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How to Size Social Media Images Correctly for Every Platform

Most social media size cheat sheets disagree with each other, and a surprising number disagree with the platforms themselves. While researching this guide we found three widely-cited sources giving three different numbers for the LinkedIn company page cover image — none of which matched LinkedIn's own documentation. This guide gives you a small set of sizes that cover almost everything, flags which numbers are officially documented and which are convention, and shows you how to build a template set you will not have to redo every month.

1. 1

   Learn the three ratios that cover almost everything

   Three aspect ratios handle the overwhelming majority of social content: 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait for feed posts, and 9:16 vertical for Stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts. If you design to these three ratios rather than to dozens of individual pixel dimensions, you can place the same asset across almost every platform without recropping.

2. 2

   Export at 1080 pixels wide as your baseline

   1080px is the standard working width across Instagram and Facebook feeds. That gives you 1080 x 1080 for square, 1080 x 1350 for 4:5 portrait, and 1080 x 1920 for 9:16 vertical. Instagram also now supports a 3:4 option at 1080 x 1440, which sits between the 4:5 portrait post and the full-screen vertical format. Exporting larger does not improve display quality after compression; exporting smaller visibly degrades it.

3. 3

   Use LinkedIn officially documented sizes

   LinkedIn publishes its specifications, so use them rather than a third-party cheat sheet. From LinkedIn's own help documentation: company logo 400 x 400 (minimum 268 x 268), page cover image 1512 x 256, Life tab main image 1128 x 376, custom modules 502 x 282, company photos 900 x 600 (minimum 264 x 176), and custom post images 1200 x 627 at a 1.91:1 ratio with a minimum width above 200 pixels. Files must be PNG or JPEG and no larger than 3MB, and LinkedIn specifically recommends a high-resolution JPEG over a PNG.

4. 4

   Treat Meta sizes as ratios rather than fixed specs

   Meta does not publish a single consumer-facing size sheet the way LinkedIn does, so treat Facebook and Instagram numbers as accepted ratios with a conventional export width. Feed posts: 1080 x 1080 for square, 1080 x 1350 for 4:5 portrait, and roughly 1080 x 566 for 1.91:1 landscape. Instagram carousels crop every slide to match the first slide, defaulting to 1:1, so set your intended ratio on slide one.

5. 5

   Design vertical content to the safe zone, not the canvas

   This is the step most people skip. A 1080 x 1920 vertical canvas is not all usable — the platform overlays its own interface on top. As a working rule, keep roughly the top 14 percent and the side 6 percent clear on both Stories and Reels, and keep the bottom 20 percent clear on Stories and up to 35 percent clear on Reels, where captions, the creator handle and the interaction buttons sit. Anything important placed outside that centre band will be covered.

6. 6

   Size your link preview images separately

   When someone shares a link to your site, the image that appears is your Open Graph image, not anything you upload to the platform. LinkedIn documents 1200 x 627 at 1.91:1 for these. That size also serves Facebook well, so a single 1200 x 627 OG image per key page covers both. Set it in your page metadata and test it with each platform's own preview debugger before you rely on it.

7. 7

   Build a master template file instead of resizing per post

   Create one design file containing artboards for 1:1, 4:5, 9:16 with safe-zone guides drawn in, and 1200 x 627 for link previews. Design once on the 4:5 artboard, then adapt. This removes the per-post decision entirely and is the difference between a system and a recurring argument with your design tool.

8. 8

   Date-stamp your template and re-verify every six months

   Platform specs change without announcement — Instagram added the 3:4 grid option, Meta consolidated its vertical safe zones, LinkedIn changed its cover dimensions. Put the verification date directly in the template file name or on a hidden layer. When a number in this guide stops matching what you see, check the platform's own help centre first and a cheat sheet second.