Social media managers deal with a lot of change. We get it. From trying to decipher algorithms, staying on top of trends, and knowing the best social media image sizes, change is constant.

To help you out, we’ve put together an always up-to-date cheat sheet of social media image sizes for every platform. Covering everything from Instagram and TikTok to Threads and Pinterest, our guide should include everything you need to know when sizing images for social media.

First up is Instagram, which requires photos to be between 320 and 1080 pixels wide, as well as follow specific aspect ratios. Photos within these guidelines remain at their original resolution when uploaded. Others will be cropped or enlarged to meet requirements.  

Generally, it’s best to upload the highest-resolution image possible to avoid stretching and distortion. We’ve compiled a list below of the recommended size and aspect ratios for organic Instagram posts and profile images.

In addition to the guidelines above related to Instagram story image size, try to leave about 250 pixels of space at the top and bottom of your post, so content isn’t covered by your profile photo or CTA buttons. Also, it’s worth noting that 8 MB is the maximum Instagram image file size.

While Instagram profile pictures are displayed as 110x110 pixels, they’re stored at 320x320 pixels. So, we recommend uploading the larger photo size.

Also, remember that these photos are displayed as a circle. Having the focus at the centre of your photo ensures that nothing is cropped out when displayed.

Next, let’s cover all social media image sizes for organic posting on Facebook. Facebook itself recommends using the highest possible resolution images on its platform. We have some sizing suggestions below, but remember that these should be considered minimum requirements. Higher-resolution photos that meet the required aspect ratios are even better.

Following these social media post sizes should help you avoid posting photos that are slow to load or that become distorted. Similar to Instagram, leave about 250 pixels of space at the top and bottom of Facebook story content, so important elements aren’t cut off. Finally, note that you can include between 2 and 10 photos in carousel posts on Facebook.  

Facebook profile images are displayed in different sizes on mobile and desktop, so we recommend using a photo that’s at least 196x196 pixels (but larger is even better!). Keep in mind that profile photos on Facebook are also displayed as a circle, but users can click on these images to enlarge them.

When designing cover photos, remember that your profile picture may cover the left side. It’s best to align important elements to the right side, so nothing is lost.

According to X (formerly known as Twitter), 97% of its users focus on visual content and Tweets with photos, videos, or GIFs are 3 times more likely to receive engagement. So, it’s important to post content that’s sized appropriately. We’ve complied X’s sizing recommendations for posts and profile images.  

In each Tweet, you can include up to 4 visual assets in GIF, JPEG, or PNG format, and photos can be up to 5 GB.

Note that while it’s possible to include GIFs in Tweets, they cannot be used in your profile photo.

Social media strategist Jenni B. believes that including images in posts is one of the most impactful ways to increase engagement on LinkedIn. To make sure the photos you share are sharp and catch attention for the right reasons, we’ve assembled a list of social media image sizes for LinkedIn posts, personal profiles, and business pages.

Photos posted on LinkedIn, have to be at least 552x276 pixels and meet an aspect ratio between 3:1 and 4:5. In LinkedIn’s guidelines for sharing photos and videos, they recommend using photos at least 1080 pixels wide and the maximum file size for photos is 5 MB.

For posts with multiple photos, images are resized to a maximum ratio of 4:5 and the first image takes priority. How images are displayed depends on the number of photos included, as well as photo sizing and orientation. Multi-photo posts can have up to 20 images on LinkedIn.

Keep in mind that the recommendations above are minimum requirements for your profile and LinkedIn cover image. Photos with a larger resolution up to a maximum file size of 8 MB also work great! Accepted file types include JPEG and PNG.

Photos included on LinkedIn business pages can be up to 3 MB in file size and accepted file types include JPEG and PNG. Note that your LinkedIn cover photo may be cropped based on screen size and logos appear on dark and light backgrounds. LinkedIn recommends using high-quality images with little to no text and testing logos for optimal performance.

The next platform to cover is TikTok. Yes, this app is known for its video content, however, in 2022 TikTok announced a Photo Mode feature that allows users to post multiple photos as a carousel. So, we’ve put together some sizing recommendations for TikTok photos and videos.

Although it’s possible to post TikTok photos and videos in 16:9 and 1:1 ratios, this will usually result in black bars being added to your content when it’s viewed in full screen. To optimize your content for TikTok’s For You page, we suggest sticking with vertically-oriented 9:16 content across the board. Supported file types for the platform include MP4, MOV, JPEG, and PNG.

While TikTok says that the minimum profile photo size for the platform is 20x20 pixels, since these photos can be expanded we recommend using at least 200x200 pixels.

Next on our list is YouTube. We’ve assembled a list of recommended sizes for video posts, thumbnails, and profile photos for this platform.

A 16:9 aspect ratio is standard for social media video sizes on YouTube. To optimize viewing across different devices and screens, YouTube may add padding to resize your video. YouTube Help advises against adding padding to videos yourself, as this will limit responsiveness.

Although the minimum size required for a YouTube banner image is 2048x1152 pixels, Canva recommends a larger size for optimal display across devices. Acceptable file types include JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP, which can be up to 6 MB.

YouTube profile photos are displayed as a circle and can be up to 2 MB. To help you out, Canva has a template for designing YouTube profile images.

When posting on Pinterest, there’s a fair amount of flexibility with photo and video sizing. We’ve put together some recommended social media image sizes for Pins and profile photos, along with other acceptable ratios.

Pinterest is a vertically oriented platform, so vertical images are best. In addition to the recommendations above from Linearity, other supported aspect ratios according to Pinterest include 1:2, 3:4, and 4:5. Acceptable file types on the platform include BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and WEBP and the max file size for photos is 20 MB.

Recently launched in July 2023, Threads was developed by Instagram to create a space for conversations and idea sharing. Although Meta’s vision for the platform focused on bringing the Instagram experience to text, visual content is still a large part. Below are some image size recommendations for your Threads posts and profile.

In addition to up to 500 characters of text, a Threads post can also contain up to 10 photos and videos.

For your Threads profile photo, you have the option to import your current Instagram profile image or upload a new one for Threads.

In addition to our guide on sizes of social media images, we’ve put together some related FAQs.

The best image size for social media depends on the platform that you’re using. For example, supported sizing and aspect ratios for posting on Instagram are very different than on Pinterest. Generally, a square image with a 1:1 ratio and a resolution of at least 1200 pixels can work for most platforms, but it’s certainly not always an ideal format.

Also, keep in mind that social media sites are always changing, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on supported sizing specifications. Social media image sizes for 2024 for every platform are included in our guide above.

Common aspect ratios for social media posts include 1:1 (for square images), 4:5 (for vertically-oriented images), and 9:16 (for stories and videos). Generally, profile images are stored as 1:1 square photos and a resolution of at least 400x400 pixels is recommended.

However, ratios and size requirements can be very different across social media sites, so we recommend consulting our guide above for sizing specifications for each platform.

An image’s aspect ratio describes its shape by indicating the relationship between its width and height. For example, an image aspect ratio of 2:1 means it’s a rectangle that’s twice as wide as it is tall.

Many platforms like Adobe and Canva allow you to resize images for social media for free. Some even have templates that you can work with. Social media scheduling platforms like HeyOrca also allow you to resize images as you upload content and prepare posts.

We hope our guide to social media image sizes will become your go-to cheat sheet during your content planning process. Instead of you having to worry about platform changes, we’ve done the research and have you covered. This allows you to focus on what you do best — creating stellar content and results.