The short answer
Every platform has a preferred shape. If you upload something else, it is cropped automatically, usually from the center, and you lose whatever was near the edges. The safest workflow is to crop each image to the exact ratio and size before posting.
The cropper below has these sizes built in under Ratio or size, including Instagram post, Instagram portrait, Instagram story, Reels, YouTube thumbnail, Facebook cover, X header and LinkedIn banner. Pick one, move the frame over the part you want to keep and press Crop and download. The result is saved at exactly that pixel size.
Try it here: Image Cropper
Open the full tool pageImage sizes by platform
These are the sizes recommended by the platforms or widely used in practice in 2026. Platforms change their layouts from time to time, so check their own help pages before a large campaign. Ratios change far less often than pixel numbers.
| Platform and placement | Size in pixels | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram square post | 1080 x 1080 | 1:1 | Classic grid shape |
| Instagram portrait post | 1080 x 1350 | 4:5 | Takes the most space in the feed |
| Instagram landscape post | 1080 x 566 | 1.91:1 | Looks small on phones |
| Instagram story, Reels | 1080 x 1920 | 9:16 | Keep text away from top and bottom |
| Facebook feed post | 1080 x 1350 or 1080 x 1080 | 4:5 or 1:1 | Same files as Instagram work |
| Facebook cover | 851 x 315 or larger | about 2.7:1 | Sides are cut on phones |
| YouTube thumbnail | 1280 x 720 | 16:9 | Minimum 640 wide, under 2 MB |
| YouTube channel banner | 2560 x 1440 | 16:9 | Safe area 1546 x 423 in the center |
| X (Twitter) header | 1500 x 500 | 3:1 | Profile photo covers the lower left |
| X in-feed image | 1600 x 900 | 16:9 | Square and portrait images also show |
| LinkedIn personal banner | 1584 x 396 | 4:1 | Profile photo covers the left side |
| LinkedIn company cover | 1128 x 191 | about 5.9:1 | Very thin, keep it simple |
| LinkedIn post image | 1200 x 627 or 1080 x 1080 | 1.91:1 or 1:1 | Portrait 4:5 also works |
| TikTok video cover, Pinterest pin | 1080 x 1920, 1000 x 1500 | 9:16, 2:3 | Vertical formats |
| Profile pictures (all platforms) | at least 400 x 400 | 1:1 | Shown as a circle |
Safe zones: where not to put text
A safe zone is the part of the image that stays visible and uncovered on every device. Outside it, the platform overlays buttons, names and captions, or crops the image on smaller screens.
Instagram and Facebook stories show your profile name at the top and a reply bar at the bottom, so keep text out of roughly the top and bottom 250 pixels of a 1920 pixel tall image. Reels and TikTok cover even more: the caption and buttons take the bottom fifth and a column of icons sits on the right.
On covers and headers the profile picture is the problem. On X it overlaps the lower left corner of the header; on LinkedIn it covers part of the left side of the banner. On Facebook, phones show only the center of the cover and cut the sides. Put logos and text in the middle or right two thirds.
- YouTube thumbnails: the video length is printed in the bottom right corner. Keep faces and titles elsewhere.
- YouTube banners: TVs show the full 2560 x 1440, phones only the center strip of 1546 x 423.
- Instagram grid: since 2025 the profile grid shows posts as tall 3:4 previews, so the left and right edges of square posts are trimmed there. Keep the subject in the center.
How to crop correctly
Start from the largest original you have. Cropping throws pixels away, so a 4000 pixel photo can be cropped to any of these sizes and still be sharp, while a 600 pixel image will look soft when saved at 1080 or 1920 pixels.
Choose the ready made size first, then position the frame. Drag the frame to move it and drag its handles to change how much of the photo is included; the ratio stays locked. On a keyboard, arrow keys move the frame and Alt with the arrow keys resizes it. If the photo is sideways, use Rotate left or Rotate right before cropping.
For profile pictures, choose Square 1:1 and set Shape to Circle to preview how the round crop will look. Platforms crop the circle themselves, so upload the square version unless you need a round PNG for something else.
Common problems and fixes
- The image looks blurry after upload: it was smaller than the recommended size, or the platform recompressed a very large file. Upload exactly the recommended size, as JPG at high quality or PNG for graphics with text.
- Text is cut off in a story: it was placed in the top or bottom safe zone. Move it toward the middle third.
- The cover looks fine on a computer but cut on a phone: the important parts are near the sides. Center them.
- Colors look different after posting: platforms convert images to the sRGB color space. Exporting in sRGB gives the most predictable result.
- A thumbnail is rejected on YouTube: it is larger than 2 MB. Compress it as JPG at about 85 quality.
Tips for a consistent feed
Pick one ratio per platform and stick to it. For Instagram and Facebook, 4:5 portrait shows the largest image in the feed and works for both. For stories, Reels and TikTok, design once at 9:16 and reuse the same file.
Keep a master version of each image in full resolution and crop copies for each platform, rather than cropping a crop. The cropper never changes your original file, and nothing you open is uploaded, so you can work on unpublished photos and client material safely.