Posting images on social media without knowing the correct dimensions is one of the most common — and easily avoidable — mistakes made by marketers, creators, and businesses. When you upload an image that doesn't match a platform's recommended specifications, the platform automatically resizes and re-compresses it, often with poor results: blurry text, cropped faces, pixelated edges, and washed-out colors. This guide gives you the exact specifications for every major platform in 2026, plus compression tips to ensure your images look their best after upload.
💡 Universal Tip: Pre-compress your images before uploading to any social platform. This gives you control over quality. When platforms re-compress your images, they use aggressive settings optimized for storage, not visual quality. If you upload a pre-compressed image already within the platform's size limits, it often passes through with minimal additional compression.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Max File Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Post | 1080 × 1080px | 1:1 | 8MB |
| Portrait Post (recommended) | 1080 × 1350px | 4:5 | 8MB |
| Landscape Post | 1080 × 566px | 1.91:1 | 8MB |
| Stories / Reels Cover | 1080 × 1920px | 9:16 | 30MB |
| Profile Picture | 320 × 320px | 1:1 | 10MB |
Instagram recompresses all uploaded images. To minimize quality loss, export as JPEG at 85% quality or WebP, and keep file sizes under 1MB before upload.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feed Photo (landscape) | 1200 × 630px | Recommended for link shares |
| Feed Photo (square) | 1200 × 1200px | Best for mobile feed |
| Cover Photo | 851 × 315px | Desktop display; also seen at 820 × 312px |
| Stories | 1080 × 1920px | 9:16 ratio |
| Profile Picture | 180 × 180px | Displayed at 40–170px in various contexts |
| Content Type | Dimensions | Max File Size |
|---|---|---|
| In-feed image (landscape) | 1600 × 900px | 5MB (JPEG/PNG), 15MB (WebP) |
| In-feed image (square) | 1200 × 1200px | 5MB |
| Profile Photo | 400 × 400px | 2MB |
| Header/Banner | 1500 × 500px | 5MB |
| Card Image (OG) | 1200 × 628px | 5MB |
Twitter/X now accepts WebP natively. Use WebP for cleaner images at smaller file sizes.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feed Post Image | 1200 × 627px | Optimal for link previews |
| Personal Profile Photo | 400 × 400px | Min 200 × 200px |
| Cover / Background Photo | 1584 × 396px | 4:1 aspect ratio |
| Company Page Logo | 300 × 300px | Square format required |
| Company Cover | 1128 × 191px | Keep text well inside edges |
| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Pin | 1000 × 1500px | 2:3 (recommended) |
| Square Pin | 1000 × 1000px | 1:1 |
| Long Pin (Infographic) | 1000 × 2100px | 1:2.1 max |
| Story Pin | 1080 × 1920px | 9:16 |
| Profile Photo | 165 × 165px | 1:1 |
Pinterest is a highly visual platform where image quality directly impacts repins. Use JPEG at 85% quality or WebP for best results.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video Thumbnail | 1280 × 720px | 16:9 — most critical image |
| Channel Art / Banner | 2560 × 1440px | Safe area: 1546 × 423px center |
| Channel Icon / Logo | 800 × 800px | Displayed at 98px circular |
YouTube thumbnails are critical for click-through rate. Use JPEG at max 2MB. Bold text and high-contrast colors work best at thumbnail scale.
Why Platforms Re-compress Your Images
Every major social platform stores millions of images and serves billions of views per day. To manage storage costs and delivery bandwidth, they apply aggressive compression algorithms to all uploaded images. Instagram is notorious for heavily re-compressing images, especially videos and Stories. Facebook optimizes for file size over quality. LinkedIn's compression is gentler for professional content.
You cannot stop platforms from compressing your images, but you can minimize quality loss by starting with a perfectly sized, pre-compressed image. If your image is already at the optimal file size and dimensions before upload, the platform's compression passes apply minimal additional degradation.
The Universal Social Media Image Optimization Workflow
- Create at the recommended dimensions — Never smaller than the minimum
- Export as JPEG at 85% or WebP for platform compatibility
- Keep file size under 1MB before upload (platforms max limits are higher, but smaller is better)
- Pre-compress with ComperssIt before uploading to control final quality
- Check on mobile first — most social media consumption is on mobile