Perfect Image Sizes for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn in 2026
Using the wrong image size on social media can make your posts look blurry, cropped or unprofessional. This cheat sheet gives you the exact dimensions for every major platform in 2026.
Instagram Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square Post | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Portrait Post | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Landscape Post | 1080 x 566 px | 1.91:1 |
| Story / Reel | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Profile Photo | 320 x 320 px | 1:1 |
Pro tip: Use 4:5 portrait posts — they take up the most screen space and get 20%+ more engagement than square posts.
Facebook Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Feed Post | 1200 x 630 px | 1.91:1 |
| Square Post | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Cover Photo | 1640 x 924 px | 16:9 |
| Story | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Profile Photo | 176 x 176 px | 1:1 |
Twitter / X Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| In-Feed Image | 1200 x 675 px | 16:9 |
| Header Photo | 1500 x 500 px | 3:1 |
| Profile Photo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 |
LinkedIn Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Feed Post | 1200 x 627 px | 1.91:1 |
| Square Post | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Banner Image | 1584 x 396 px | 4:1 |
| Profile Photo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 |
File Size Recommendations
All platforms compress your images when you upload them. To minimize quality loss:
- Keep file size under 1 MB for regular posts
- Use JPEG at 85-95% quality for photos
- Use PNG for graphics with text (avoids JPEG artifacts)
- Resize to the exact dimensions before uploading
- Compress to hit the sweet spot between quality and size
Resize Images to Perfect Social Media Dimensions
Use the free Image Resizer to get exact pixel dimensions for any platform.
Resize Images NowWhat each platform actually does to your uploaded images
Most "best image sizes for social media" guides give you ideal upload dimensions and stop there. The bigger reality: every platform re-encodes your image after upload, and what comes out of their pipeline is often very different from what you uploaded. Understanding this helps you upload smart.
Instagram aggressively compresses everything. Upload a clean PNG at the recommended size and Instagram re-encodes it as a heavily-compressed JPG. The lesson: don't bother uploading PNG to Instagram — they'll re-compress it anyway. Upload at exactly the recommended dimensions (no rescaling on their end), and use JPG to keep your file size small.
Facebook is similar but slightly less aggressive. PNG is preserved for transparent logos (so your brand mark with a transparent background stays transparent), but photos get re-encoded as JPG. Facebook is sensitive to upload size — keeping under 2MB matters for upload speed and reliability.
Twitter/X preserves more than most platforms. PNGs stay PNG (useful for screenshots with text). JPGs stay JPG. Quality is mostly preserved, though large images get downscaled.
LinkedIn compresses moderately. PNGs survive better than on Instagram. The key dimension to nail is the post image at 1200×627, which appears full-size in the feed.
Story vs feed: dimensions matter more than you think
The same photo posted as an Instagram feed image and an Instagram story needs different dimensions. Feed posts are roughly square (1080×1080) or vertical (1080×1350). Stories are full-screen vertical (1080×1920). Posting the same image to both means cropping happens — Instagram crops the top and bottom for stories if you upload a feed-sized image, often losing important content.
The pro workflow: export two versions of every important graphic — one feed-sized (1080×1350 vertical works for most feeds) and one story-sized (1080×1920). It takes ten extra seconds per asset and your content displays correctly on both surfaces.
Same principle applies for Facebook (square feed vs vertical story), LinkedIn (square or landscape feed vs vertical mobile), and TikTok-style platforms (always vertical 1080×1920).
Video thumbnails — a hidden image SEO win
If you post videos on YouTube, custom thumbnails are one of the highest-leverage image optimizations available. YouTube's default auto-generated thumbnail is almost always worse than a custom one. Custom thumbnails get measurably higher click-through rates — sometimes 2–3x — which feeds directly back into YouTube ranking.
Thumbnail specs that work: 1280×720, JPG or PNG, under 2MB, high contrast, large readable text (think 60+ point font), one clear focal point. Faces with strong expressions tend to outperform text-only thumbnails. Bright saturated colors outperform muted ones because thumbnails compete for attention in busy feeds.
The same principles apply for Instagram Reels covers, TikTok thumbnails, and LinkedIn video previews. Custom-designed thumbnails dramatically outperform whatever the platform auto-selects.
Why your social media images look worse than your website images
If you've ever compared the same photo on your website (where you control the encoding) vs on Instagram (where they control it), you've probably noticed: the Instagram version is softer, more compressed, and slightly less vibrant. This isn't your imagination.
Platforms compress aggressively to reduce bandwidth costs and storage. They process millions of uploads per day; saving 30% on file size per photo across that volume is enormous. Your one perfect photo gets the same compression treatment as everyone else's mediocre photos.
Two strategies that work despite this. First, upload images larger than the display size. Instagram's feed displays at about 600px wide on mobile; uploading at 1080px gives them room to downsize without compression artifacts becoming visible. Second, use higher contrast and slightly more saturation in your source images — compression tends to flatten contrast, so starting with extra punch leaves something after compression.