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px
Landscape: 1080 x 566 px
Stories & Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
Grid thumbnail: 161 x 161 px
Reels cover: 420 x 654 px
Ads: Same sizes as normal posts

We focus more on tall images because they fit better and get more likes. Square posts are still okay, but portrait ones often perform better. Want to keep your feed looking great?

Twitter (X) Image Sizes

Profile: 400 x 400 px
Header: 1500 x 500 px
Feed post:
- Landscape: 1600 x 900 px
- Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px
- Link preview: 1200 x 630 px
Ad formats:
- Single image: 1200 x 628 px
- Square: 800 x 800 px
- Carousel: 800 x 418 px

We used to post landscape images, but now we also try portrait ones. They look better on mobile.

TikTok Image Sizes

Profile: 200 x 200 px
Feed, Stories, Carousel: 1080 x 1920 px
Ad formats:
- Vertical (min): 540 x 960 px
- Carousel: 1200 x 628 px

TikTok is made for vertical images. We design full-screen posts to avoid black bars on the sides.

LinkedIn Image Sizes

Profile: 400 x 400 px
Cover:
- Personal: 1584 x 396 px
- Company: 1128 x 191 px
Feed post: 1200 x 627 px
Life tab:
- Hero: 1128 x 376 px
- Gallery: 900 x 600 px
Ads:
- Carousel: 1080 x 1080 px
- Sponsored: 1200 x 627 px

LinkedIn is a professional site, so we always check sizes twice. Even small mistakes can look bad.

Pinterest Image Sizes

Profile: 165 x 165 px
Cover: 800 x 450 px
Standard pin: 1000 x 1500 px (2:3 ratio)
Carousel/ad: 1000 x 1000 or 1000 x 1500 px
Story pin: 1080 x 1920 px

Pinterest loves vertical pins. When we stick to the 2:3 ratio, it avoids cropping. Done right, Pinterest can bring a lot of traffic. We follow tips:

YouTube Image Sizes

Profile: 800 x 800 px
Banner: 2560 x 1440 px
Safe zone: 1546 x 423 px (center content here)
Thumbnail: 1280 x 720 px
Podcast thumbnail: 1280 x 1280 px

YouTube banners are tricky. What looks fine on desktop may be cut off on TV or mobile. We check on all devices before posting.

Threads Image Sizes

Profile: 320 x 320 px
Feed post: 1440 x 1920 px
Link preview: 1200 x 600 px
Carousel: Up to 20 images

Threads often shares posts from Instagram. So, we use the same sizes and center the main content.

Snapchat Image Sizes

Profile: 320 x 320 px
Geofilter: 1080 x 1920 px
Ads: 1080 x 1920 px
Banner: 375 x 278 px

Snapchat is mobile-first. We keep designs clean and avoid putting text near the top or bottom.

Google Business Profile Image Sizes

Logo: 720 x 720 px
Profile: 250–750 x 750 px
Cover: 1024 x 576 px
Video: 1280 x 720 px (30 sec max, 75 MB)

These show up on Maps and Search, so we make them clear, sharp, and on-brand — like a store sign.

Bluesky Image Sizes

Profile: 400 x 400 px
Banner: 1500 x 500 px
Feed image: 1200 x 627 px
Post image: 1080 x 1080 or 627 x 1200 px

The platform is flexible, but sticking to standard sizes like 1:1 or 4:5 keeps images looking sharp.

Tumblr Image Sizes

Profile: 128 x 128 px
Banner: 3000 x 1055 px
Post image: 500 x 750 px
Ads: 1280 x 1920 px

Tumblr still likes vertical and visual posts. We avoid too much text and test for mobile view.

Image Sizes for Paid Social Ads

Ad images can be a little different from normal posts, even if they look the same in the feed. We always double-check image sizes before running any ad. It helps us avoid problems like low quality, wrong crop, or ads being rejected.

Here’s the list we follow when we design ads for different platforms.

Facebook and Instagram (Meta)

Common ad sizes:

Feed: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1)
Link ads: 1200 x 628 px (1.91:1)
Stories and Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)
Carousel: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1)

Important things to remember:

Max file size: 30 MB
Image formats: JPG or PNG

For Stories, don’t put key content in the top 250 px or bottom 340 px

Facebook suggests leaving space: 14% on top and 20% on the bottom

Twitter (X)

Common ad sizes:

Single image: 1200 x 628 px (1.91:1)
Square: 800 x 800 px (1:1)
Carousel: 800 x 418 px (1.91:1) or 800 x 800 px (1:1)

Important things to remember:

Max file size: 5 MB for images, 15 MB for GIFs (on desktop)
Image formats: JPG, PNG, GIF

Don’t place text near the edges—cropping can change between mobile and web

Common ad sizes:

Sponsored content: 1200 x 627 px (1.91:1)
Carousel: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1)
Vertical (mobile): 720 x 900 px (4:5)

Important things to remember:

Max file size: 5 MB
Image formats: JPG, PNG, non-moving GIFs
Minimum image width: 200 px

