Every platform crops, scales, or recompresses your image to fit its own layout — upload the wrong dimensions and you risk an awkward crop cutting off a face, a logo, or your call-to-action text.
This guide is a complete image size cheat sheet for social media in 2026, covering every major platform's feed posts, covers, banners, and vertical formats.
Key Takeaway: Design for the platform's exact dimensions before you upload. Letting the platform auto-crop your image is how faces, logos, and text end up cut off.
The Complete 2026 Social Media Image Size Chart
| Platform | Use | Recommended size |
|---|---|---|
| Feed post (square) | 1080 x 1080px | |
| Feed post (portrait) | 1080 x 1350px | |
| Stories / Reels | 1080 x 1920px | |
| Shared post / link image | 1200 x 630px | |
| Cover photo | 820 x 312px | |
| X (Twitter) | In-feed image | 1600 x 900px |
| X (Twitter) | Header banner | 1500 x 500px |
| Feed post | 1200 x 627px | |
| Company banner | 1584 x 396px | |
| YouTube | Video thumbnail | 1280 x 720px |
| YouTube | Channel art | 2560 x 1440px |
| TikTok | Video / cover | 1080 x 1920px |
Step by Step: How to Resize for Every Platform
TinyPNG Now includes a free social media resizer that runs entirely in your browser.
- Open the Social Media Resizer tool.
- Upload your source image.
- Pick a platform preset — Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, or TikTok.
- Adjust framing if needed so your subject stays centered for that platform's crop.
- Download the resized image, and repeat with a different preset for other platforms.
Pro Tip: Design your master image with extra margin around the subject. That way, when different platforms crop it slightly differently, nothing important gets cut off.
Common Mistakes That Get Images Cropped Badly
- Uploading the wrong aspect ratio — the platform crops to fit, often cutting off the edges unpredictably.
- Putting text or logos too close to the edge — leave margin, since "safe zones" vary slightly by platform and device.
- Uploading huge unoptimized files — slower upload, and the platform re-compresses harder, sometimes adding visible artifacts.
- Ignoring the circular profile picture crop — keep faces and logos centered with margin on all sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best image format for social media?
JPG and PNG are universally accepted. WebP support is improving but inconsistent for direct upload, so JPG is the safest default.
Do social media platforms accept WebP images?
Support varies. Most platforms display WebP shared as links, but direct upload support is inconsistent — stick to JPG or PNG for guaranteed compatibility.
Can I resize one image for multiple platforms at once for free?
Yes. TinyPNG Now's social media resizer includes presets for every major platform from the same source image.
What's the ideal file size before uploading to social media?
Under 500KB for feed posts, under 2MB for high-res cover or banner images. Starting optimized avoids double compression artifacts.
What size should Instagram Stories and Reels be?
1080 x 1920px, a 9:16 vertical ratio — the standard for Stories, Reels, and TikTok, filling the full screen without black bars.
How often do social media image size requirements change?
Occasionally, usually with feed or profile redesigns. The sizes here reflect 2026 specs — double-check before a major campaign.
Why does my profile picture look cropped strangely?
Most platforms display profile pictures inside a circular mask. Keep faces or logos centered with margin so nothing gets cut off.
Summary: Match each platform's exact dimensions, leave margin around important content, and keep file sizes optimized. Use the free TinyPNG Now social media resizer — browser-based and instant.