Social Media Image Sizes 2026: Official Specs, Checked at the Source

By Aspect Ratio Calculator Pro Editorial Team · Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Platform sizes last checked Oct 30, 2026

Every size in this guide was checked on the platform's own help, developer or ads pages on October 30, 2026. Platforms change these specs without much notice, so each table names its source. Where a platform gives only an aspect ratio, we worked out the pixel size ourselves and marked it "derived".

Many size lists give one number per format with no source, and they mix ad specs with regular post specs. Here you get the official limits, the pixel math behind each recommendation, and a few rounding traps to avoid.

All platforms at a glance

"Derived" means the platform publishes the ratio and a size limit, and we did the multiplication. "Ads" means the figure comes from the platform's ad specs, not its regular posting specs. To get any other size, put the ratio and your width into the Aspect Ratio Calculator.

What size is an Instagram post in 2026?

Instagram has two sets of rules, depending on how you post. For photos shared in the app, the Instagram Help Center says it uploads them "at the best quality resolution possible (up to a width of 1080 pixels)." A photo between 320 and 1080 pixels wide keeps its original resolution if its ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4, which the page spells out as 1080 pixels wide by 566 to 1440 pixels high. Wider photos are sized down to 1080, narrower ones are enlarged to 320, and other ratios are cropped.

Meta's Instagram Platform documentation covers posts published through the API (the route scheduling tools use), and its limits differ. Feed images must fall between 4:5 and 1.91:1. Images narrower than 320 pixels are scaled up, and images wider than 1440 pixels are scaled down.

Instagram feed posts

For ads, the Meta Ads Guide for Instagram Feed recommends JPG or PNG at 4:5 and 1440 × 1800 pixels. It allows files up to 30 MB, a minimum width of 500 pixels, and ratios from 400 × 500 to 191 × 100 with a 1% tolerance.

The 3:4 option is the one to watch. Instagram's help page now lists it for app uploads, but 3:4 (0.75:1) is narrower than the 4:5 (0.8:1) limit on Meta's developer page. If you post through a scheduling tool that uses the API, stick to 4:5 or wider.

Instagram Stories and Reels

Reel cover photos are JPEG, up to 8 MB. If the cover isn't 9:16, Meta crops it to the middle 9:16 area, and for the feed it uses the middle 1:1 square. Keep the subject of a cover in the center.

For ads, Meta recommends 1440 × 2560 pixels at 9:16 for both Stories and Reels. It also suggests keeping roughly 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free of text and logos (the Reels page says to keep at least that much clear), so the profile icon and call-to-action button don't cover them.

What size is a TikTok video?

TikTok's support.tiktok.com upload article loaded without its article text when we checked, so the numbers below come from two other official TikTok sources: the developer docs and the ads help center.

TikTok lists vertical 9:16 as the recommended ad format, and the developer limits allow up to 4096 pixels per side, so 1080 × 1920 fits easily. If you shoot in 4K, a 2160 × 3840 file is also within the limits. Exporting at 1080 × 1920 keeps file sizes down, and the frame stays 9:16. TikTok also offers downloadable safe-zone templates for ads on the same ads help page.

What is the YouTube Shorts aspect ratio?

YouTube's upload page for Shorts says a Short must be up to 3 minutes long, with a square or vertical aspect ratio. The Shorts getting-started page adds that Shorts can be uploaded at a maximum resolution of 1080p.

Because a Short must be square or vertical, a landscape 16:9 file doesn't qualify. YouTube also says it may add its own padding around 9:16 videos in computer browsers. For regular 16:9 uploads, YouTube lists encode sizes from 426 × 240 up to 7680 × 4320. Our 1080p guide covers the 1920 × 1080 tier.

What size should a YouTube banner be?

The channel branding page gives one set of numbers for every screen, because the same image is used on computers, phones and TVs, and YouTube says it shows differently depending on the device.

YouTube gives the safe area's size but not its position, and it states the safe area only for the 2048 × 1152 minimum. The diagram below centers it; that placement is our assumption, so keep key elements near the middle. If you design at 2560 × 1440 and scale the safe area by the same 1.25, it becomes about 1544 × 423 pixels (our math, not a YouTube figure).

The safe area is 60.3% of the banner's width (1235 ÷ 2048) and 29.3% of its height (338 ÷ 1152), a wide strip with a ratio of about 3.65:1 (our math). Put your channel name, logo and any text inside it. Use the space outside it for background only.

What size is a Google Forms header image?

Google doesn't publish one. The Forms theme help page explains how to add a header image, but it gives no pixel size or aspect ratio. Here is what it does say:

Google gives no official ratio we could build a pixel size from, so we don't give one. In practice, the Reposition tool crops your upload to the header frame. Start with a wide landscape image, keep the subject in the middle, and check the result in preview on both a phone and a computer before you share the form.

Export sizes worked out from the ratios

These are pixel sizes we calculated from each ratio, with megapixels (width × height ÷ 1,000,000). Where a ratio doesn't divide evenly, the table shows which way to round.

To check that a finished file matches, drop it into the Image Resolution Checker. It shows the pixel size and ratio before you upload. The 1440-wide column lines up with the 2560 × 1440 screens covered in our 1440p guide.

Common mistakes

• Using ad specs for regular posts. Meta's 1440 × 1800 and TikTok's 540 × 960 minimum are ad specs. Regular posts follow the limits in the developer docs.
• Designing only at 2560 × 1440 for a YouTube banner. Check that your text fits the 1235 × 338 safe area at the 2048 × 1152 minimum, or about 1544 × 423 if you scale it up to 2560 × 1440 (our math).
• Adding black bars to Shorts. YouTube says padding interferes with its ability to fit the player to your video and the viewer's device. Export a true 9:16 file instead.
• Exporting Shorts above 1080p. YouTube lists 1080p as the maximum resolution for Shorts uploads, so export at 1080 × 1920.
• Trusting an old size list. These specs change. Every table here was checked on October 30, 2026, and the source links let you check them again.

How this guide was made: an AI tool helped with research and the first draft, and we then checked each figure against the sources above. Found an error? Email editorial@aspectratiocalculatorpro.com. Editorial policy.

Related

• 1080p Resolution: 1920 × 1080 Pixels Explained1080p resolution is 1920 × 1080 pixels (16:9, 2,073,600 px). What the p means, 1080p vs 720p, 1440p and 4K, PPI by screen size, and other-ratio sizes.
• What Is 1440p Resolution? 2560 × 1440, QHD and WQHD1440p is 2560 × 1440 at 16:9, sold as QHD or WQHD. Exact pixel counts, PPI by screen size, ultrawide 1440p math and 125%/150% scaling tables.
• What Is the 4:3 Aspect Ratio?What 4:3 means (1.33:1), every common 4:3 resolution with megapixels, how 4:3 compares to 16:9 at the same diagonal, and how to convert 4:3 to 16:9.
• Aspect Ratio CalculatorWork out any width, height or ratio.