Social media images are harder to make than you might think.
It’s no secret that social media posts with a visual element outperform posts without them. Human brains are hard-wired to remember and appreciate a good image. Did you know that people are 65% more likely to remember information if it’s paired with an accompanying picture?
With that data, it’s no wonder that 32% of marketers report that images are the most important part of their business marketing. But adding in a visual to your social media strategy can be a little overwhelming.
Obviously, you need to make or source awesome imagery first. We’ve written an awesome article on sourcing images—so you have this covered already!
But what about making sure those images are correctly sized?
With so many networks and media channels to cover, and a range of formats to optimize for each, it’s hard to know where to start.
But have no fear: today’s post is your essential guide for social media image sizes in 2020.
Here are the networks covered:
Table of Contents
So without further ado: let’s dive in!
Instagram Image Sizes
If you’re a longtime Instagram fan, you may remember when posting to Instagram was quite restrictive.
The network used to require that all posts were in a square (1:1 aspect ratio) format, but this has changed over the years. While Instagram images still look best with a 1:1 ratio, widescreen photos are supported too.
Here’s the image size range for the Instagram feed.
Square Image:
- 1080px wide by 1080px tall
Vertical Image:
- 1080px wide by 1080px tall
Horizontal Image:
- 1080px wide by 566px tall
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are equally as important as Instagram photos these days. They’re an awesome tool you can use to keep your customers up-to-date and engaged.
Here’s how they should be sized:
- 1080px wide by 1920px tall
- 9:16 aspect ratio
- 4gb file size limit
Note that these are the same dimensions as Snapchat Stories too!
Instagram Profile Pictures
Like other social networks, you’ll want to brand your Instagram account with a profile photo.
This can be a company logo for businesses, or a portrait for personal pages. This keeps your brand recognizable and makes your profile feel complete and legitimate.
Make sure your profile photo meets these requirements:
- 110px wide by 110px tall
- 1:1 aspect ratio
Facebook Image Sizes
You can upload almost any image size to Facebook for standard image posts. However, things get tricky when it comes to cover photos, event images, and other accessory images.
While many of these will accept a range of image sizes as well, designers should take care to design within certain parameters. This ensures that images will look nice on newsfeeds no matter the device.
Here’s the sizing for each type of special post.
Facebook Status With Shared Images
Thankfully, sharing images to Facebook is pretty simple. Any image size works, but you need to keep a few specifics in mind if you want the image to show in the feed. Note that Facebook automatically scales these images so they look good on both mobile and desktop devices.
Recommended upload size:
- 1200px wide by 630px tall
- 40:21 aspect ration
- Images with a max width of 470 pixels will show in feed
- Will appear on page with a max width of 504 pixels
- May scale up to 1:1
Facebook Profile Pictures
Chances are, you already have a profile photo on your Facebook page. But if you decide to change it, make sure it meets this short list of requirements so it isn’t cropped or otherwise misaligned. Keep in mind that Facebook does have a built-in cropping tool for small changes, too.
- 180px wide by 180px tall
Scales to:
- 170px by 170px on desktop
- 128px by 128px on mobile devices
- 32px by 32px as a thumbnail
Facebook Event Cover Photos
Facebook event cover photos appear on your event page and are used as event preview images when you share the event on your timeline. When sized properly, your event cover photo will fit properly in the event preview that appears in your viewer’s timeline.
- 1920px wide by 1080px tall
- 16:9 aspect ratio
- Scales to 470px wide by 174px tall in the feed
Facebook Link Previews
Make sure the featured image on your link is sized properly. If it is, your link’s featured image will show in a large, rectangular preview across all devices. Images too small will use the 1:1 image preview seen below.
- 1200px wide by 630px tall
- 16:9 aspect ratio
Facebook will scale photos that don’t meet a minimum dimensions:
Square:
- Minimum 154px by 154 px in feed
- 116px by 116px on the page
Rectangle:
- Minimum 470px by 246 px in feed
- 484px by 252px on the page
Facebook Stories
Facebook owns Instagram, and largely has the same Stories as the photo sharing social network. You can actually cross-post from Instagram Stories to Facebook, so it’s easier than ever to update both networks.
Make sure your Stories fit these requirements:
- 1080px wide by 1920px tall
- 9:16 aspect ratio
Facebook Group Cover Photos
Starting a group to share content with like-minded people? A Facebook group is a fantastic way to build engagement and connect organically with your audience. Your cover photo should represent what your group is about, and add a little style to the page.
