2026 Social Media Image Sizes: The Complete Cheat Sheet

I've uploaded images to every platform countless times. Getting cropped, compressed, stretched...

Now I always check dimensions before uploading.

Here's your complete cheat sheet.

---

Quick Reference

Platform	Post Image	Cover Image	Stories/Reels
Instagram	1080×1080	320×320	1080×1920
Facebook	1200×630	820×312	1080×1920
Twitter/X	1600×900	1500×500	1080×1920
LinkedIn	1200×627	1584×396	1080×1920
Pinterest	1000×1500	165×165	1080×1920
YouTube	1280×720	2560×1440	-
TikTok	1080×1920	-	1080×1920

Bookmark this page. You'll need it.

---

Instagram

Posts

Square (most common):

• Dimensions: 1080×1080 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Max file size: 30MB

Portrait (strongly recommended):

• Dimensions: 1080×1350 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 4:5
• This ratio gets more visibility, takes up more screen real estate

Landscape:

• Dimensions: 1080×566 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1

Tip: Prioritize portrait 4:5 ratio.

---

Stories/Reels

• Dimensions: 1080×1920 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file: 30MB (Stories), 250MB (Reels)

Safe zone: Keep important content in the middle 1080×1440 area. Top and bottom get covered by UI.

---

Profile Picture

• Display size: 110×110 pixels
• Minimum upload: 320×320 pixels
• Recommendation: 500×500 pixels (gives some buffer)

---

Facebook

Post Images

• Recommended: 1200×630 pixels
• Minimum width: 600 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1 to 1:1

Tip: Facebook auto-crops to 1.91:1. If you use 1:1 square, it displays smaller.

---

Cover Photo

• Desktop: 820×312 pixels
• Mobile: 640×360 pixels
• Recommended upload: 1640×624 pixels (covers both)

Safe zone: Put text in the middle 820×312 area.

---

Twitter/X

Post Images

• Recommended: 1600×900 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Max: 4096×4096 pixels

Tip: Twitter displays 16:9 images full-width. Square images show as small thumbnails.

---

Header Photo

• Dimensions: 1500×500 pixels
• Gets cropped on mobile, preview first

---

LinkedIn

Post Images

• Recommended: 1200×627 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1
• Minimum width: 1200 pixels

Note: Most LinkedIn traffic is mobile, so ensure mobile display looks good.

---

Personal Cover

• Dimensions: 1584×396 pixels

Company Page Cover

• Dimensions: 1128×191 pixels

---

Pinterest

Standard Pin

• Recommended: 1000×1500 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 2:3
• Minimum width: 600 pixels

Tip: 2:3 ratio displays best in Pinterest feed.

---

Square Pin

• Dimensions: 1000×1000 pixels
• Good for: Infographics, tutorials

---

Story Pin

• Dimensions: 1080×1920 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16

---

YouTube

Thumbnail (super important!)

• Recommended: 1280×720 pixels
• Minimum: 640×360 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Max file size: 2MB
• Format: JPEG, PNG

Honestly: YouTube thumbnails are the #1 factor in click-through rate. Use 1280×720. Don't be lazy.

---

Channel Art

• Dimensions: 2560×1440 pixels
• Safe zone: 1546×423 pixels (text goes here)

Display:

• Desktop: Full width, 423px tall
• Mobile: Cropped to middle 1546 pixels

---

TikTok

Video

• Recommended: 1080×1920 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Minimum: 720×1280 pixels

---

Generate All Sizes in One Click

Manually cropping for each platform is tedious. Here's a script:

from PIL import Image
from pathlib import Path

def create_social_variants(input_path, output_dir):
    """Generate all sizes needed for social platforms"""

    img = Image.open(input_path)

    variants = {
        'instagram_square': (1080, 1080),
        'instagram_portrait': (1080, 1350),
        'facebook_post': (1200, 630),
        'twitter_post': (1600, 900),
        'linkedin_post': (1200, 627),
        'pinterest_pin': (1000, 1500),
        'youtube_thumbnail': (1280, 720),
        'story_reel': (1080, 1920),
    }

    for name, size in variants.items():
        # Scale while maintaining aspect ratio
        ratio = min(size[0] / img.width, size[1] / img.height)
        new_size = (int(img.width * ratio), int(img.height * ratio))

        resized = img.resize(new_size, Image.Resampling.LANCZOS)
        resized.save(f"{output_dir}/{name}.jpg", 'JPEG', quality=90)
        print(f"✓ {name}: {new_size[0]}×{new_size[1]}")

# Usage
create_social_variants('hero_image.jpg', './social')

---

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Wrong Aspect Ratio

Problem: Image got cropped by platform.

Solution: Check ratio before scaling.

---

Mistake 2: Resolution Too Low

Problem: Image looks blurry.

Solution: Scale down from large image, not up from small.

---

Mistake 3: Text Near Edge

Problem: Text got cropped.

Solution: Keep important content in middle 80%.

---

Cheat Sheet

INSTAGRAM:
Square: 1080×1080
Portrait: 1080×1350 (more visibility)
Stories: 1080×1920

FACEBOOK:
Post: 1200×630
Cover: 820×312 (upload 1640×624)

TWITTER:
Post: 1600×900
Cover: 1500×500

LINKEDIN:
Post: 1200×627
Cover: 1584×396

PINTEREST:
Pin: 1000×1500 (2:3 ratio)

YOUTUBE:
Thumbnail: 1280×720
Cover: 2560×1440

---

Summary

1. Use correct sizes - Wrong size = bad display
2. Scale down from large - Don't enlarge from small
3. Check mobile first - Most people view on mobile
4. Keep text centered - Edges get cropped
5. Use tools for batch processing - Don't crop manually

---

Tools

Imagic AI - Generate all sizes in one click

---

Uploaded countless times, made countless mistakes. Questions? Drop a comment.