♝Social & campaigns

Social Media Image Sizes 2026: Cheat Sheet for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest

By Abdullah Zahoor, ChessCraft Studio · 7 min read

Getting sizes right is the least glamorous part of social design and the easiest way to look careless. A post uploaded at the wrong ratio gets cropped, a banner hides your logo behind a profile picture, and text on a Reel ends up under the like button. Platforms also change their layouts, as Instagram did in 2025 when the profile grid switched from squares to taller 3:4 thumbnails.

We checked every size below against the platforms’ own help centres where they publish them, and against current specialist guides where they do not. It is the reference our team uses for social media design work.

Platforms change specs without much notice. These sizes were checked in October 2026; confirm in each platform’s help centre before a big campaign.

Social media image sizes cheat sheet

Instagram image sizes

Feed posts: 4:5, 3:4, 1:1 or 1.91:1

Instagram displays photos at up to 1080 pixels wide, so 1080 is the width to design at. The 4:5 portrait (1080 x 1350) has been the standard for years because it takes up more of the screen than a square. Since 2025, Instagram also supports 3:4 photos (1080 x 1440), the native shape of most phone cameras, for single posts and carousels. Square (1080 x 1080) and landscape (1080 x 566) still work, but they take up less space in the feed.

The profile grid preview

The profile grid now shows every post as a 3:4 thumbnail. A 3:4 post shows in full. A 4:5 post loses a thin strip on the left and right, so keep text, logos and faces within the central 1012 x 1350 area. A square post loses more from the sides. If you plan your grid as a set, design at 3:4 or check each 4:5 crop before posting.

Stories and Reels: 1080 x 1920

Both are full-screen 9:16. The app overlays the profile name at the top and captions, buttons and the reply bar at the bottom, so keep key text and logos away from the top and bottom edges, roughly within the central 1080 x 1610 area for Stories, and well clear of the right-hand buttons and bottom caption area on Reels. Reels covers show in the grid as a 3:4 crop from the centre, so put the cover title in the middle.

Carousels and profile photo

Carousels take up to 20 images or videos. Use one ratio for every slide, because the first slide sets the shape for the rest. The profile photo is shown as a small circle, so upload at least 320 x 320 and use a simple mark rather than a full logo with small text.

Facebook image sizes

• Feed posts: 1080 x 1350 (4:5) or 1080 x 1080 (1:1). Meta’s ads guidance now recommends higher resolutions, such as 1440 x 1800 at 4:5, which also work for organic posts.
• Stories: 1080 x 1920 (9:16). Keep roughly the top and bottom 14% free of text and logos so the interface does not cover them.
• Page cover photo: displays at 820 x 312 on desktop and 640 x 360 on mobile, with a minimum of 400 x 150. Because the mobile view is taller and narrower, the sides get cropped. Keep logos and text in the centre, and leave the bottom left clear where the profile picture overlaps on desktop.
• Profile picture: square, shown as a circle. Upload at 320 x 320 or larger.

LinkedIn image sizes

• Post images: 1200 x 627 (1.91:1) for landscape, 1080 x 1080 for square, and 1080 x 1350 (4:5) for portrait, which is the tallest shape that displays in the feed without cropping.
• Document posts (PDF carousels): LinkedIn does not set a page pixel size, but 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1080 pages are the usual convention.
• Profile banner: 1584 x 396. The profile photo overlaps the bottom left, so keep that area free.
• Company Page logo: 400 x 400, minimum 268 x 268.
• Company Page cover: a very wide banner of about 6:1. LinkedIn’s recommendation has changed over time (1128 x 191 and 4200 x 700 both appear), and the image is trimmed differently on each screen size. We design at 4200 x 700 with the important content centred.

TikTok image sizes

TikTok is built for 9:16. Videos should be 1080 x 1920; TikTok’s own ad specifications list 540 x 960 as the minimum for vertical video, so 1080 x 1920 gives you a sharp margin. Photo posts (carousels) take up to 35 images, and 1080 x 1920 is again the safest size. The interface is heavy: the caption and username sit at the bottom, and the like, comment and share buttons run down the right. TikTok provides safe zone templates, and notes that the safe area shrinks as captions get longer. Keep text in the centre and upper middle of the frame.

YouTube, Pinterest and X image sizes

Thumbnails

YouTube’s help centre now recommends thumbnails at 3840 x 2160 for videos and 2160 x 3840 for Shorts, with a minimum width of 640 pixels (or minimum height of 640 for Shorts). Use 16:9 for videos and 9:16 for Shorts, in JPG or PNG. File size limits differ by device: 2 MB when uploading from mobile, and 50 MB from desktop. In practice, 1280 x 720 remains a sensible working size if you upload from a phone and need to stay under 2 MB.

Channel banner and profile picture

Upload the banner at a minimum of 2048 x 1152 (16:9), 6 MB or smaller, and keep text and logos within the central safe area of 1235 x 338, which is all that shows on some devices. The profile picture renders at 98 x 98, so upload a larger square (800 x 800 is common) and keep the design simple.

Pinterest and X

• Pinterest standard pins: Pinterest recommends a 2:3 ratio, or 1000 x 1500, in PNG or JPEG. Pins wider than 2:3 may be cropped in feeds, and the first 40 characters of the title may show, so keep titles front-loaded.
• X post images: 1600 x 900 (16:9) displays well in the timeline.
• X header: 1500 x 500, with the profile photo overlapping the bottom left.

How to design once and resize without losing quality

Most brands post the same campaign across four or five platforms. The trick is to plan for that from the start rather than squeezing one design into every shape.

• Design two masters. A 4:5 (or 3:4) master for feeds and a 9:16 master for Stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts. Most other formats can be adapted from these two.
• Build around a central safe area. Keep the headline, product and logo in the middle of the frame, with backgrounds that can extend or crop freely at the edges.
• Size text for phones. If it is hard to read at arm’s length on a phone, it is too small. Fewer, larger words work better on every platform.
• Export in sRGB. Use JPG for photos and PNG for graphics with flat colour or fine text, at the exact pixel sizes above.
• Check the live view. Post to a private or test account, or use the platform’s preview, to see crops and overlays before publishing.

Consistent colours, fonts and layouts matter as much as correct sizes; our guide to brand identity versus a logo explains why. For moving formats, see our motion design work, and for a campaign example, our Mojo and Jimmy magic show project.

Checklist: before you post

• The image is at the exact pixel size and ratio for the platform and format.
• Feed posts use 4:5 or 3:4, and the 3:4 grid crop has been checked.
• Stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts are 1080 x 1920 with text inside the safe area.
• Carousel slides all share one ratio.
• Cover and banner images keep logos and text in the centre, clear of the profile photo.
• YouTube thumbnails are 16:9 (or 9:16 for Shorts) and within the upload file size limit.
• Pinterest pins are 2:3 with a title that works in 40 characters.
• Text is readable on a phone at arm’s length.
• Files are exported in sRGB as JPG or PNG.
• You have previewed the post on a real phone before publishing.

Questions