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For a general-purpose Open Graph image, start with a 1200 × 630 pixel canvas (about 1.91:1). It is a practical cross-platform recommendation, not a universal requirement: LinkedIn, for example, specifies a minimum of 1200 × 627 pixels, recommends a 1.91:1 ratio, and sets a 5 MB maximum. Add the image to your page with og:image, keep important content away from the edges, and check the preview on the platform where the link will appear.
What size should an Open Graph image be?
Use 1200 × 630 pixels as a useful starting size for a share image you expect to use across multiple platforms. That is approximately a 1.91:1 aspect ratio. OG Image Design’s guide, updated July 2026, gives this as a broad-use recommendation; it is not a rule imposed by the Open Graph protocol or a guarantee that every app will display the entire image. OG Image Design’s sizing guide offers additional platform-oriented design guidance.
For LinkedIn, its sharing help specifies a minimum image size of 1200 × 627 pixels, a recommended 1.91:1 ratio, and a 5 MB maximum file size. The widely used 1200 × 630 canvas is only three pixels taller than that stated minimum and has nearly the same ratio. LinkedIn also says images less than 401 pixels wide display as a thumbnail. These figures are LinkedIn’s requirements and guidance, not universal platform limits; its help page is marked as last updated two years ago. LinkedIn Help: Make your website shareable on LinkedIn.
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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 →The Open Graph protocol defines metadata fields, not a single mandatory image size. Other services and clients may crop, resize, cache, or omit an image according to their own behavior. Where a particular platform’s exact current limit matters, verify it in that platform’s documentation rather than assuming the broad-use canvas guarantees compliance.
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How platform dimensions and crops differ
| Use case | Dimensions or ratio | What the evidence establishes |
|---|---|---|
| General-purpose Open Graph image | 1200 × 630 px; about 1.91:1 | Practical broad-use recommendation in OG Image Design’s guide, updated July 2026; not a universal mandate. Source. |
| LinkedIn sharing | Minimum 1200 × 627 px; recommended 1.91:1; maximum 5 MB | LinkedIn Help’s stated sharing-image requirements. The page says it was last updated two years ago. Source. |
| X large image card | 1200 × 630 px is listed by the secondary guide; a 2:1 card may crop a 1.91:1 source | Secondary guidance only. The reviewed X documentation did not verify this precise sizing claim as a current official requirement. Source. |
| Facebook, Slack, Discord, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Telegram | 1200 × 630 px is listed as a general recommendation by the secondary guide | Limits, fetch behavior, and crops can vary by platform and client version; this does not establish a current official requirement for each service. Source. |
Differences to check for a specific service include minimum pixel dimensions, preferred aspect ratio, crop behavior, maximum file size, supported image formats, whether it uses separate card metadata, and whether it offers an inspection or cache-refresh tool. The available platform-specific figures above establish LinkedIn’s requirements; they do not establish every current limit for the other services listed.
What Open Graph image metadata to add
Open Graph properties belong in the page’s HTML, generally inside <head>. A typical page also identifies its title, type, canonical sharing URL, and description. For the image, use a fully qualified URL that points to the actual deployed image and can be fetched by sharing crawlers.
<meta property="og:title" content="A clear page title">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/article/">
<meta property="og:description" content="A concise description of the page.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/article-share.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="A description of what the image shows.">The Open Graph protocol defines og:image and optional image properties for a secure URL, MIME type, width, height, and descriptive alternative text. Its guidance says a page specifying og:image should specify og:image:alt. Alt text should describe the image content; it is not a caption or a place to repeat the page title.
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You can declare more than one og:image. If there is a conflict, the protocol gives preference to the first value. Put an image’s structured properties—such as width, height, type, and alt text—after the root og:image they describe. A subsequent root image begins a new image entry. This ordering makes it clearer which metadata belongs to which asset.
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/primary.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="A person viewing a map on a phone.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/alternate.png">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="An illustrated map with route markers.">The protocol also defines og:image:url as equivalent to og:image, and og:image:secure_url as an alternate URL for a page requiring HTTPS. Its full property definitions and examples are in the Open Graph protocol specification.
Design an image that survives cropping
At 1200 × 630, keep logos, headlines, and other essential details away from the extreme edges. Some share cards can crop their source image to fit a different display ratio. A central safe area is practical design advice, not an official universal safe-zone measurement; the actual crop depends on the platform and presentation.
- Prioritize one message. Make the image understandable at a smaller preview size; avoid relying on small text or details near the border.
