There is no single social media image size. Choose dimensions for the exact platform placement—feed post, Story, Reel, cover, banner, ad or thumbnail—then export at that placement’s aspect ratio. For a dependable starting set, use 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) for an Instagram portrait post, 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) for Stories, Reels and TikTok vertical creative, 1200 × 627 px for a LinkedIn landscape post, and YouTube’s official 3840 × 2160 px (16:9) video thumbnail recommendation.
The table below separates common placements and flags where device cropping, profile context or paid-ad specifications can change the result. Treat non-YouTube figures as current reference values from a September 2026 Hootsuite guide, not guarantees that a platform will display every supplied pixel unchanged.
Social media image dimensions at a glance
Use width × height in pixels when creating each export. The ratio describes the shape; the placement determines whether that shape is cropped, letterboxed or overlaid with interface controls.
| Platform and placement | Reference size (px) | Aspect ratio | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram square feed post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | Organic feed reference |
| Instagram portrait feed post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 | Organic feed reference |
| Instagram landscape feed post | 1080 × 566 | About 1.91:1 | Organic feed reference |
| Instagram Stories or Reels | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Keep text clear of interface areas |
| Facebook landscape image | 1080 × 566 | About 1.91:1 | Organic image reference |
| Facebook square image | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | Organic image reference |
| Facebook Stories or Reels | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Vertical placement; overlays vary |
| Facebook cover photo | 851 × 315 | About 2.70:1 | Check Page/profile and device crop |
| X landscape image | 1280 × 720 | 16:9 | Post image reference |
| X vertical image | 720 × 1280 | 9:16 | Post image reference |
| X square image | 720 × 720 | 1:1 | Post image reference |
| X cover photo | 1500 × 500 | 3:1 | Header/banner crop can vary |
| LinkedIn landscape image | 1200 × 627 | About 1.91:1 | Post image reference |
| LinkedIn vertical image | 720 × 900 | 4:5 | Post image reference |
| LinkedIn square image | 1200 × 1200 | 1:1 | Post image reference |
| LinkedIn personal cover photo | 1128 × 191 | Wide banner | Check account/page context |
| TikTok vertical creative | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Reference for vertical creative |
| TikTok landscape ad | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 | Ad format, not a universal organic-post rule |
| TikTok square ad | 640 × 640 | 1:1 | Ad format, not a universal organic-post rule |
| YouTube custom video thumbnail | 3840 × 2160 | 16:9 | Official YouTube recommendation; minimum width 640 px |
| YouTube Shorts thumbnail | 2160 × 3840 | 9:16 | Official YouTube guidance for Shorts |
| YouTube channel banner | 2560 × 1440 | 16:9 | Use a safe area; device crops differ |
Instagram post size and Story dimensions
Feed posts
Choose 1080 × 1350 px for the tallest common portrait feed canvas, 1080 × 1080 px for square artwork, or 1080 × 566 px for a landscape composition. Build each version from the original rather than stretching one file between ratios. A portrait crop can remove subjects at the sides of a landscape photo, while a landscape crop can remove the top and bottom of a portrait.
Stories and Reels
Start at 1080 × 1920 px (9:16). Leave breathing room around the top and bottom because profile controls, captions and other interface elements can cover content. Put logos, prices, faces and calls to action inside a central safe zone, then preview on a phone-sized canvas before publishing.
#1 Best Overall
Facebook image and cover-photo sizes
Feed images
For an organic landscape image, use 1080 × 566 px; for square artwork, use 1080 × 1080 px. These are reference exports, not a promise that every Facebook surface will preserve the entire frame.
Cover photos
The 851 × 315 px reference applies to a Facebook cover photo, but the visible crop depends on whether it is a Page or personal profile and on the viewer’s device. Keep essential type and faces away from the outer edges, and inspect both desktop and mobile previews.
X (formerly Twitter) image and header dimensions
Use 1280 × 720 px for a landscape post, 720 × 1280 px for a vertical post and 720 × 720 px for square artwork. An X cover photo reference is 1500 × 500 px (3:1). Header cropping is especially wide, so place the subject and any lettering well inside the frame rather than against an edge.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →LinkedIn post and banner sizes
LinkedIn reference exports are 1200 × 627 px for landscape, 720 × 900 px for vertical and 1200 × 1200 px for square posts. A personal cover photo is listed at 1128 × 191 px. Because banner treatment can differ between an individual account and a Page, verify the intended account context and preview the final crop before replacing an existing banner.
TikTok image dimensions: organic versus ads
Vertical creative
Use a 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) canvas for vertical TikTok creative. Keep captions, logos and faces clear of the top and bottom interface regions.
Paid placements
The reference guide lists 1920 × 1080 px for a TikTok landscape ad and 640 × 640 px for a square ad. Those are ad formats. Do not treat them as universal requirements for an organic TikTok post; consult the live advertising specification for the campaign and placement you are buying.