Viewed on the group page:
- 820px wide by 462px tall
Viewed on a desktop newsfeed display:
- 820px wide by 250px tall
Note that what users see if they encounter your group on their newsfeed is going to be a cropped version of what they’d see on the page itself, so be sure to keep your key information centered within that “safe zone” in order for it to be fully viewed across channels.
Facebook Ads
Some targeted, high-impact Facebook ads can do a lot to boost your business. Whether you’re reaching a super specific audience or going for something a little more generalized, there are a host of Facebook ad sizes to choose from.
Feed ads & right column ads
These show up in the feed where Facebook users scroll and browse, which makes it prime real estate.
- 1200px wide by 628px tall
- Minimum width/height: 600px
- 9:16 - 16:9 aspect ratio
Carousel ads
These modern, fun ads let you mix images so that users can scroll through ads and see a variety of products.
- Minimum: 1080px wide by 1080px tall
- You need at least 2 images for 2 “cards”
- Max of 10 cards
- Max size: 30MB
Twitter Image Sizes
It's bright. It's bold. It's a color that has been used either to uplift people's spirits, or warn against danger. How does yellow make you feel? pic.twitter.com/5g7g2BijaU
— Canva (@canva) February 27, 2020
When you add multiple images to your tweets, there are slightly different aspect ratios to consider.
- One image - 16:9
- Two images - 7:8
- Three images - one will be 7:8 and the other two will be 4:7
- Four images - 2:1
Using images is hands-down the best and easiest way to increase engagements on your tweets. Add photos or illustrations to all of your posts, and you’re likely to get content in front of more eyes.
But when you add imagery to your tweets, make sure they’re the right size so that they appear expanded.
Here’s how to size them so that images appear expanded:
- Minimum: 440px wide by 220px tall
- Maximum: 1024px wide by 512px tall
- 5mb maximum
Kevin Krautgartener captures the beauty, shapes, and structures of water through his lens. 🌊 Dip into "Traces of Water": https://t.co/01i1ev1AuR pic.twitter.com/iNxQ32lx4J
— Adobe (@Adobe) November 9, 2020
Twitter Header Photos
Twitter header photos were introduced a few years ago as a way for brands to customize their pages. We recommend that all brands make a custom header photo for their Twitter account that meets the following requirements.
- 1500px wide by 500px tall
- 3:1 aspect ratio
Twitter Link Previews
Join us Wednesday as we explore the rollout of Facebook Live Producer and Creator Studio app, and launch of the Byte app. Special guest: @heystephanie 🎥 😎-Jen #smnews https://t.co/yo2In6UcRY
— Social Media Examiner (@SMExaminer) February 25, 2020
Like most social networks, Twitter will display a link preview underneath each of the links you share on Twitter. These previews include the title of the link, a short meta description, and a link preview image.
You can customize your link preview images in Fanbooster. Just make sure they’re sized as follows (or use our built-in image editor to make necessary edits):
- 800px wide by 418px tall
- 1.91:1 aspect ratio
Twitter Profile Photos
Twitter profile photos are pretty straightforward. They’re displayed on your profile, in the “who to follow” section, and in-stream next to your tweets. Here’s how to size them:
- 400px wide by 400px tall
- Displays at 200px wide by 200px tall
Pinterest Image Sizes
Pinterest is part product search engine, part social network. And since the whole network revolves around images of products and recipes (known as “pins”), it’s important to make sure your images are sized correctly.
Here’s your size guide for pins, profile photos, and boards.
Pinterest Profile Pictures
Pinterest profile photos are small, but important. You’ll be prompted to add a profile photo to your Pinterest account after you create your account. Make sure the image is:
- 165px wide by 165px tall
- A 1:1 aspect ratio
Pinterest "Pins"
Pins are the equivalent of posts on Pinterest. Pinterest Pins are what drive your followers to click on your links, so make sure that you make your images pop!
Pins sizes have been updates and are not as difficult to size anymore.
Pinterest’s recommended size and ratios are:
- 1000px wide x 1500px tall
- 2:3 aspect ratio
Pinterest Board Covers
As you probably know, Pinterest Boards are where your Pins are displayed. When you create a Board, you can add an image to it to entice your audience to click on it.
Make sure your board displays are sized as follows:
Large Thumbnail
- 222px wide by 150px tall
- 37:25 aspect ratio
Small Thumbnail
- 55px wide by 55px tall
- 1:1 aspect ratio
Be sure that whatever is the central focus of the board is right in the center of that square image. Your audience should know exactly what they’re getting when they click that board.
