Social Media Image Sizes (2026): Every Guide in One Place
Feed posts work best at 4:5 (1080 × 1350 px), full-screen stories and reels at 9:16 (1080 × 1920 is common), and YouTube thumbnails at 16:9.
Every size below links to its own short guide with the reasoning, common mistakes and the official source. Pick your platform, copy the size, and get back to making the post.
- Instagram post size: 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) for the feed; Instagram keeps ratios from 1.91:1 to 3:4.
- Instagram carousel size: 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) on every slide, up to 20 slides.
- Instagram story size: 9:16 vertical; 1080 × 1920 px is the common size.
- Instagram reel size: 9:16 vertical video; keep the cover’s key content centered for the grid.
- LinkedIn post size: 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) works well; LinkedIn keeps ratios from 3:1 to 4:5.
- LinkedIn carousel size: One page size for the whole PDF (1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1080 are common); ads use 1080 × 1080 cards.
- LinkedIn banner size: 1584 × 396 px, JPG or PNG under 8 MB.
YouTube
- YouTube thumbnail size: 16:9; 1280 × 720 px is safe, 3840 × 2160 is recommended.
- Facebook post size: 4:5 vertical (1080 × 1350 px is common) or a 1:1 square.
Instagram dimensions at a glance
Instagram shows photos up to 1080 pixels wide and keeps any ratio between 1.91:1 and 3:4. Anything outside that range gets cropped. That gives you four shapes worth knowing:
- Portrait 4:5: 1080 × 1350 px, the best default for feed posts and carousels
- Square 1:1: 1080 × 1080 px, easy to reuse elsewhere
- Landscape 1.91:1: 1080 × 566 px, the widest shape Instagram keeps
- Stories and reels 9:16: 1080 × 1920 px is the common full-screen size
Instagram puts buttons and captions over the top and bottom of stories and reels, so keep text toward the middle. The free Social Safe Zones tool shows where those overlays sit.
Three rules that cover every platform
- Design 1080 pixels wide. It is the width Instagram keeps, and it works for feed posts on LinkedIn and Facebook too. Only YouTube thumbnails and LinkedIn banners need their own canvas.
- Match the shape to where it shows. Vertical 4:5 for feeds, full-screen 9:16 for stories and reels, wide 16:9 for video thumbnails. The wrong shape is what gets cropped, not the wrong pixel count.
- Keep the important part in the middle. Grids, previews and app buttons all trim or cover the edges in different ways. Text and faces near the center survive every one of them.
Sizes are the easy part
Knowing the size takes a minute. Filling a 1080 × 1350 canvas with slides people actually swipe through, week after week, takes much longer. If you post carousels on Instagram or LinkedIn, that is the part EasySociable is built for.
EasySociable turns a prompt into a branded carousel for TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and Xiaohongshu. Ask your AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) or use Studio, built on 48 templates. You edit the words and download PNGs.
Free plan includes 3 downloads per month with no watermark. No credit card required.
Proven formulas for your next carousel
Pick a formula, paste the prompt into your AI agent or open it in Studio, and get slides sized for the platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best image size for social media?
1080 × 1350 px (4:5) works for most feed posts on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Use 9:16 for stories and reels and 16:9 for YouTube thumbnails.
What are the Instagram dimensions for posts?
Instagram keeps photos up to 1080 px wide with a ratio between 1.91:1 and 3:4. 1080 × 1350 (4:5) is the best default.
Is there one size that works everywhere?
Not quite. A 4:5 image covers most feeds, but stories, reels, thumbnails and banners each need their own shape.
Sources: Instagram Help Center, Image resolution; Meta Business Help Center, Aspect ratios; YouTube Help: video thumbnails; LinkedIn Help: background photo size, checked October 2026.
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Written by Murphy, Founder of EasySociable