Key takeaways
- Aspect ratio matters more than exact pixels: platforms resize, but they crop images with the wrong shape.
- Portrait 4:5 (1080 × 1350) takes the most space in Instagram and Facebook feeds.
- Stories and Reels are 9:16 (1080 × 1920); keep text away from the top and bottom edges.
- Link previews use about 1.91:1 (1200 × 630), set by your page's og:image tag.
Platforms change their layouts regularly, so treat these as reliable starting points, not permanent rules. The aspect ratio is what decides whether your image gets cropped.
Cheat sheet
| Platform and placement | Recommended size | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram feed post (portrait) | 1080 × 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Instagram feed post (square) | 1080 × 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Instagram / Facebook Stories and Reels | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Facebook feed image | 1080 × 1350 px (or 1080 × 1080) | 4:5 or 1:1 |
| Link preview (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, WhatsApp) | 1200 × 630 px | 1.91:1 |
| LinkedIn feed image | 1200 × 1200 or 1200 × 627 px | 1:1 or 1.91:1 |
| X (Twitter) single image | 1600 × 900 px | 16:9 |
| YouTube thumbnail | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9 |
| Profile photos (most platforms) | at least 400 × 400 px | 1:1, shown as a circle |
How to prepare an image
- Crop to the ratio. Use Crop image and pick the preset (1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9 or 1.91:1).
- Resize to the width. Use Resize image to set 1080 px wide (or as listed). Uploading huge images does not make them sharper, because platforms recompress them.
- Compress lightly. JPEG or WebP at quality 85–90 via Compress images keeps detail while uploading faster.
- Check safe zones. For 9:16 stories, keep text and faces out of the top and bottom 250 px, where app buttons appear.
Link previews for your own site
When someone shares your page, the preview image comes from the og:image meta tag. Create one 1200 × 630 image per important page and add the tags with the meta tag generator.
Sources
- YouTube Help: custom thumbnailssupport.google.com
Written by the Toolkeel team at Sole Digital Media
Fact-checked against the sources above. We test every tool we mention. Editorial policy.
