How to Resize Images for Social Media (All Platforms)

Why Image Dimensions Matter on Social Media

Every social media platform displays images at specific dimensions. If your image does not match, the platform will crop, letterbox, or scale it — often with ugly results. A portrait photo uploaded to a landscape slot gets its top and bottom cut off. A small image stretched to fill a large area looks pixelated.

Getting dimensions right is the difference between professional-looking posts and amateur ones. It also affects engagement: images that fill the frame without awkward cropping receive more attention and higher click-through rates.

This guide provides the exact dimensions for every major platform as of 2025, along with practical advice for resizing.

Platform-by-Platform Image Sizes

Instagram

Instagram is the most dimension-sensitive platform. It supports three post formats:

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Square Post | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 | | Portrait Post | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 | | Landscape Post | 1080 x 566 px | 1.91:1 | | Story / Reel | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 | | Profile Photo | 320 x 320 px | 1:1 | | Carousel | 1080 x 1080 px (or 1080 x 1350) | 1:1 or 4:5 |

Best practice: Use 1080 x 1350 (portrait 4:5) for feed posts — it takes up the most screen real estate in the feed, increasing visibility and engagement. All images in a carousel must be the same aspect ratio.

Facebook

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Feed Post (Shared Image) | 1200 x 630 px | 1.91:1 | | Story | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 | | Cover Photo | 820 x 312 px | 2.63:1 | | Profile Photo | 170 x 170 px | 1:1 | | Event Cover | 1920 x 1005 px | 1.91:1 | | Link Preview | 1200 x 628 px | 1.91:1 |

Best practice: The 1200 x 630 size works for both shared images and link previews. Use it as your default Facebook image size.

Twitter / X

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Single Image Tweet | 1600 x 900 px | 16:9 | | Two Images | 700 x 800 px each | 7:8 | | Profile Photo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 | | Header Banner | 1500 x 500 px | 3:1 |

Best practice: 1600 x 900 gives the best display quality in the feed. Twitter auto-crops images that do not match 16:9 — the center of the image is shown and edges are cut.

LinkedIn

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Feed Post | 1200 x 627 px | 1.91:1 | | Article Cover | 1200 x 644 px | 1.86:1 | | Profile Photo | 400 x 400 px | 1:1 | | Company Logo | 300 x 300 px | 1:1 | | Banner Image | 1128 x 191 px | 5.91:1 |

Best practice: Keep important content away from edges — LinkedIn crops differently on mobile and desktop. The 1200 x 627 size matches the Facebook recommended size closely, so you can often reuse the same image.

YouTube

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px | 16:9 | | Channel Banner | 2560 x 1440 px | 16:9 | | Profile Photo | 800 x 800 px | 1:1 |

Best practice: YouTube thumbnails are arguably the most important images on the platform — they directly determine click-through rates. Use bold text, high contrast, and clear subject matter. The 1280 x 720 minimum is required, but exporting at exactly this size ensures no quality loss from scaling.

Pinterest

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Standard Pin | 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3 | | Long Pin | 1000 x 2100 px | 1:2.1 | | Square Pin | 1000 x 1000 px | 1:1 | | Board Cover | 222 x 150 px | 1.48:1 |

Best practice: The 2:3 ratio (1000 x 1500) performs best on Pinterest because taller pins take up more space in the feed. Long pins (1:2.1) can perform well for infographics but may be truncated in the feed.

TikTok

| Content Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | |---|---|---| | Video Thumbnail | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 | | Profile Photo | 200 x 200 px | 1:1 |

Best practice: All TikTok content is vertical (9:16). If you are creating cover images or promotional graphics for TikTok, always design in portrait orientation.

How to Resize Images

Step-by-Step with PureXio

1. Open the Image Resize tool. No account or installation needed.

2. Upload your image. Drag and drop or click to browse. The tool shows current dimensions.

3. Enter target dimensions. Type the exact width and height from the tables above. Toggle "Maintain aspect ratio" to avoid distortion — if locked, changing one dimension automatically adjusts the other.

4. Choose resize method. "Fit" ensures the entire image fits within the dimensions (may add letterboxing). "Cover" fills the dimensions completely (may crop edges). "Stretch" forces exact dimensions (may distort).

5. Download the result.

Batch Resizing Workflow

If you need the same image in multiple sizes (Instagram post + Facebook share + Twitter card + LinkedIn post), resize four times from the original high-resolution source. Never resize from an already-resized image — each resize operation introduces slight quality loss through interpolation.

Start with the largest dimension you need and work downward.

Cropping vs. Resizing

Resizing changes the pixel dimensions of the entire image. Every part of the image is included in the output, just at a different size.

Cropping cuts away the edges, keeping only a portion of the image at its original resolution. Cropping is how you change the aspect ratio — turning a 1:1 square into a 16:9 landscape, for example.

For social media, you often need both: crop to the correct aspect ratio, then resize to the platform's recommended pixel dimensions.

Optimization After Resizing

After resizing, compress the image to reduce file size without visible quality loss. Social media platforms recompress images on upload regardless, but starting with a smaller file means faster uploads and potentially less aggressive platform recompression.

Recommended workflow:

1. Crop to correct aspect ratio
2. Resize to platform dimensions
3. Compress at quality 80–85

This three-step process produces the smallest file size with the best visual quality on the platform.

One Image, Multiple Platforms

Maintaining separate images for every platform is ideal but time-consuming. Here is a practical shortcut:

Design at 1080 x 1080 (square) as your master format. This works as-is for Instagram square posts, and can be cropped to landscape (16:9 for Twitter, 1.91:1 for Facebook/LinkedIn) with minimal content loss if you keep key content in the center.

For stories and reels, design separately at 1080 x 1920. The vertical format is too different from landscape to convert without significant redesign.

For YouTube thumbnails, always design separately at 1280 x 720. Thumbnails need specific text placement and high contrast that do not translate from other formats.

Common Mistakes

Uploading images that are too small. Platforms will stretch small images, making them look pixelated. Always meet the minimum dimensions listed above.

Ignoring safe zones. Instagram and Facebook overlay UI elements (profile picture, username, engagement buttons) over parts of your image. Keep critical content away from edges.

Using the wrong file format. Use JPEG for photographs, PNG for graphics with text or transparency. WebP works for web display but may cause issues when sharing to platforms that do not support it.

Not previewing before posting. Use each platform's preview feature to see exactly how the image will appear in the feed before publishing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I upload the wrong size?

The platform will auto-crop or scale your image to fit. This usually means important parts of the image get cut off or the image appears blurry from upscaling.

Should I design in the exact pixel dimensions?

Yes. While platforms can handle other sizes, designing at the exact recommended dimensions gives you full control over what is visible and prevents unexpected cropping.

Do I need different images for mobile and desktop?

Most platforms serve the same image to both. The exceptions are Facebook cover photos (displayed differently on mobile and desktop) and LinkedIn banners (severely cropped on mobile). For these, design for mobile first and ensure desktop also looks acceptable.

Summary

Social media image sizing is a known-quantity problem — the dimensions are documented and stable. Use the reference tables above, resize from high-resolution originals, and compress before uploading. A browser-based resize tool makes this a 30-second task per image.