Upload an image at the wrong size and the platform crops your subject, blurs your text, or pillarboxes it with ugly bars. Every network expects specific pixel dimensions, and they change often. This is the up-to-date 2026 cheat sheet for every major platform — posts, stories, thumbnails, banners and profile pictures — plus a free tool to hit any size in seconds.
Open Resize Image ToolWhy Image Size Matters on Social Media
Each platform displays images at a fixed aspect ratio. If your image does not match, it gets auto-cropped (you lose part of the picture) or downscaled (text and faces go soft). Uploading at the correct native size means your content looks crisp, nothing important is cut off, and the platform does not re-compress it as harshly.
Instagram Image Sizes
- Square post: 1080 × 1080 px (1:1)
- Portrait post: 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) — takes the most feed space
- Landscape post: 1080 × 566 px (1.91:1)
- Stories & Reels: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
- Profile picture: 320 × 320 px (displayed as a circle)
YouTube Image Sizes
- Thumbnail: 1280 × 720 px (16:9) — the single most important image for clicks
- Channel banner: 2560 × 1440 px (safe area 1546 × 423 px in the centre)
- Channel profile picture: 800 × 800 px
- Shorts: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
A YouTube thumbnail must be under 2 MB. Make it 1280×720, then compress it if needed — both take seconds in the browser.
Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok & Pinterest
- Facebook shared post: 1200 × 630 px · cover photo: 851 × 315 px
- X (Twitter) post image: 1600 × 900 px (16:9) · header: 1500 × 500 px
- LinkedIn post: 1200 × 627 px · personal banner: 1584 × 396 px
- TikTok video / image: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
- Pinterest pin: 1000 × 1500 px (2:3) — tall pins perform best
How to Resize an Image to Any of These Sizes
- 1Open the WowShortcuts Resize Image tool and upload your photo.
- 2Enter the exact width and height from the cheat sheet above (for example 1280 × 720 for a YouTube thumbnail).
- 3Keep the aspect-ratio lock on if you do not want any stretching, or use the Crop to Aspect Ratio tool to crop to 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 or 9:16 precisely.
- 4Download — your image is ready to upload, sharp and correctly framed.
For story and Reel formats, design with the centre in mind — the top and bottom of a 9:16 frame are often covered by the platform's buttons and captions.
A Quick Note on File Size
Dimensions are only half the story. Most platforms also re-compress large files, which softens them. Export at the correct pixel size first, then compress the file just enough to stay under the platform's limit so it keeps more of your original quality.
Conclusion
Bookmark this cheat sheet — platform sizes shift every year and getting them right is the easiest way to make your content look professional. When you need to hit an exact dimension, the free WowShortcuts Resize Image and Crop to Aspect Ratio tools do it instantly in your browser, with nothing uploaded.