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Social Media Image Sizes: A Practical Resizing Guide

The exact pixel dimensions for Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube — plus how to resize and compress images without the platform cropping or compressing them for you.

5 min read · By ForgePlug Team · Published August 17, 2026

Every social platform crops images to its own aspect ratio, and if your file doesn't match, the platform picks the crop for you — usually slicing off heads, logos, or text. The fix is boring and reliable: export your image at the platform's native dimensions so nothing gets cut. Here are the sizes that matter for the major platforms.

The reference dimensions

  • Instagram: square post 1080 × 1080, portrait 1080 × 1350 (4:5), story/reel 1080 × 1920 (9:16).
  • Facebook: feed post 1200 × 630 (or 1080 × 1080 square), cover photo 820 × 312 desktop (851 × 315 on mobile view), story 1080 × 1920.
  • X (Twitter): in-feed image 1600 × 900 (16:9), card image 1200 × 675.
  • LinkedIn: post 1200 × 627, banner 1584 × 396, profile banner 1128 × 191.
  • YouTube: thumbnail 1280 × 720, channel banner 2048 × 1152 (safe area 1235 × 338).
  • WhatsApp/status: 1080 × 1920.

Bigger isn't better past the limit

Platforms downscale large files and recompress them, which can soften text. Uploading exactly at the listed dimensions (or slightly above, never far above) gives the platform nothing to change. Keep files under 1–2 MB by compressing rather than by shrinking resolution.

A practical workflow

  1. Pick the largest size you need across all platforms you'll post to — usually Instagram story at 1080 × 1920 or YouTube thumbnail at 1280 × 720.
  2. Resize with the platform preset in an image resizer, keeping the aspect ratio exact.
  3. Crop only if your source doesn't match the ratio — prefer a 4:5 or 16:9 crop that keeps faces and text inside the safe zone (the center ~80%).
  4. Compress the result to well under 2 MB so uploads are instant and the platform doesn't recompress aggressively.

The most common mistake isn't wrong dimensions — it's uploading a 4000-pixel photo straight from a camera. The platform downsizes it, the compression artifacts show up on text, and the file takes forever to upload. Resize first, and every platform gets exactly what it needs.

Resize for social media now

ForgePlug's Image Resizer has presets for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more, with batch support and sharpening — all in your browser.

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