Whether you're posting a product photo on Instagram, uploading a YouTube thumbnail, or refreshing a LinkedIn banner, one rule beats every filter and crop tool: create the image at the size the platform expects. Upload the wrong dimensions and the platform will crop, stretch, or compress your image for you — usually badly.
This cheat sheet covers the sizes that matter in 2026, explains aspect ratios in plain language, and shows how to resize any image correctly in about 30 seconds.
The 2026 social media image size cheat sheet
- Instagram — Square post: 1080 × 1080 (1:1)
- Instagram — Portrait post: 1080 × 1350 (4:5) — the tallest size that keeps its full height in the feed
- Instagram — Stories & Reels: 1080 × 1920 (9:16)
- Facebook — Feed post: 1200 × 630 for links, 1080 × 1080 for photo posts
- Facebook — Cover photo: 820 × 312
- X (Twitter) — In-stream image: 1600 × 900 (16:9)
- LinkedIn — Feed image: 1200 × 627
- LinkedIn — Profile banner: 1584 × 396
- YouTube — Thumbnail: 1280 × 720 (16:9)
- YouTube — Channel banner: 2048 × 1152 (keep text and logos inside the central 1235 × 338 safe area)
- Pinterest — Standard pin: 1000 × 1500 (2:3)
- TikTok — Video cover: 1080 × 1920 (9:16)
Aspect ratios, explained simply
An aspect ratio is just width : height. 1:1 is a square, 16:9 is a widescreen rectangle, 9:16 is a phone screen standing upright. Platforms display images in specific ratios — when your upload doesn't match, the platform crops from the edges at best, and stretches the image at worst.
Two habits keep you out of trouble. First, match the platform's ratio when you export. Second, keep important content away from the edges — Stories and Reels cover roughly the top 250 and bottom 340 pixels with interface elements, so center your subject and keep text in the middle band.
DPI doesn't matter for social media (resolution does)
The classic 72 vs 300 DPI debate is a print-world relic. Screens only care about pixel dimensions: a 1080 × 1080 image is identical on Instagram whether it's tagged 72, 150, or 300 DPI. What genuinely matters is having enough pixels — upload at the native size, and avoid upscaling small images. Enlarging a 600px image to 1080px produces visible blur, and every platform re-compresses your upload anyway, so a correctly sized JPG almost always looks better than a giant one.
How to resize an image in 30 seconds
- Find your target size in the cheat sheet above
- Open the free Image Resizer in your browser
- Drag in your photo or graphic — files stay on your device and are never uploaded
- Enter the target width and height, or lock the aspect ratio and change just one side
- Keep the aspect-ratio lock on for photos and profile pictures to avoid stretching
- Download the resized image — as JPG for photos, PNG if you need transparency
💡 Tip: Working through a content calendar? Export in batches by platform: one 1080 × 1350 version for the Instagram feed, one 1080 × 1920 cut for Stories, and reuse the same width everywhere to stay visually consistent.
Pick the right format too
Getting the size right gets you past the crop, but the file format decides how your image looks and how heavy it is.
- JPG — best for photos: small files, universal support, no transparency
- PNG — best for logos, screenshots, and graphics with text: crisp edges and transparency support, but much larger files
- WebP — the modern all-rounder: typically 25–50% smaller than JPG at the same quality, supported by all major browsers and platforms
If your image is in the wrong format, our Image Format Converter switches between JPG, PNG, and WebP in one click.
The five mistakes that give away an amateur post
- Uploading a 4000px original — the platform re-compresses it anyway, sometimes softening the result. Pre-size it yourself for full control
- Stretching to fit — if your image doesn't match the ratio, crop it. Never let it distort
- Text in the danger zones — Stories and Reels overlay buttons on the top and bottom. Keep text centered
- Upscaling small images — enlarging beyond the original pixels always shows. Shoot or export large enough to begin with
- Forgetting YouTube's banner safe area — you see the full 2048 × 1152 upload in Studio, but phones and TVs crop to the center. Keep your channel name and schedule visible in the middle
Sizes change slowly but they do change — if a platform redesigns, re-check its help center before a big campaign. For everything else, save this cheat sheet and you'll never upload an 8MB PNG to Instagram again.