Social media image sizes: the practical cheat sheet

Why image sizes matter

Upload an image that's too small and it looks blurry on high-resolution feeds. Use the wrong aspect ratio and the platform crops it weirdly. Push a vertical image to a horizontal feed and it sits in a tiny box surrounded by dead space. Your design suffers. People scroll past.

The platforms publish recommended sizes, but they're scattered, sometimes outdated, and most tools require you to memorize ratios instead of pixels. This is the practical reference you bookmark.

Platform-by-platform dimensions

Instagram

• Feed post: 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) — standard vertical format that dominates feeds.
• Feed post (square): 1080 × 1080 px (1:1) — works fine but slightly cropped on mobile.
• Feed post (landscape): 1080 × 566 px (1.91:1) — common but cropped at top and bottom on most devices.
• Story: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — full-screen vertical. Use this for Stories and Reels.
• Reel: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — same as Story. Vertical is optimal.
• Reels landscape: 1440 × 810 px (16:9) — use only if you're hosting on desktop or iPad.
• IGTV: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) minimum, up to 4:5 or 9:16 ratio recommended.
• Carousel: 1080 × 1350 px per image (4:5) — each card in a carousel uses this dimension.

TikTok

• Main feed video: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — fully vertical, fills the screen.
• Acceptable range: 9:16 to 21:9 (the taller the better for TikTok; more immersive).
• Cover image: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — the thumbnail when the video hasn't played yet.

YouTube

• Channel art (banner): 2560 × 1440 px minimum, up to 2560 × 1440 px — visible area is 1235 × 338 px on desktop, so keep important text and logos center.
• Video thumbnail: 1280 × 720 px (16:9) — must be under 2 MB. YouTube auto-generates one, but custom thumbnails perform better.
• Playlist/Video: Display in 1280 × 720 px on desktop, 1:1 on mobile.
• YouTube Shorts thumbnail: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) or 1440 × 1440 px recommended.
• YouTube Shorts video: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — vertical format, 15–60 seconds.

LinkedIn

• Feed post image: 1200 × 627 px (1.91:1) — displays as horizontal rectangle in feed.
• Feed post (square): 1200 × 1200 px (1:1) — works, but horizontal performs better.
• Video thumbnail: 1280 × 720 px (16:9) — auto-generated, but custom often performs better.
• LinkedIn video: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16, vertical) or 1920 × 1080 px (16:9, horizontal) — both work; test your audience.
• Banner/Cover image: 1500 × 500 px (3:1) — company page banner.

X (formerly Twitter)

• Post image: 506 × 506 px minimum, up to 1200 × 675 px (16:9) recommended — multiple images compress, so single large image performs better.
• Image (square): 1024 × 1024 px (1:1) — optimal for photos.
• Profile banner: 1500 × 500 px (3:1).
• Profile photo: 400 × 400 px (1:1).

Facebook

• Feed post image: 1200 × 628 px (1.91:1) — displays as horizontal rectangle.
• Feed post (square): 1080 × 1080 px (1:1) — works, good for mobile.
• Carousel: 1200 × 628 px per image (1.91:1).
• Stories: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — vertical, full-screen.
• Video: 1280 × 720 px (16:9) minimum; vertical is 1080 × 1920 px.
• Cover photo: 820 × 462 px minimum (16:9).

Pinterest

• Standard pin: 1000 × 1500 px (2:3) — tall vertical format that dominates feeds.
• Square pin: 1000 × 1000 px (1:1) — works but gets less engagement than vertical.
• Wide pin: 1000 × 750 px (4:3) — landscape; underperforms on Pinterest.
• Stories: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) — vertical, full-screen.
• Video pin: 1000 × 1500 px (2:3) minimum; vertical is better.

Pro tips

Test locally first. Save your image and open it in the platform's preview mode (most design tools have this) before publishing. You'll see exactly how it displays.

Use templates. Bookmark a design tool with templates at these exact dimensions. Every time you need to create a post, you're not starting from scratch or doing math.

Batch resize if you have multiples. Instead of one-off uploads, prepare your entire week at once. Use bulk resize tools or design templates to create all images at correct dimensions together.

Account for text overlay. On platforms with high-compression, put important text in the center 50% of the image. Edges get cropped or darkened.

Check platform-specific guidance. These sizes work now, but platforms update recommendations. Bookmark the official pages: Instagram Creator Studio, YouTube Help Center, LinkedIn Help Center, TikTok Creator Academy. Check annually.

For video content, think vertical first. 9:16 (1080 × 1920) is the fastest-growing format. Every platform now auto-crops 16:9 videos to fit vertical feeds. Shoot or export vertical natively and you'll see better performance.

Use BrandFleet's image tools to resize and adapt across all platforms at once. Save this guide and refer to it every time you post. Correct dimensions are the unglamorous foundation of good distribution.

Quick reference checklist

Before you publish, verify:

• [ ] Image is at least the minimum resolution listed above (no upscaling blurry images)
• [ ] Text overlay (if any) is centered and uses 50% of the image width to avoid crop loss
• [ ] Aspect ratio matches the platform (not stretched or letterboxed)
• [ ] File size is under platform limits (YouTube thumbnails: 2 MB max)
• [ ] Image tested in the platform's preview before publishing

Platform-specific notes

Instagram: The 4:5 ratio (1080 × 1350) is the safest. Square posts (1:1) work but don't fill feeds as dramatically. Landscape (1.91:1) gets cropped on mobile, so avoid unless you're targeting desktop viewers only. Stories and Reels demand full vertical (9:16).

TikTok: Vertical is non-negotiable. 9:16 minimum; narrower (21:9) is fine and encourages full-screen immersion. Most TikTok creators shoot 9:16 natively instead of cropping 16:9 videos after the fact.

YouTube: The 16:9 ratio dominates, but YouTube Shorts needs 9:16. Channel art (the banner) is often wasted space on mobile—keep logos and critical text in the center 1235 × 338 px safe zone.

LinkedIn: Horizontal content (1.91:1) performs better than square in feeds. Video can be horizontal (16:9) or vertical (9:16), and LinkedIn will optimize the display for the viewer's device.

Pinterest: Vertical (2:3) is the standard and highest-performing ratio. Tall images naturally draw the eye as people scroll. Short images get overlooked.

File format notes

For photos: PNG (lossless, larger files) or JPG (lossy, compressed, smaller). Most platforms accept both. JPG is fine for photos; PNG is better if you need transparency. Use JPG to keep files small.

For graphics and designs: PNG if you have transparent elements (logos, text over backgrounds). JPG if it's a flat image with no transparency.

For social videos: MP4 is the safest format. MOV works on some platforms, WebM on others. When in doubt, export as H.264 MP4.

Why platforms have different sizes

Platform sizes exist because of screen aspect ratios, safe zones (areas that show on all devices), and historical design decisions. Instagram didn't always support 4:5—it was added as phone screens got taller. TikTok built vertical-first from day one. LinkedIn optimized for desktop feeds. Twitter/X expects photos at smaller sizes because bandwidth was a constraint when it launched.

Understanding the why helps you remember the dimensions. Vertical platforms (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts) use 9:16. Horizontal platforms (LinkedIn, X, Facebook desktop) use 16:9 or 1.91:1. Pinterest uses tall vertical (2:3) because that's how feeds scroll. Memory aid: platform shape determines aspect ratio.