Social media image sizes

Every platform crops, scales and compresses the images you upload. If your image matches what the platform expects, you decide what is visible and how sharp it stays. If it does not, the platform decides for you, usually by cutting off part of the picture or by scaling it in a way that softens detail.

A word of caution first: the sizes below are common recommendations as of 2026. Platforms change their layouts and recommendations regularly, and different screens show images differently. Check the platform's own help pages when an exact size matters.

Common sizes at a glance

These are the same presets that the social media image resizer offers.

Aspect ratio matters more than exact pixels

The aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height. A 1080 x 1350 image and a 2160 x 2700 image have the same 4:5 ratio, so a platform will show them in the same frame, just scaled differently.

If the ratio does not match, the platform has to do something: crop the edges, add empty bars, or both. A landscape photo uploaded as a story will either lose most of its width or float in the middle of a mostly empty screen. Getting the ratio right is therefore the first step; getting the exact pixel size right is the second.

Portrait formats such as 4:5 and 9:16 fill more of a phone screen than square or landscape images, which is one reason they are popular on mobile-first platforms.

Why your photos lose quality after upload

Platforms store and deliver enormous numbers of images, so they resize and re-compress practically everything that is uploaded. You cannot switch this off, but you can reduce the damage.

• Upload at the recommended size. If your image is already the size the platform wants, it does not need to be scaled again. A very large photo gets scaled down by the platform's own process, which can make it softer than if you had resized it yourself.
• Use sRGB color. sRGB is the safest color space for the web. Images saved in wider color spaces may look duller or shifted on some platforms and devices.
• Save as high-quality JPG. Since the platform will compress again, start from a high-quality JPG file. The resizer exports JPG at quality 90, with PNG as an option.
• Consider PNG for text-heavy graphics. Graphics with small text and sharp lines sometimes survive re-compression better when uploaded as PNG, although many platforms convert them anyway.
• Avoid screenshots of images. A screenshot adds a layer of scaling and often lowers the resolution.
• Check the app's upload settings. Some apps have a data or media setting that affects upload quality; if there is one, choose the highest quality.

Safe zones for stories, covers and profile photos

Some parts of an image are covered by the interface. Keep faces, text and logos away from these areas.

• Stories and Reels (1080 x 1920): the profile name sits at the top and the reply bar and buttons at the bottom. A margin of roughly 250 pixels at the top and bottom is a common rule of thumb for keeping text visible.
• YouTube channel banner (2560 x 1440): the banner is cropped very differently on TVs, computers and phones. Only a wide strip in the center is visible everywhere, so put the channel name and key elements there.
• X header and LinkedIn banner: the profile photo overlaps part of the banner, usually on the left side, and the visible area changes with screen width. Keep important content toward the center.
• Profile photos: most platforms show them in a circle. The corners are cut off, so keep the face centered with some space around it.

How to resize an image for a platform

1. Open the social media image resizer and add your photo.
2. Pick the preset for the platform and use, for example Instagram portrait 1080 x 1350.
3. Choose a mode. Crop fills the frame completely; drag the image to choose the visible part and use the zoom slider. Fit keeps the whole photo visible and fills the empty space with a blurred copy of the photo or a solid color.
4. Download the result as JPG, or PNG if you prefer.
5. Upload it to the platform without further editing in another app.

The tool runs in your browser, so your photos are not uploaded anywhere until you post them yourself.

Square images without cropping

Product photos and marketplace listings often need square images, but cropping a tall product can cut off the top or bottom. The make image square tool adds space to the short sides instead of cropping. You can fill that space with white, black, a custom color, transparency or a blurred copy of the photo, and choose an output size such as 1080 or 2048 pixels.

Several photos in one post

To show multiple photos in a single image, use the photo collage maker. It has canvas presets that match social formats, including square 1080, portrait 1080 x 1350 and story 1080 x 1920, and arranges two to nine photos with adjustable spacing.

For more control over a single crop, the crop tool offers ratio presets such as 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16 and pixel-exact input.