Upload an image at the wrong size and the platform crops it for you — usually badly, cutting off heads or text. Getting the dimensions right means your posts look sharp, fill the frame, and never get awkwardly chopped. Here are the sizes that matter in 2026, plus a workflow to adapt one image for everywhere.
First, understand aspect ratio
Aspect ratio is the shape of an image — the relationship between width and height — independent of how many pixels it has. It matters more than exact pixel counts, because platforms crop to a ratio. The four you’ll use constantly:
- 1:1 (square) — feed posts, profile pictures.
- 4:5 (portrait) — the tallest image most feeds allow; takes up the most screen space.
- 9:16 (vertical) — full-screen stories, Reels, TikToks, Shorts.
- 16:9 (landscape) — YouTube thumbnails, link previews, desktop banners.
If you get the ratio right, you can scale to any pixel size without anything being cropped. Our resize and crop tool has presets for all of these.
- Feed (square): 1080 × 1080 px — ratio 1:1
- Feed (portrait): 1080 × 1350 px — ratio 4:5 (recommended; biggest footprint in the feed)
- Stories & Reels: 1080 × 1920 px — ratio 9:16
- Profile picture: 320 × 320 px (displayed as a circle — keep the subject centred)
- Feed post (landscape): 1200 × 630 px — ratio ~1.91:1
- Feed post (square): 1080 × 1080 px — ratio 1:1
- Stories: 1080 × 1920 px — ratio 9:16
- Cover photo: 851 × 315 px (displays differently on mobile vs desktop — keep key content centred)
X (formerly Twitter)
- In-stream image: 1600 × 900 px — ratio 16:9
- Card/link preview: 1200 × 628 px
- Header: 1500 × 500 px — ratio 3:1
- Profile picture: 400 × 400 px
- Shared image post: 1200 × 627 px — ratio ~1.91:1
- Square post: 1080 × 1080 px
- Cover/banner (personal): 1584 × 396 px — ratio 4:1
- Profile picture: 400 × 400 px
YouTube
- Thumbnail: 1280 × 720 px — ratio 16:9 (minimum width 640 px)
- Channel banner: 2560 × 1440 px (safe area for text/logos: 1546 × 423 px in the centre)
TikTok
- Video / cover: 1080 × 1920 px — ratio 9:16
- Profile picture: 200 × 200 px
- Standard pin: 1000 × 1500 px — ratio 2:3 (the format Pinterest favours most)
- Square pin: 1000 × 1000 px
A “resize once, post everywhere” workflow
You don’t need to shoot a separate image for every platform. Instead:
- Start big. Keep one high-resolution master image, ideally large enough to crop in any direction.
- Leave breathing room. When composing, keep the important content (faces, text, logos) away from the edges so it survives different crops.
- Export the ratios you need. Make a 1:1, a 4:5, and a 9:16 version with the resize & crop tool using its built-in presets — it takes seconds and nothing is uploaded.
- Compress before uploading. Platforms re-compress your images anyway, so compress them first to control the quality rather than letting the platform do it harshly.
Tips for sharp, professional posts
- Always upload at or above the recommended size. Uploading something too small forces the platform to upscale it, which looks soft.
- Mind the “safe zone.” Banners and covers display differently across devices — keep essential elements centred.
- Use vertical for mobile-first platforms. 4:5 and 9:16 take up far more screen than landscape on phones.
- Profile pictures are circular on most platforms — centre the subject and don’t put anything important in the corners.
The bottom line
Match the platform’s aspect ratio first, hit the recommended pixel dimensions second, and your images will look crisp and uncropped everywhere. Keep a large master file, leave room around the edges, and export the handful of ratios you actually need — square, portrait, and vertical cover almost every situation.