LinkedIn crops images differently on desktop and mobile, so center the main part

TikTok

Common ad sizes:

Full-screen video ad: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)
Carousel: 1200 x 628 px (landscape), 640 x 640 px (square)

Important things to remember:

Minimum image size: 540 x 960 px
Max file size: 500 KB (images), 500 MB (videos)
Image formats: JPG, PNG

Safe zone: Leave about 150 px space at top and bottom to avoid covered content

Common ad sizes:

Standard Pin: 1000 x 1500 px (2:3)
Carousel: 1000 x 1000 px or 1000 x 1500 px
Shopping ad: Same as Standard Pins

Important things to remember:

Max file size: 20 MB
Image formats: JPG, PNG

Keep text away from top 270 px and bottom 790 px—these may be cut off

Pins taller than 2:3 ratio may not get shown as much

YouTube

Common ad sizes:

Thumbnail: 1280 x 720 px (16:9)
Companion banner (desktop only): 300 x 60 px
In-video overlay: 480 x 70 px

Important things to remember:

Max file size: 2 MB (for thumbnails)
Image formats: JPG, PNG, GIF

Note: Thumbnails should be under 2 MB and not have too much text

Keep the main subject in the center—cropping can change by device

Tools and Templates for Social Media Assets

We have tried many tools—from Photoshop to even Paint when we had to. But over time, we made a list of tools that help us quickly and easily resize, design, and adjust social media images.

These are the tools we always go back to when we need things done fast and right.

Canva

When we start from scratch or need to resize quickly, we use Canva. It comes with ready-made templates for every platform. Its drag-and-drop editor helps us keep the same look for all our posts. We also like how we can create folders for each client or campaign.

Templates for posts, stories, ads, banners, and more
Resize tool to change one design for different platforms
Free and paid (Pro) versions available

Pixlr

When we just need to crop or fix an image fast, Pixlr works well. It runs in the browser and has enough features to do small edits without being hard to use.

Good for fast changes, cropping, or adding overlays
Has layers, transparent backgrounds, and filters
Free to use, but some features need payment

Adobe Express

Adobe Express is helpful when we want more design options but don’t want to open Photoshop. It’s web-based, quick, and full of templates made for each platform.

Great for branded content or posts that need a clean look
Easy tools for video and animation
Works with JPG, PNG, and transparent files

Tips for Better Image Optimization

Making the image the right size is a good start. But for best results, we follow a few more steps to make sure our visuals look and work well.

Mobile-first design: Most people view posts on their phones. We always check how the image looks on mobile. We adjust the size, spacing, and fonts if needed.
Pro tip: We preview every image on both mobile and desktop before posting. It only takes a few seconds and has helped us avoid many mistakes.
Safe zones matter: For stories and ads, we leave space at the top and bottom—about 250 to 340 pixels. This way, buttons or logos don’t cover up anything important.
Use JPG for photos, PNG for logos: JPGs are smaller and load faster, so we use them for photos. PNGs keep things clear and are better for logos or images with see-through parts.
Stay consistent across platforms: Even if sizes change, the brand’s look should stay the same. We use the same colors, fonts, and layout across all platforms. We do this on websites too, so everything loads fast and looks good everywhere.
Review AI-generated images manually: Tools like Adobe Firefly or Canva’s AI help us save time, but we still check their work. Sometimes the images miss small things or crop poorly. AI is good for drafts, but we still polish the final image.

Being real matters most. Around 76% of marketers say that simple, honest content does better than polished posts. So your images don’t have to be perfect—just the right size and true to your brand.

Why Image Sizing Is Worth the Effort

We learned the hard way that image size really matters. After fixing sizes to match each platform, we saw better image quality, more likes and clicks, and fewer ad problems.

One campaign stands out. We used one image for all platforms. It looked fine on desktop but the CTA got cut off on mobile. After uploading the right size, clicks went up by 27% in one night.

It was a simple fix. But the result was something we couldn’t get by guessing.

And we’re not alone. About two-thirds of marketers now focus on quality over quantity. That means every image should work well. Getting the size right is an easy way to help make that happen.

It may feel small, but it makes a big difference. Once it becomes part of your process, it’s hard to skip.

Want to avoid mistakes and get the image size right the first time? Download our free image template pack and start creating great social media images today.

FAQs

Have questions? Here are some we hear a lot from teams trying to get their social media visuals right.

What size should social media images be?

It depends on the platform. Most common sizes are:

1080 x 1080 px for square posts
1080 x 1350 px for portrait posts
1080 x 1920 px for stories or vertical videos

What’s the best aspect ratio for social media?

1:1 for square posts
4:5 for portrait posts
9:16 for stories and reels

Should I use JPG or PNG for social posts?

Use JPG for photos—they load faster
Use PNG for logos or images with sharp edges or transparent parts

What happens if I upload the wrong size?

It may get cropped or look blurry
The platform might even reject it
Your post could look bad and not perform well
That’s why we always check previews before we publish anything.