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To change the image shown when someone shares your website link, update the page’s og:image Open Graph metadata, publish the change, and check the exact URL in the platform where the preview appears. A page’s visible hero image and its link-preview image are separate: changing one does not necessarily change the other. If you are posting as a LinkedIn Page admin, you can also choose an image for that particular post without changing the website.
Choose the right kind of change
There are two ways to control a link preview, and they affect different things. Change the page metadata when you want the website to provide a different preview image to platforms that read Open Graph tags. Customize the preview in a LinkedIn Page post composer when you want to change only that post.
| Option | Scope | Who can use it | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit the website’s Open Graph metadata | The page URL and platforms that read its metadata | A website owner, a CMS editor with suitable permissions, or a developer | The metadata delivered with the page. A platform may continue showing cached information until it refreshes. |
| Customize a LinkedIn Page post preview | One Page post being composed | A LinkedIn Page admin | The image and title selected for that post; the website’s metadata stays unchanged. |
If you need the new image to be the page’s general sharing image, use the first option. If the website is not yours, or you only need a different image for one LinkedIn Page post, use the second option if you have Page admin access.
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Update the image for a website URL
- Identify the exact URL. Use the page address people will share, not automatically the home page. Individual pages can publish different preview metadata. Confirm that the address is the canonical page intended for sharing; LinkedIn’s guidance includes
og:urlamong the relevant tags. - Find the page’s social-sharing settings. In your CMS, look for the page’s social sharing or Open Graph fields. CMS labels and locations vary, so there is no reliable universal menu path. If the CMS has no such fields, ask a developer to change the metadata in the page source.
- Set the image and related fields. Point
og:imageto the image you want platforms to retrieve. LinkedIn identifiesog:title,og:image,og:description, andog:urlas relevant Open Graph tags. Make sure the tags describe the page being shared rather than another page on the site. - Publish the page and image. The image URL must be fetchable by the platform. LinkedIn warns that an image blocked from access or stored in a protected directory may not appear.
- Check the platform’s extracted preview. Paste the exact URL into the intended platform’s preview inspector or share composer. For LinkedIn, Post Inspector shows the information extracted for a URL and can refresh it for future posts.
Do not assume that changing a featured image, page banner, or visible hero image changes og:image. Check the metadata the published page actually delivers, then check what the platform extracts. These are separate checks: one confirms the site’s output; the other confirms the platform’s preview.
Prepare an image for LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s published sharing-module guidance specifies a minimum image size of 1200 × 627 pixels, recommends a 1.91:1 ratio, and lists a maximum file size of 5 MB. It says images narrower than 401 pixels may display as thumbnails. These are LinkedIn-specific specifications, not universal requirements for every site or social platform.
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- Prepare an image at or above LinkedIn’s stated minimum dimensions and keep it within the listed file-size maximum.
- Use an image URL that LinkedIn can retrieve publicly; check for access restrictions or a protected directory.
- Keep the image appropriate to the page and ensure the image is the one named by that page’s
og:image. - For another platform, check that platform’s current specifications rather than assuming LinkedIn’s dimensions or behavior apply. Platform metadata conventions and display rules can differ.
A specialist cross-platform guide describes Facebook as reading Open Graph fields and X as using Twitter Card metadata with Open Graph fallbacks, but behavior can change. Treat that as a starting point, not a guarantee: validate with the platform where you intend to share.
Refresh a LinkedIn preview and understand old posts
LinkedIn may show cached preview information after you update a page. Its troubleshooting guidance says a change can take up to 48 hours to appear. Use Post Inspector to inspect or refresh the URL information when you want the updated preview for future LinkedIn posts.
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A refresh does not necessarily rewrite a post already published. LinkedIn says refreshed information applies to new posts; existing posts retain their original preview. If the old image is already attached to a published post, changing the site metadata or refreshing the URL is not a way to replace that post’s original preview.
Choose an image for a LinkedIn Page post instead
If you are a LinkedIn Page admin and need a different image only in the post you are composing, you can customize that post’s preview rather than editing the site. Paste the URL into the Page’s Start a post box, use the edit icon, then choose an image and edit the article title. This changes the post-level preview, not the page’s Open Graph tags.
LinkedIn recommends a 1200 × 627 image ratio for this use and says images narrower than 200 pixels appear as thumbnails rather than the larger image format. This threshold is specific to its Page-post customization instructions; do not confuse it with the separate 401-pixel thumbnail note in LinkedIn’s sharing-module guidance.
Troubleshoot a wrong or missing preview
- The wrong page’s image appears: confirm that you edited and shared the same full URL. Each page may have its own metadata; the home page’s setting does not establish the setting for every other page.
- The visible page image changed but the preview did not: inspect the page’s actual Open Graph output, especially
og:image. A visible hero or featured image does not by itself prove that the sharing metadata changed. - The image is absent: confirm that the image URL is retrievable by the platform and is not blocked or in a protected location. Then verify that the metadata points to the intended image.
- LinkedIn shows a small thumbnail: check the image width and the context in which it is being shared. LinkedIn’s sharing-module guidance says images narrower than 401 pixels may be thumbnails; its Page-post customization instructions use a separate 200-pixel threshold.
- The image is too small or rejected: compare it with LinkedIn’s published 1200 × 627 minimum, 1.91:1 recommended ratio, and 5 MB maximum. These values are LinkedIn guidance, not a guarantee for other services.
- The site is correct, but LinkedIn still shows old details: inspect the URL with Post Inspector and allow up to 48 hours for cached information to refresh, as LinkedIn advises. Remember that the refresh is for future posts, not a rewrite of old ones.
- You cannot edit the website: ask the site owner or developer to update its Open Graph metadata. If you administer the LinkedIn Page publishing the link, the post composer offers a separate post-specific image and title option.
- Another platform behaves differently: test the exact URL in that platform’s own sharing tool and consult its current guidance. Do not infer its cache timing or image limits from LinkedIn’s rules.
Or skip the browser setup
If you want a screenshot of the published page while checking its appearance, ScreenshotNeo can return one with a single API request. A screenshot is useful for checking what the page renders; it does not change Open Graph tags or refresh a social platform’s cached preview. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/article -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and the response includes X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Every feature is on every plan. See ScreenshotNeo for details, or sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
What to verify before sharing again
- The exact page URL is the one you edited and intend to share.
- The published page’s
og:imagepoints to the intended, accessible image. - The image fits the target platform’s current dimensions and file-size guidance.
- The platform’s inspector or composer displays the expected preview.
- If using LinkedIn, you understand whether you need a website-wide metadata change or a one-post Page customization.
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