I have looked up social media image sizes more times than any one person should have to. Not because they're hard, but because there are about a dozen platforms, each one has five or six surfaces, and every couple of months one of them quietly changes a crop. The guides that rank for "social media image sizes" are mostly the same recycled table copied between sites, half of them with a number from 2022, all of them wrapped in three ad units and a newsletter popup. So I built the one I actually wanted, and this is the front door to it.
This page is the quick reference. One size to remember per platform, then a link straight to that platform's full breakdown. Every platform page has the complete set of dimensions, a little tool where you click any number to copy it, and a downloadable branded template at the exact upload size so you start from the right rectangle instead of guessing. This hub is just the map.
Here is the whole landscape in one table. Find your platform, grab the size, or jump to the full guide.
| Platform | The size that matters most | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Profile banner 1584 x 396 (your headshot covers the lower-left) | LinkedIn sizes | |
| Cover photo ~851 x 315 (keep it mobile-safe in the center) | Facebook sizes | |
| Portrait post 1080 x 1350 (4:5, takes the most feed space) | Instagram sizes | |
| Twitter / X | Header 1500 x 500 (3:1, edges crop on mobile) | Twitter / X sizes |
| YouTube | Banner 2560 x 1440 (safe area 1546 x 423) and thumbnail 1280 x 720 | YouTube sizes |
| TikTok | Video 1080 x 1920 (9:16, full vertical) | TikTok sizes |
| Standard pin 1000 x 1500 (2:3, the tall one wins) | Pinterest sizes | |
| Threads | Post 1080 x 1350 (4:5, same shape as Instagram) | Threads sizes |
| Bluesky | Banner 3000 x 1000 (3:1, your avatar sits over the lower-left) | Bluesky sizes |
| Snapchat | Snap / ad 1080 x 1920 (9:16, full vertical) | Snapchat sizes |
| Twitch | Profile banner 1200 x 480 and panels 320 x 100 | Twitch sizes |
| Discord | Server icon 512 x 512 and banner 960 x 540 | Discord sizes |
| Design at 300 DPI with 0.125" bleed on every edge | Print dimensions |
The professional platforms
LinkedIn and Twitter/X are where the banner trips people up. Both put your avatar and name over the lower-left of a wide strip, so the art you actually want seen needs to live up and to the right. LinkedIn runs a 4:1 banner at 1584 x 396 and X runs a 3:1 header at 1500 x 500, and on both of them the bottom edge gets clipped on phones. Design the strip knowing your own face is going to eat a corner of it.
The visual platforms
Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok all reward going tall. Instagram's portrait post at 1080 x 1350 takes up more of the screen than a square as someone thumbs past, which is the whole point on a feed nobody scrolls slowly. Pinterest is even taller at 1000 x 1500 (2:3) because the entire surface is a vertical wall of pins. TikTok is full-frame vertical at 1080 x 1920, and that 9:16 canvas has its own safe zone since the interface buttons and the caption cover the right side and the bottom. Build for the part of the frame that survives the chrome.
The video platforms
YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch each split into two jobs: the channel art and the thing people actually click. YouTube's banner is 2560 x 1440, but the only part guaranteed to show on every device is the centered 1546 x 423 safe area, so anything near the corners is for TVs only. The number that earns your clicks though is the thumbnail at 1280 x 720, because that's the rectangle competing in a sea of other rectangles. Twitch leans on a banner at 1200 x 480 plus those tiny 320 x 100 info panels under the stream that everyone forgets to size right.
The community platforms
Discord and Twitch are where you're dressing up a space, not posting to a feed. Discord wants a crisp 512 x 512 server icon that reads at a glance in the sidebar and a 960 x 540 banner across the top of the server. The icon is the one that matters, because it shows up small and constantly, so a tight centered mark with padding beats a detailed logo that turns to mush at thumbnail size.
The newer platforms
Threads and Bluesky are the ones whose specs are still settling, so they're the most likely to have a stale number floating around the web. Threads mirrors Instagram pretty closely with a 1080 x 1350 portrait post, which makes sense given the family it came from. Bluesky runs a wide 3000 x 1000 banner (3:1) with your avatar over the lower-left, same trap as LinkedIn and X. I re-check both of these more often than the established ones, because a newer platform changes its mind more.
The rules that hold everywhere
A few things are true no matter which logo is on the upload button. Design for the crop, not the canvas, because the size you upload and the size people see are usually two different numbers, and the gap is where your text gets cut off. Build mobile-first, since the overwhelming majority of these views happen on a phone in a thumb-scroll, so tall beats wide and small text disappears. Export PNG when the image has text, logos, or sharp edges, and JPG when it's a photo and you want a smaller file. Keep file sizes reasonable so the upload stays sharp and loads fast, somewhere under 5 MB for a normal feed image is a safe ceiling on almost every platform.
Headed to a printer instead of a feed
Anything going to print plays by different rules. Pixels stop mattering on their own and DPI takes over, so a file that looks crisp on a screen can come out soft on paper if it was built at 72 DPI. The short version is design at 300 DPI and add 0.125" of bleed on every edge so the trim doesn't leave a white sliver. The full breakdown for photo prints, business cards, paper sizes, and large-format work is in the print dimensions guide, and there's a live print tool that does the DPI and bleed math for you while you type.
FAQ
What is the best all-round social media image size?
If you need one image to post across several platforms, a 1080 x 1350 portrait (4:5) is the strongest all-rounder. It fills the mobile feed on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, takes up more vertical space than a square, and crops down cleanly to a 1080 x 1080 square if a platform wants one. For a single safe choice, that's it.
Why does my social media image look blurry or cropped?
Blurry usually means you uploaded an image smaller than the display size and the platform stretched it, so always upload at or above the listed dimensions. Cropped usually means you designed to the full canvas and the platform only shows a center strip or covers a corner with your avatar. Check the safe zone on that platform's page before you finalize the art.
Should I use PNG or JPG for social media?
PNG when the image has text, a logo, or sharp graphic edges, because it stays crisp without compression artifacts. JPG when it's a photo and you want a smaller file that still loads fast. For most feed photos JPG is fine; for anything with type on it, PNG keeps the letters clean.
What size should a social media post be?
There's no single "social media post" size, it depends on the platform, which is the whole reason this guide exists. As a default that works almost everywhere, build a 1080 x 1350 portrait. For platforms that prefer a square, 1080 x 1080 works. For full-screen vertical video on TikTok, Snapchat, or Reels, it's 1080 x 1920.
Do social media image sizes change?
Yes, and that's the annoying part. Platforms adjust crops, safe zones, and supported ratios a few times a year, and they rarely announce it loudly. That's why most size guides go stale. The numbers here are verified for 2026 and the platform pages get re-checked, so if something looks off in your upload box, trust the platform page over an old screenshot.
What's the safest image size for stories and vertical video?
1080 x 1920 (9:16) covers TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts. The full canvas is that size, but keep your text and key visuals in the middle, because the top and bottom and the right edge get covered by the interface and the caption. Design for roughly the center 1080 x 1420 and you're safe across all of them.
Can I use one image across every platform?
You can stretch one image a long way, but the crops will fight you. A 1080 x 1350 portrait reposts cleanly across the feed-based platforms. Banners and covers are where one file stops working, since LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Twitch, and Discord all use different aspect ratios and safe zones. For those, grab the template for each platform from its own page and build them individually.
Pick your platform from the table, copy what you need, or grab the template pack on its page. It's meant to be the last size guide you open.