- Choose a suitable format. OG Image Design recommends JPEG for photographic images and PNG for flat graphics, text, or screenshots, and advises raster images for broad crawler compatibility. These are secondary-guide recommendations, not protocol guarantees. See its format and design guidance.
- Meet the destination’s actual limit. For LinkedIn, keep the file at or below its stated 5 MB maximum. Do not treat that figure as another service’s limit.
- Use an absolute, live image URL. A locally correct path is not enough if the deployed page points to a missing asset or the sharing crawler cannot fetch it.
- Preview where it matters. Check the resulting card on the target platform when an inspection tool is available; a correct source image does not prove that every client renders it identically.
Implement and verify the share image
- Create and deploy the image. Export a 1200 × 630 raster image as a practical general-purpose default, or use dimensions appropriate to a verified platform requirement. Confirm the deployed asset URL opens as the image, not as an error page or an access-restricted response.
- Add the metadata to the page HTML. Set
og:imageto the absolute asset URL. Include the other page-level properties and relevant image metadata shown above. If using multiple image entries, place each entry’s structured properties directly after its root image tag. - Check the rendered HTML. Confirm the tags are present in the page’s HTML response, not only added after load by client-side code that a sharing crawler may not process as expected. Check for stale URLs, typos, and conflicting duplicate values.
- Inspect the share card. Use a preview or inspection tool provided by the target platform where available. Check the displayed image, crop, title, and description rather than assuming the metadata alone determines the final rendering.
- Allow for caching and recrawling. Share previews can be cached. After changing a tag or replacing an image, use the platform’s official inspection or refresh mechanism if available and allow it to recrawl. Refresh instructions and cache behavior are platform-specific; the cited evidence does not establish a current process for every service.
Common Open Graph image problems and fixes
The preview shows no image
Check that the page contains an og:image tag with the intended absolute URL, that the asset exists at that URL, and that a crawler can retrieve it. Then inspect the page with the target platform’s tool if available. A relative URL, inaccessible asset, stale cached preview, or metadata that is missing from the delivered HTML can each prevent the expected image from appearing; verify rather than assuming which cause applies.
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The image is cropped or its text is cut off
Compare the preview’s display ratio with the source image. A platform may show a crop even when the original dimensions are valid. Move critical content inward and preview again. The 1200 × 630 starting canvas does not guarantee the same crop across platforms.
The file works locally but not in a share preview
Check the deployed image URL, response, and format. The protocol supports a MIME-type property through og:image:type; setting it accurately can describe the asset, but does not override a platform’s own format support or fetch rules. For LinkedIn, check the stated 5 MB cap. For other platforms, confirm their current published limits.
The old image remains after an update
The preview may be showing cached data. Confirm the page now serves the new metadata and asset, then use the target platform’s official inspection or cache-refresh feature if it offers one. The reviewed sources do not establish identical refresh steps or cache expiry periods across services.
Multiple image tags produce an unexpected result
Review tag order. The Open Graph protocol prefers the first image value when values conflict, and structured properties apply to the root image entry they follow. Put the intended primary image first and group each image’s width, height, type, and alt text with its own root tag. Protocol details.
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If the image you need is a screenshot of a live page, ScreenshotNeo can return a PNG, JPEG, or WebP from one GET request. It is a screenshot API and MCP server by Yorker Media; it captures a page, rather than designing a custom social graphic. Use a designed asset when you need branded artwork or deliberate text layout. ScreenshotNeo’s documented options include viewport and full-page captures, device presets, custom CSS, and image format choices.
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For example, capture a page screenshot as a WebP file with cURL:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for setup and parameters. Before using a screenshot as an og:image, choose a target page that is appropriate to share and verify that the returned image’s dimensions, composition, and file size suit the platform and your design. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are not billed, and cache hits are not billed. An MCP server lets AI agents use screenshot tools, and 1,000 screenshots a month are free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card required.
Does a correct image size guarantee a good preview?
No. Dimensions are only one input. The page must provide the right metadata, the image must be fetchable, and the destination platform determines its own rendering, crop, and cache behavior. Treat 1200 × 630 as a convenient starting canvas and validate the result on the platform you care about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1200 × 630 an official Open Graph requirement?
No. It is a broad-use recommendation from OG Image Design; the Open Graph protocol defines metadata fields, not a universal pixel size.
Should I add og:image:alt?
Yes. The Open Graph protocol says a page specifying og:image should specify og:image:alt; describe the image content rather than using the field as a caption.
Can I use more than one og:image?
Yes. The protocol allows multiple values and prefers the first in a conflict. Keep each image’s structured properties with the root image tag they describe.
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