Every social media platform has its own image size requirements. Upload an image at the wrong dimensions and the platform will crop it unpredictably, cutting off important parts of your photo or adding awkward letterboxing. Getting the dimensions right from the start ensures your images look exactly how you intended.
This guide lists the current recommended dimensions for every major platform and shows you how to resize images to fit them using BestPNG.
Instagram Image Sizes
Instagram is the most dimension-sensitive platform. Different post types require different aspect ratios.
Instagram Post
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Portrait (recommended) | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Landscape | 1080 x 566 px | 1.91:1 |
Best practice: Portrait (1080 x 1350) takes up the most screen real estate in the feed, giving your post maximum visibility.
Instagram Story / Reel
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Story | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Reel cover | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
Instagram Profile
| Type | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Profile picture | 320 x 320 px (displays at 110 x 110) |
Upload at 320x320 for the sharpest display quality.
Facebook Image Sizes
Facebook handles multiple image types across personal profiles, pages, groups, and ads.
Facebook Post
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Shared image | 1200 x 630 px | 1.91:1 |
| Square post | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 |
Facebook Cover and Profile
| Type | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Cover photo (desktop) | 820 x 312 px |
| Cover photo (mobile) | 640 x 360 px |
| Profile picture | 170 x 170 px (displays circular) |
| Event cover | 1200 x 628 px |
| Group cover | 1640 x 856 px |
Tip: Design your cover photo with mobile cropping in mind. The safe zone is the center 640x312 area that displays on both desktop and mobile.
Facebook Story
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Story | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
Twitter / X Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| In-stream image | 1600 x 900 px | 16:9 |
| Profile picture | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 |
| Header/banner | 1500 x 500 px | 3:1 |
Note: Twitter crops images in the feed to 16:9. If your image isn't 16:9, the crop position may not be centered. Resize to 1600x900 for predictable display.
LinkedIn Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Shared post image | 1200 x 627 px | 1.91:1 |
| Profile picture | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 |
| Cover/banner | 1584 x 396 px | 4:1 |
| Company page cover | 1128 x 191 px | ~6:1 |
LinkedIn strongly favors 1.91:1 for shared images, matching the link preview aspect ratio.
TikTok Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Video / photo post | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Profile picture | 200 x 200 px | 1:1 |
TikTok is natively vertical. All content should be 9:16 for full-screen display.
Pinterest Image Sizes
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Standard pin | 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3 |
| Long pin | 1000 x 2100 px | 1:2.1 |
| Square pin | 1000 x 1000 px | 1:1 |
| Profile picture | 165 x 165 px | 1:1 |
Best practice: The 2:3 ratio (1000x1500) is Pinterest's recommended standard. Taller pins get more visibility in the feed.
YouTube Thumbnail
| Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px | 16:9 |
| Channel banner | 2560 x 1440 px | 16:9 |
| Profile picture | 800 x 800 px | 1:1 |
YouTube thumbnails must be at least 1280x720 with a minimum width of 640 pixels.
How to Resize for Social Media with BestPNG
BestPNG's resize tool makes it easy to hit these exact dimensions.
Step-by-step:
- Open BestPNG's resize tool
- Upload your image
- Enter the target dimensions from the tables above (e.g., 1080 x 1350 for Instagram portrait)
- If your image has a different aspect ratio, choose whether to crop or pad
- Preview and download
Handling Different Aspect Ratios
If your original image doesn't match the target aspect ratio, you have two options:
Crop: Remove parts of the image to fit the target ratio. Good when the subject can tolerate some trimming.
Pad: Add borders (usually solid color or blurred background) to fill the target ratio. Good when you need to keep the full image visible.
Quick Reference: All Platforms
| Platform | Post Image | Story/Reel | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080x1350 (4:5) | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 320x320 | |
| 1200x630 (1.91:1) | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 170x170 | |
| Twitter/X | 1600x900 (16:9) | — | 400x400 |
| 1200x627 (1.91:1) | — | 400x400 | |
| TikTok | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 200x200 |
| 1000x1500 (2:3) | — | 165x165 | |
| YouTube | 1280x720 (16:9) | — | 800x800 |
Tips for Social Media Images
Export as JPG or WebP for photos. PNG is unnecessary for social media — platforms recompress everything anyway, and JPG/WebP starts smaller.
Use 85-90% compression quality. Platforms will recompress your upload. Starting at 85-90% avoids double-compression artifacts while keeping upload size small.
Design for mobile first. Over 80% of social media consumption happens on phones. Make sure text and key elements are readable at phone screen sizes.
Keep file sizes under 5 MB. While platforms accept larger files, smaller uploads process faster and avoid timeout errors. Resize first, then compress.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my photo doesn't fit the required aspect ratio? You have three options: crop to the target ratio (losing some edges), pad with borders, or choose a different post format. For example, Instagram supports 1:1, 4:5, and 1.91:1 — pick the ratio closest to your original.
Do I need different images for each platform? Ideally, yes. Each platform displays images at different aspect ratios and sizes. At minimum, prepare a landscape version (1.91:1 for Facebook/LinkedIn) and a portrait version (4:5 for Instagram, 9:16 for Stories/TikTok).
Will the platform recompress my image? Yes. Every platform applies its own compression when you upload. This is unavoidable. Starting with a well-optimized image at the correct dimensions minimizes the quality loss from this recompression.
What about Threads image sizes? Threads (by Instagram) supports the same image dimensions as Instagram posts: 1080x1350 (portrait) and 1080x1080 (square) work best.
Conclusion
Getting your social media image dimensions right is a small step that makes a big visual difference. Wrong dimensions mean unexpected cropping, blurry images from platform recompression, or wasted screen space.
BestPNG's resize tool lets you hit the exact pixel dimensions each platform requires — for free, directly in your browser. Pair it with the compress tool to keep file sizes lean.