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Social Media Image Sizes

Estimates for educational purposes — not financial, medical, or legal advice. See terms.

Every social platform has its own recommended image dimensions, and they change as the platforms redesign their apps. This reference collects current sizes for X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest in one place, with a live preview rectangle showing the actual aspect ratio so you can see what you are designing for before opening Figma.

Use the search box to filter by platform, name, pixel dimensions, or aspect ratio. Click a platform pill to narrow the grid. The aspect ratio shown on each card is the simplified form — a 1500 by 500 X header reduces to 3:1, a 1080 by 1350 Instagram post reduces to 4:5.

Why dimensions matter

Platforms resize uploaded images to fit the slot they are going into. If you upload an image that does not match the target slot’s aspect ratio, the platform crops it — usually from the top and bottom or the sides, depending on which axis is wrong. A portrait photo uploaded as a Twitter header becomes a thin strip of the middle. A landscape photo uploaded as an Instagram story shows huge bars at top and bottom.

Uploading at the right size is the single cheapest way to avoid awkward crops. It also sidesteps the quality loss from server-side downscaling: most platforms recompress anything you upload, but heavy downscaling is the stage that introduces the most visible artifacts, and avoiding it means your image lands closer to what you designed.

Safe areas

Several slots have a safe area — a smaller region inside the full canvas that is guaranteed to be visible on every device. The classic example is the YouTube channel banner: the canvas is 2560 by 1440 pixels, but only the central 1546 by 423 strip shows on every screen size. Content outside that strip may or may not show, depending on whether you are viewing on a phone, tablet, or 32-inch monitor.

The rule: always upload the full canvas (resizing up would hurt quality), but design the critical content — logo, face, headline — inside the safe area. The edges become decorative.

Aspect ratio, simplified

Every card on this page shows a simplified aspect ratio next to the pixel dimensions. The simplification uses the greatest common divisor: 1920 by 1080 divides down by 120 to get 16:9, 1080 by 1350 divides down by 270 to get 4:5. The simplified form is easier to remember and matches how professional video gear is specced (4K UHD is still 16:9, Super 35 is still 1.85:1 or 2.39:1).

If you need to solve for an arbitrary dimension at one of these ratios, the aspect ratio calculator handles the math. For this reference, every ratio is pre-computed.

When these numbers were last reviewed

The dataset on this page was last hand-checked against each platform’s help center in April 2026. Social networks touch their image specs every 12 to 24 months, so expect some drift. If you notice something that looks wrong, check the platform’s own documentation — that is always the source of truth. This page is a convenience, not a replacement for the official specs.

What this tool does not do

It does not upload, resize, crop, or watermark images — for that you want a dedicated image editor or a batch-processing tool. It is strictly a reference: here are the numbers, here is what the aspect ratio looks like as a rectangle, now go build the asset somewhere else. If you need a mockup at one of these sizes, the placeholder image generator produces labelled PNGs at any dimension.

Frequently asked questions

Why do uploads get cropped differently on mobile versus desktop?

Several platforms display the same image at different aspect ratios depending on device. Facebook cover photos are the classic offender — they crop top and bottom on desktop, but more of the sides on mobile. The fix is to keep important elements (faces, text, logos) centered and inside a safe area, rather than extending them to the edges.

What is a safe area?

A safe area is the region of the image guaranteed to be visible on every device and crop. For a YouTube channel banner the safe area is 1546 by 423 pixels centered in a 2560 by 1440 canvas; content outside that box may or may not show depending on the viewer's screen. Always upload the full canvas and design the critical content inside the safe area.

Should I upload at the recommended size or larger?

Upload at exactly the recommended size when possible. Larger uploads get downscaled by the platform, and the downscaling is often lossy — sharpening, JPEG recompression, color-space conversion. Pre-sized assets bypass most of that. For photos specifically, many platforms still recompress regardless, so supply the highest quality JPEG or PNG you can.

How often do these sizes change?

Most platforms touch their specs every 12 to 24 months as they redesign their apps. This page is reviewed quarterly against each platform's help center. If you see something that looks wrong, it may have changed since the last review — check the platform's own documentation, which is always authoritative.

Why are Instagram and TikTok video sizes the same (1080 by 1920)?

Both platforms standardized on 9:16 portrait video at 1080p resolution, which matches the native aspect ratio of most phone cameras. If you shoot for Reels or TikTok, the same asset works on both, plus YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, and Pinterest Idea pins. This is the closest thing to a universal mobile-video format you will find.