Social Media Image Sizes: Cheat Sheet for Every Platform
A printable reference of recommended image sizes and aspect ratios for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, plus how to fit any photo without cropping.
6 min read
Every platform has its own preferred image shapes, and posting the wrong one usually means an awkward crop, a tiny image floating in empty space, or a blurry upscale. This cheat sheet collects the recommended sizes for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook in one place, explains how aspect ratios work, and shows what to do when your photo is the wrong shape.
These are the same sizes built into the free Social Media Image Resizer, so you can pick a preset and export in a few seconds. The list was reviewed in October 2026. Platforms revise their recommendations from time to time, so confirm critical sizes in each platform’s help center before a big launch.
Quick reference: the four shapes that cover most posts
If you only remember four sizes, make it these. Almost every feed post, Story, Reel cover and video frame on the major platforms uses one of these shapes.
| Use | Size (pixels) | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| Vertical (Stories, Reels, TikTok, Shorts) | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Landscape (widescreen) | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 |
Instagram image sizes
Instagram feed posts can be square, portrait or landscape. Portrait (4:5) takes up the most screen space in the feed. The profile grid now previews posts as 3:4 rectangles, which is why 1080 × 1440 has become a common choice too.
| Use | Size (pixels) | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| 3:4 post (matches the grid preview) | 1080 × 1440 | 3:4 |
| Story or Reel cover | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Landscape post | 1080 × 566 | 1.91:1 |
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read how to resize images for Instagram without cropping.
YouTube image sizes
| Use | Size (pixels) | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Video thumbnail | 1280 × 720 (or 3840 × 2160) | 16:9 |
| Channel banner | 2560 × 1440 | 16:9 |
| Shorts frame | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Profile picture | 800 × 800 | 1:1 |
Thumbnails can be up to 50 MB when uploaded from a computer, but the YouTube mobile app caps them at 2 MB. The YouTube Thumbnail Maker exports at 1280 × 720 or 3840 × 2160. The channel banner is shown cropped differently on TVs, desktops and phones, so keep logos and text near the center of the image.
TikTok image sizes
| Use | Size (pixels) | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Video frame or cover | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Profile photo | 400 × 400 | 1:1 |
TikTok is vertical-first. App buttons and captions sit on top of the bottom and right side of the frame, so keep important text and faces away from the edges.
Facebook image sizes
| Use | Size (pixels) | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| Link preview image | 1200 × 630 | 1.91:1 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Page cover photo | 851 × 315 | about 2.7:1 |
The link preview size (1200 × 630) is also what most websites use for their Open Graph image, the picture that appears when a link is shared in chats and on other networks.
How aspect ratios work
An aspect ratio describes the shape of an image, not its size. 1080 × 1350 and 2160 × 2700 are both 4:5: the second is just twice as large. That is why platforms talk about ratios first. Any image with the right shape can be scaled to the right size without losing anything, but an image with the wrong shape has to be cropped, padded or stretched.
- 1:1 is square.
- 4:5 and 3:4 are slightly taller than wide, which suits phone feeds.
- 9:16 is a full phone screen held upright.
- 16:9 is widescreen, like a TV or a YouTube video.
Why so many sizes are 1080 pixels wide
Most phone feeds display images at roughly the width of the screen, and 1080 pixels has long been the width platforms recommend for full-quality feed images. Uploading much larger files rarely makes them look sharper, because the platform resizes and recompresses them anyway. Uploading smaller files, on the other hand, means the image gets enlarged and can look soft. Starting from a large original and resizing down to 1080 pixels wide is the safe path.
What to do when your photo is the wrong shape
Phone photos are usually 4:3 or 16:9, so turning them into 1:1, 4:5 or 9:16 means changing the shape. The resizer gives you three distortion-free ways to do it:
- Crop to fill scales the photo until it covers the frame and trims the overflow. It looks clean but loses the edges, so drag the preview to keep your subject in frame.
- Fit + border keeps the whole photo and fills the leftover space with a color. Good for graphics, quote cards and anything with text near the edges.
- Fit + blur keeps the whole photo with no cropping and fills the frame with a blurred, zoomed copy of the same image. It’s a natural-looking way to post a landscape photo in a 4:5 or 9:16 frame.
Avoid stretching. Forcing an image into a new shape squashes faces and objects, and viewers notice immediately.
File format and size tips
- Use JPG or WebP for photos and PNG for graphics with sharp text or transparency. See PNG vs JPG vs WebP for details.
- Export at high quality (around 85–92). Platforms compress uploads again, so starting from a clean file helps.
- If an upload form has a hard limit, use the Image Compressor’s Target file size mode. Enter, for example, 100 KB, and it finds the highest quality that fits.
- Keep a full-resolution original. Resize copies for each platform instead of resizing the same file repeatedly.
Checklist
- Pick the shape first (1:1, 4:5, 3:4, 9:16 or 16:9), then the size.
- Resize down from a large original, usually to 1080 pixels wide.
- Crop for photos, or use Fit + border or Fit + blur to avoid cropping.
- Keep text and faces away from the edges, where platforms overlay buttons.
- Export JPG or WebP for photos, PNG for graphics, and compress to any upload limit.
- Recheck the platform’s help center for critical launches; specs change.