What is the best Instagram post size in 2026?

1080×1350 (4:5 portrait) takes the most feed space and consistently performs best for single photos; 1080×1080 remains the safe classic. Anything you upload gets downscaled to 1080px wide anyway.

Why does my profile picture get cropped into a circle?

Every major platform renders avatars as circles cropped from a square source, a hard platform rule. Center your subject so the circular mask keeps what matters.

Do I really need exact sizes if the platform resizes anyway?

Yes. Their resizing is the problem. Pre-sizing to exact dimensions puts the crop under your control, and gives their recompression the cleanest possible input. Double compression (yours + theirs) is what makes images look mushy.

Social Media Image Sizes (2026 Reference)

Updated September 9, 2026

Every platform quietly crops or recompresses whatever does not match its preferred dimensions. This is the 2026 reference, and the free resizers that produce each exact size in your browser.

2026 Social Media Aspect Ratios & Safe Zones: 16:9, 1:1, 9:16, and 1.91:1

Instagram

Feed post (square): 1080×1080 (1:1)
Feed post (portrait): 1080×1350 (4:5). Takes the most feed space
Feed post (landscape): 1080×566 (1.91:1)
Story / Reel: 1080×1920 (9:16). Keep content out of the top ~250px and bottom ~310px (interface overlays)
Profile picture: 320×320 (displayed as a circle)

Instagram caps uploads at 1080px wide. Anything larger is downscaled by them anyway. Resizer: Instagram image resizer.

Facebook

Shared image / link card: 1200×630 (1.91:1)
Square post: 1080×1080
Page cover: 851×315 (mobile crops to the center ~640px; design for the middle)
Group cover: 1640×856
Event cover: 1200×628
Profile picture: 320×320

Resizers: Facebook image resizer, Facebook cover resizer.

YouTube

Video thumbnail: 1280×720 (16:9, mandatory; other ratios get letterboxed). Avoid the bottom-right corner (duration badge). Resizer: YouTube thumbnail resizer.
Channel banner: 2560×1440 total, but desktop shows only a 2560×423 strip. Keep all important content inside the central 1546×423 safe zone. Resizer: YouTube banner resizer.
Profile picture: 800×800.

TikTok

Photo post: 1080×1440 (3:4), the standard photo-carousel ratio
Story: 1080×1920 (9:16)
Profile picture: 400×400

Resizer: TikTok image resizer.

Shared image / link post: 1200×627 (1.91:1)
Square post: 1080×1080
Personal profile banner: 1584×396 (a 4:1 headline strip; compose accordingly)
Company page banner: 1128×191
Profile photo: 400×400, head-and-shoulders, centered (circular crop)

Resizer: LinkedIn image resizer.

Standard pin: 1000×1500 (2:3), the dominant format
Idea pin: 1080×1920 (9:16)
Square pin: 1000×1000
Profile picture: 400×400

Resizer: Pinterest image resizer.

X (Twitter)

Single timeline image: 1600×900 (16:9). Fills the feed edge-to-edge
Documented in-stream spec: 1200×675
Header: 1500×500 (3:1; mobile crops top/bottom; center your content)
Profile picture: 400×400

Resizer: X (Twitter) image resizer.

Profile pictures: one size note

Every platform displays avatars as circles cropped from a square. Center your subject, keep nothing important in the corners, and 400–800px square is the sweet spot (sharp on retina, small to upload). The profile picture resizer has every platform's exact spec.

All platforms recompress: that is fine

You cannot prevent a platform's re-encoding, but you control its input. An image that arrives at the exact intended dimensions with high source quality gives the compression the best starting point. That is the whole game.

Summary

Exact dimensions per platform, safe zones respected, subject centered for circular crops. Then upload. Every size above has a matching free in-browser resizer under social media tools.