A social card image is the picture shown in a link preview when someone shares a web page. To set one up, publish a representative image at a publicly fetchable URL, point the page’s Open Graph og:image tag to it, and verify the metadata in the HTML delivered to crawlers. For LinkedIn organic link sharing, its help page specifies a minimum of 1200×627 pixels and a 5 MB maximum; 1200×630 is a practical cross-platform starting point, not a universal platform rule.
What a social card image is
A social card is a compact preview of a web page, usually showing its title, a short summary, an image, and the site or domain. The image should represent the specific page being shared; the page’s metadata tells a platform which image and text to associate with its URL. Open Graph describes its purpose as enabling a web page to become a rich object in a social graph (Open Graph protocol).
Think of the image and metadata as a pair: an attractive image alone does not tell a sharing platform which page it belongs to, and correct tags cannot make an inaccessible image appear. The platform must be able to retrieve both the page’s HTML and the referenced image.
What size should a social card image be?
LinkedIn link previews
For organic website link sharing, LinkedIn specifies a 1200×627-pixel minimum, a recommended 1.91:1 aspect ratio, and a maximum file size of 5 MB. Images narrower than 401 pixels display as thumbnails. These figures apply to the website-sharing preview described in LinkedIn’s sharing help page; do not confuse them with separate paid-ad image specifications elsewhere on that page.
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LinkedIn also notes that meeting the image requirements does not guarantee the preview will show an image. A site can block LinkedIn from fetching it, or the image can be in a protected location.
A practical starting point for multiple platforms
SocialCard’s vendor-authored article, dated February 27, 2026, recommends 1200×630 pixels (about 1.91:1) as a practical cross-platform size. It suggests JPEG for photographs and PNG when transparency is needed, while warning that platforms may render transparency differently. Treat these as practical recommendations, not a shared official standard: check each destination’s current requirements before relying on a single asset (SocialCard’s image-size guide).
For a reusable image, keep essential text and visual details away from the outer edges so modest cropping does not remove them. Preview the actual rendered card rather than assuming a platform will display the full source image unchanged.
Do not assume one platform’s rules apply to another
The X documentation destination examined for this topic redirected to a general documentation page, so exact current X image dimensions, file limits, and metadata requirements are not established here. Verify X’s current guidance directly instead of treating LinkedIn’s limits or the 1200×630 recommendation as confirmed X specifications.
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The Open Graph protocol identifies four basic page properties: og:title, og:type, og:image, and og:url. It also defines image properties such as MIME type, width, height, and og:image:alt (Open Graph protocol documentation). Add the tags to the page’s HTML head, using absolute URLs that a crawler can fetch.
Example HTML
Replace the sample values with the page’s actual title, canonical URL, and public image URL. Put the tags in the server-rendered or otherwise crawler-accessible HTML for that specific page.
<head>
<meta property="og:title" content="A useful title for this page">
<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/guides/social-cards/">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/social-cards-guide.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="A guide to choosing and checking social card images">
</head>Use a descriptive og:image:alt value that explains what is in the image; the protocol says this text describes the image rather than serving as its caption. The example’s dimensions and image format match the sample file only if that is actually how the asset was prepared.
Choose the right values
og:title: the title to show for this page’s shared preview.og:type: the page’s content type. The example usesarticle; choose the value appropriate to the page.og:url: the canonical URL for the page being shared, not the image URL.og:image: an absolute URL to the intended preview image. Make sure the referenced resource is publicly retrievable by the platform.- Image properties: provide an accurate MIME type and dimensions when you include them. Add alt text that describes the actual image.
Open Graph supports more properties, but these are the core fields relevant to selecting and describing a page’s card image. Keep values consistent with the page and asset actually served.
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- Inspect the page HTML. Open the page source or retrieve the delivered HTML and confirm that it contains the intended
og:title,og:type,og:image, andog:url. Confirm thatog:image:altdescribes the image. - Check the image URL. Open it directly without being logged in. Confirm that it resolves to the intended image and is not behind authentication, a protected storage location, or a rule that blocks the target platform’s crawler.
- Check destination-specific limits. For LinkedIn organic link previews, compare the actual asset with its 1200×627 minimum and 5 MB maximum. For other platforms, consult their own current documentation.
- Preview the result. Use an appropriate platform preview or a multi-platform preview tool to spot obvious crop and metadata problems. SocialCard links to preview tools, and OpenGraph.dev offers Open Graph preview and meta-tag generation. A preview tool can help inspect output; it cannot establish that every platform will successfully fetch a particular page or image.
- Recheck after publishing changes. Inspect the delivered HTML and image again after updating tags or assets. A preview may not reflect an edit until the platform fetches the page again, so distinguish an incorrect live response from a preview that has not refreshed.
Why a social card image is missing or cropped
The tag points to the wrong image or URL
Check the page’s delivered og:image value, not just the source project or CMS editor. It should be an absolute URL to the intended page-specific image. Confirm that the image URL returns the file you expect and that its metadata, if present, matches the asset.
The crawler cannot retrieve the image
A browser session that can see an image does not prove an unauthenticated platform crawler can fetch it. LinkedIn explicitly identifies blocked crawler access and protected image locations as reasons a qualifying page may still lack a preview image. Check access rules for the image host and the page, and ensure neither requires a visitor login.
The image is too small or over the relevant limit
For LinkedIn organic sharing, compare the image to the platform’s stated minimum dimensions and 5 MB maximum. Its help page says images under 401 pixels wide appear as thumbnails. For another destination, use that platform’s own current requirements; the sources here do not establish a complete set of limits across platforms.
The card is cropped differently than expected
A social preview is a platform-rendered card, not necessarily a full display of the original image. A 1.91:1 asset is a practical starting point, but platforms may crop, scale, or otherwise render it differently. Keep critical content away from the edges, avoid placing small text where cropping could remove it, and inspect the target platform’s preview.
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The page HTML shown to the crawler lacks the tags
If a site adds metadata only after client-side JavaScript runs, verify what the crawler actually receives rather than relying on the browser’s fully rendered view. The core troubleshooting check is the HTML delivered for the exact shared URL: it must contain the intended tags and a fetchable image reference.
One image for every platform or separate variants?
A single image reduces asset maintenance, while platform-specific versions give you more control over crop, composition, and file limits. Choose based on the destinations you actually use. Check four things before committing to one image or making variants:
- Does each target platform accept its dimensions and file size?
- How much cropping does each preview apply, and will key content remain visible?
- Does the image accurately represent the individual page rather than merely the site in general?
- Can each platform crawler access both the page metadata and the image URL?
The evidence here establishes concrete organic link-preview limits for LinkedIn and a vendor’s general 1200×630 recommendation; it does not establish precise requirements for every social platform. When a destination’s current rules matter, consult its own documentation before exporting a final asset.
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If you need to inspect the shared page as a screenshot—for example, to check how its visible content and metadata-related page changes look—ScreenshotNeo can return an image with one GET request. Its options include PNG, JPEG, or WebP screenshots and PDF output; a screenshot is useful for visual checks, but it does not replace checking the page’s Open Graph tags in its HTML. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a social card image and an Open Graph image?
A social card is the rendered link preview; the Open Graph image is the image URL specified in page metadata for that preview.
Does adding an Open Graph image guarantee it will appear on every platform?
No. The platform must be able to fetch the page and image, and it applies its own rendering and eligibility rules.
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