Bonus tip: the text looks best right smack in the middle of the image.
LinkedIn Image Sizes
LinkedIn—the social networks for professionals—isn’t the most image-heavy network. However, it’s important to brand your profile with a profile picture and cover photo. Many brands do in fact use images in their posts to stand out.
Do keep in mind that both companies and professionals can have a LinkedIn presence, and some image sizes vary between the two. But don’t worry: we’ve noted these changes below.
LinkedIn Cover Photos
Personal and business profiles have slightly varying cover photo sizes. Company pages extend their cover photos all the way to the left and right sides of the page, while personal pages are cropped.
Make sure they fit these requirements:
Personal profile:
- 1584px wide by 396px tall
- 129:8 aspect ratio
- 4mb maximum
Business Profile:
- 1536px wide by 768px tall
- 2:1 aspect ratio
- 4mb maximum
LinkedIn Profile Photos
LinkedIn business and personal profile pages have different designs, so naturally their profile picture sizes vary too. But put your ruler away, here’s how to size both:
Personal Profile:
- 400px wide x 400px tall (or higher)
- 1:1 aspect ratio
- 10mb maximum
Business Profile:
- 300px wide by 300px tall (or higher)
- 1:1 aspect ratio
- 4mb maximum
LinkedIn Post Images
Uploading an image to LinkedIn from your phone or computer? Here are the best sizes to use when adding images to your posts.
Desktop
- 1200px wide by 1200px tall
- 1:1 aspect ratio
Mobile
- 1200px wide by 628px tall for mobile
- 300:157 aspect ratio
Google My Business Image Sizes
Google My Business is Google’s social network for local businesses. Businesses can use it to manage their Google business listings, for example, changing open hours and addresses.
From a content standpoint, businesses can post status updates to their Google My Business listing that appear in search results and in the Google Maps app. Further, each business has a logo and cover photo, so make sure each image type is sized properly.
Google My Business Post Images
Business can post content to their Google My Business profiles with call-to-action buttons. This can include short blurbs of text and images, so you can tell your customers about new sales and specials.
Make sure your Google My Business posts are sized as so:
- 497px wide by 373px tall
- 497:373 aspect ratio
- 5mb maximum
Pro-tip: According to Local Search expert Greg Gifford, based on the way Google crops photos, the actual dimensions would be 1200 px wide by 900 px tall.
Google My Business Cover Photos
You can add a preferred business cover photo to your Google My Business page. This can be a photo of the interior of your store, a product shot, a banner, or whatever you’d like. Google doesn’t guarantee that this photo will always show first, but it will be given priority.
You can upload multiple images, and they’ll be displayed in your Google Maps images. Users can scroll through them to see different products, menu items, or angles of your office space.
Just make sure they’re sized as follows:
- 1080px wide by 608px tall
- 135:76 aspect ratio
- 5mb maximum
Google My Business Logo
Logos are the equivalent of profile photos on Google My Business. Make sure to use an up-to-date logo for your listing. Using your logo properly will make your brand easily recognizable and keep up your good local presence. Your logo will appear next to your name in posts and other various places throughout Google My Business, so this is an important one.
Make sure your logo is sized as follows:
- 250px wide by 250px tall
- 1:1 aspect ratio
- 5mb maximum
Youtube Image Sizes
Video is a powerful medium for sharing your content, and YouTube is easily the most popular network for uploading and sharing it. The fun starts when you make your YouTube channel.
To get started, you’ll need some custom images to reflect your branding.
Youtube Cover Photo
The large banner image at the top of the page is a great way to highlight what your channel is about and get your audience interested in your content. Don’t forget to include your logo!
- Suggested: 2560px wide by 1440px tall
- Displayed on mobile and web (without cropping): 1546px wide by 423px tall
- Max file size: 4 MB
Across devices, your images will look different depending on the size of the screen. Here are some recommended sizes to accommodate each platform so you can get an idea where to place your branding.
- Tablet: 1,855px wide by 423px tall
- Mobile: 1,546px wide by 423px tall
- Television: 2,560px wide by 1,440px tall
- Desktop: 2,560px wide by 423px tall
Stay tuned for social media image sizes best practice updates
And there you have it: social media image size guidelines for all the major social networks in 2020.
These are the most up to date numbers, and we’ll keep it fresh by updating it accordingly. Check out the timestamp at the bottom of the post to check the last update date.