YouTube thumbnail and channel-banner sizes
Standard video thumbnails
YouTube’s official Help guidance recommends a custom video thumbnail at 3840 × 2160 px with a 16:9 ratio and a minimum width of 640 px. The same guidance states, “For videos, try to upload a thumbnail with an aspect ratio of 16:9.” Export the artwork at 16:9 and check how small text reads at the size viewers will actually see.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Shorts thumbnails
For Shorts, YouTube recommends 2160 × 3840 px (9:16) and says, “For Shorts, try to upload a thumbnail with an aspect ratio of 9:16.” There is an important display exception: a vertical video’s 16:9 custom thumbnail may be replaced by an automatically generated 4:5 thumbnail on Home, Explore and subscription pages. The custom thumbnail remains in the watch feed, watch history and on non-mobile platforms. Design the focal point so an alternate crop is still understandable.
Channel banners and the safe area
YouTube recommends a 2560 × 1440 px channel banner. The minimum upload is 2048 × 1152 px; at that minimum, the safe area for text and logos is 1235 × 338 px. Since banners are cropped differently across devices, keep all critical branding inside the safe area and use the outer image only for decorative background.
How to prepare one image for several platforms
- Identify the destination. Write down the platform, placement and whether the asset is organic or an ad. “Instagram image” is not specific enough; “Instagram Story” is.
- Choose the ratio before editing. Create a 1:1, 4:5, 1.91:1, 16:9 or 9:16 canvas as required. Crop proportionally; never stretch people, logos or products to fill a different shape.
- Keep a master. Preserve the uncropped original and make separate exports for each destination. This lets you recrop later when platform rules change.
- Protect the safe area. Move essential type, faces and logos inward, especially for Stories, Reels, TikTok creative, covers and YouTube banners.
- Export and inspect. Open the actual file, confirm its pixel dimensions, and preview it in the platform or a trusted preview tool. Check both a large desktop view and a phone-sized view where applicable.
- Recheck campaign specifications. Ad requirements and rendering behavior can change. Confirm the live specification immediately before a major paid campaign.
Common sizing problems and fixes
The platform crops the subject
Cause: the upload ratio does not match the placement, or the subject sits too close to an edge. Fix: return to the master, crop to the placement ratio, reposition the subject and preview again. Do not add stretched borders simply to force a fit.
Text is hidden behind controls
Cause: a Story, Reel, TikTok or banner places controls over the image. Fix: move the text into the central safe area and test the complete preview, including captions and buttons.
The same file looks different on two devices
Cause: responsive surfaces use different crops and interface overlays. Fix: design for the smallest important view, keep the focal point central, and check both mobile and desktop presentations.
An ad size was used for an organic post
Cause: reference charts often combine paid and organic placements. Fix: label the asset by placement and verify the platform’s current organic-post guidance separately from its ad specification.
A Shorts thumbnail changes on Home
Cause: YouTube can substitute an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail for vertical videos on Home, Explore and subscription pages. Fix: make the central subject and title legible in a tighter vertical crop; do not rely on edge content.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Generate clean previews without maintaining a browser workflow
When you need to review how a landing page, campaign page or documentation page will look at a social-share ratio, ScreenshotNeo can return a screenshot or PDF from one GET request. It accepts consent banners like a visitor, removes more than 60 known consent platforms plus newsletter popups and chat widgets, and bills only clean shots. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed; response headers identify the page verdict and billing status.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Or skip the browser setup:
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details. Replace the example URL with the page you want to preview.
Best Value
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);For social-asset review, its options include full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, device presets and custom viewports, retina scale, dark mode, custom CSS or JavaScript, click-before-capture actions, selector hiding, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, request and ad blocking, custom headers/cookies/user agent, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, chosen cache TTL, signed image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks and bulk capture for up to 100 URLs per call. An MCP server supplies take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools to Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients.
Every plan includes every feature. The Free plan provides 1,000 shots each month with no card; paid plans are Starter ($5 for 3,000), Growth ($15 for 15,000), Pro ($39 for 60,000), Scale ($99 for 250,000) and Business ($249 for 1,000,000). Yearly billing gives two months free. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to get the 1,000 monthly shots without entering a card.
What to remember
- Size for the exact placement, not for a platform in general.
- Use 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) as the common starting frame for Stories, Reels and vertical TikTok creative.
- Use 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) for a common Instagram portrait feed export and 1080 × 1080 px for square posts.
- YouTube’s official video-thumbnail recommendation is 3840 × 2160 px at 16:9; Shorts use 2160 × 3840 px at 9:16, with location-dependent thumbnail substitution.
- Keep critical content inside safe areas, preview every crop and verify ad specifications immediately before launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I design at the platform’s maximum pixel size or the minimum?
Use the reference dimensions in the table as your working export, retain the original master, and follow the placement’s current specification if it gives a different limit. The ratio and crop are as important as the pixel count.
Recommended Free Tools
Can one 9:16 file serve Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories and TikTok?
It can provide a common starting canvas, but each service may place controls and captions differently. Preview the same export in each destination and reposition critical content if an overlay covers it.
Quick Recap
Why are YouTube banner dimensions not enough by themselves?
The banner is cropped differently on different devices. The safe-area guidance protects text and logos; the outer pixels should be treated as background decoration.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
