Social media image specifications continue to vary between platforms and formats. The latest guide for November 2026 compiles recommended dimensions for Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, Bluesky and Threads, highlighting the importance of preparing images for each network rather than relying on a single universal file.
Across many platforms, images around 1080 pixels wide remain a practical standard for feed posts and full-screen formats. Vertical ratios, particularly 4:5 and 9:16, are also emphasized for mobile viewing, while square images continue to be supported in several publishing and advertising placements.
Instagram recommends 1080 x 1080 pixels for square posts, 1080 x 1350 for vertical posts and 1080 x 566 for landscape images. Stories and Reels use 1080 x 1920 pixels, with a 9:16 ratio. Instagram also displays posts with a vertical crop on the profile grid, so images that look correct in the feed may appear differently on the account page. Profile images are stored at 320 x 320 pixels and are displayed in a circular shape.
Facebook’s basic post formats include 1080 x 1080 pixels for square images, 1080 x 1359 for vertical images and 1080 x 566 for landscape images. Stories and Reels use 1080 x 1920 pixels, while the recommended cover photo is 851 x 315. Facebook notes that cover and profile images can display differently on desktop and mobile devices.
For X, the recommended profile image is 400 x 400 pixels and the header image is 1500 x 500. In-stream images can use 1280 x 720 for landscape, 720 x 1280 for vertical and 1080 x 1080 for square posts. The platform supports GIF, JPG and PNG files, with photo and GIF file-size limits varying between mobile and web uploads.
LinkedIn recommends a minimum of 400 x 400 pixels for personal profile images and 1584 x 396 for personal profile covers. Company pages use a 400 x 400 logo and a 1128 x 191 cover image. A LinkedIn post with a URL is best prepared at 1200 x 627 pixels, while advertising formats include 1200 x 628 landscape, 1200 x 1200 square and 720 x 900 vertical images.
TikTok’s recommended size for videos and carousel posts is 1080 x 1920 pixels, using a 9:16 vertical ratio. Other ratios can be uploaded, but square and 4:5 images may not fill the mobile screen. TikTok advertising supports vertical, landscape and square formats, while carousel ads can contain up to 35 images.
Pinterest recommends 1000 x 1500 pixels for Pins, equivalent to a 2:3 ratio. Square Pins can use 1000 x 1000 pixels, and carousel ads support either 2:3 or 1:1 images. Snapchat recommends 1080 x 1920 pixels for ads, while YouTube’s main specifications include an 800 x 800 profile image, a 2560 x 1440 banner and a 1280 x 720 video thumbnail.
Bluesky does not define a single image size for posts, but stores files with their longest side at 1000 pixels. Standard ratios such as 1:1, 9:16, 3:4 and 4:5 are suitable, with up to four images allowed per post and a 1 MB limit for each image. Its banner recommendation is 3000 x 1000 pixels. Threads recommends 1440 x 1920 pixels for posts, with a native 3:4 ratio and carousels of up to 20 images.
The guide also stresses the need to account for cropping and interface elements. Important text, logos and other key visual details should remain inside each platform’s safe area, particularly in Stories, Reels, vertical advertising and profile covers. Correct dimensions help avoid pixelation, unwanted stretching and the loss of important parts of a design when content is displayed on different screens.
Sources: Hootsuite Blog.