This updated article for 2021 gives you the inside scoop on the best dimensions to follow when making posts on Instagram and Facebook. Includes a free downloadable all-in-one guide, so you can refer back to it quickly while designing!
Our social media image size cheat sheet is divided up by platforms, which lists Facebook specs followed by Instagram.The dimensions we recommend are guidelines for achieving the best quality results as of January 2021, and are subject to change as updates occur on social media platforms.
Some points to note:
- Dimensions are listed as width x height in pixels, followed by the aspect ratio in brackets
(if it's a standard size)
- Image uploads work best exported as JPEGs with RGB colour profile, unless otherwise specified
- Video uploads work best exported as MP4 or MOV files
- Facebook and Instagram scales down the quality of large images and videos in order to speed up their sites
1080 x 1080 (1:1)
The profile picture is best uploaded as a square, which will then be cropped to a circle when displayed across Facebook. You may see a better result by exporting the image as a PNG if it features a logo or text. You can upload a video here also, which can be between 1 and 7 seconds long. You might like to set your profile picture or video to 'temporary' as well, which makes it disappear after a select amount of time.
We recommend: 2553 x 945
The cover photo is probably the most confusing and complex size on Facebook, as it is cropped differently between desktop and mobile view. Ensure that nothing important falls over 1667px wide due to cropping on mobile. The circular shape of the profile picture also overlaps this cover image on both mobile and desktop in the centre. Another point to note is that on mobile, the top two corners are cropped to be slightly rounded. We recommend having anything important placed in the top area, at least 430px from the bottom. You may also see a better result with the image exported as a PNG if it features text.
We recommend: 2460 x 936
Similar to the personal profile cover image, the business page cover image is just slightly smaller. It doesn't have the page profile picture overlapping it unlike the personal profile cover image, which makes it easier to plan as you can see the entire photo in this space. It also crops to a shorter length on mobile, so ensure that no text falls over 1667px wide. You may see a better result with the image exported as a PNG if it features a logo or text. If using a video here, make sure the length is somewhere between 20 and 90 seconds too.
1920 x 1005
1640 x 856
We recommend: 1080 x up to 1620 (2:3)
See ‘Image Post’
1080 x 1920 (9:16)
The Facebook story dimensions are conveniently the same as Instagram's. Facebook stories may last for up to 20 seconds, where we usually aim for about 10 seconds when making story content. As a general guide, also ensure you leave about 250px from the top and bottom free from any text or important visuals, as Facebook features will be placed in these zones over the top of your story upon upload. You can access our downloadable story template here!
1080 x 1080 (1:1)
1080 x 1080 (1:1)
We recommend: 1080 x 1350 (4:5)
We recommend: 1080 x 608 (1.9:1)
A landscape post may vary anywhere between 608px and 1080px in height. A landscape image takes up much less space on the feed, so is a less favourable orientation as the image content will often be harder to view. A landscape image will also be displayed as a square when seen on the Instagram profile feed, so be aware of this cropping.
See ‘Square/Portrait/Landscape Post’
The same recommendations apply for video posts as they do for image posts. Instagram limits video posts to be short and sweet, between 3 and 60 seconds in length.
1080 x 1920 (9:16)
The Instagram story dimensions are also the same as Facebook's, which makes it easy to share the same design across the two platforms. If uploading a video, you have between 3 and 15 seconds of time for a story, so we aim for about 10 seconds when making content. As a general guide, also ensure you leave 250px from the top and bottom free from any text or important visuals, as Instagram features will be placed in these zones over the top of your story upon upload. You can access our downloadable story template here!
1080 x 1920 or 1920 x 1080 (9:16 or 16:9)
IGTV videos can be up to 60 minutes long when uploaded separately to a normal Instagram post via the IGTV app. The landscape and portrait dimensions are standard sizes, but keep in mind the video cover will be cropped to a 4:5 aspect ratio on the IGTV feed, and a 1:1 aspect ratio on your profile.
We truly hope this quick and easy cheat sheet helps you as much as it helps us to optimise our content on Facebook and Instagram! Click below to access the free downloadable PDF version so you can save and keep it on file. Subscribe to our blog to be the first to know when there are sizing updates.