I keep three master canvases in 2026: 1080 x 1350 (4:5) for Instagram feed, 1080 x 1920 (9:16) for Reels, Stories, TikTok, Snapchat, and Shorts, and 1280 x 720 (16:9) for YouTube thumbnails. LinkedIn posts like 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350. Facebook covers are a different crop entirely (851 x 315 upload, with a mobile-safe center). Buffer’s 2026 image-size guide covers nine networks. Hootsuite’s October 2026 cheat sheet adds Snapchat, Bluesky, and Threads. Sprout Social is the other evergreen sheet people Google. Creatorflow is the copy-paste table. I still design past those sheets: safe zones, file type, and what actually crops. This page is the hub. The spoke pages hold the full tables.

TL;DR

  • 4:5 = 1080 x 1350, mostly Instagram feed
  • 9:16 = 1080 x 1920, every vertical video app
  • Covers and thumbnails aren’t 1080-wide Instagram files. Don’t force them.
  • Snapchat, Bluesky, and Threads live on this hub. Buffer’s nine-network guide skips Snapchat.

What social media image sizes do I need in 2026?

I need one portrait still, one vertical video, one square, one landscape thumb, and one wide cover. That covers the apps I actually post to for clients.

JobPixelsRatioWhere it goes
Instagram feed1080 x 13504:5Feed photos, carousels
Square still1080 x 10801:1Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook
Vertical video1080 x 19209:16Reels, Stories, TikTok, Shorts, Snapchat
YouTube thumb1280 x 72016:9Long-form search tiles
Facebook Page cover851 x 315~2.7:1Desktop cover (see safe zone)
LinkedIn personal banner1584 x 3964:1Profile header
Snapchat / Stories ads1080 x 19209:16Keep type out of top 150 and bottom 330
Threads post1080 x 1350 or 1440 x 19204:5 or 3:4Native 3:4; Hootsuite lists 1440 wide
Bluesky banner1500 x 5003:1Mobile crops to 4:1, so center the type

I don’t design a unique size for every button in every app. I design those canvases, then I crop.

What if I only post on Instagram and TikTok?

Then you need two canvases: 1080 x 1350 for Instagram feed, 1080 x 1920 for Reels, Stories, and TikTok. Skip the Facebook cover until you have a Page. Skip 1280 x 720 until you have a YouTube channel.

What Instagram sizes should I use across feed, Reels, and Stories?

Feed is 1080 x 1350. Reels and Stories are 1080 x 1920. Profile photos upload at 1080 x 1080 even though they display near 320 px. I wrote the pixel-by-pixel list on Instagram image sizes for feed, Reels, Stories, and profile. Use that when you need export settings, ads pixels, or the 3:4 grid crop, not this hub.

If the question is how long a Reel can be, that’s Reels length, not a size question.

What is 4:5 on social media and when do I use it?

4:5 is 1080 x 1350 pixels. I use it for Instagram feed posts and for LinkedIn portrait photos. I don’t use it for Stories, TikTok, or Shorts. Those apps want the extra height.

A 4:5 still is the tallest Instagram Help allows for a classic feed photo at 1080 wide (height 1350). Anything taller is a 3:4 or 9:16 conversation.

Can I post 4:5 on LinkedIn?

Yes. LinkedIn accepts 1080 x 1350. It also loves squares. I pick 4:5 on LinkedIn when the graphic already exists for Instagram and the type sits in the middle.

What is 3:4 and does every platform use it?

3:4 is 1080 x 1440 pixels. Photographers shoot it. Instagram’s profile mosaic has been moving toward taller tiles, which is why people ask. I don’t make 3:4 my default social canvas, because TikTok, Shorts, and Stories still want 9:16, and Instagram’s published feed photo range still tops out at 4:5.

When someone asks how the Instagram profile grid crops a 4:5 or a square, I send them to Instagram grid sizes. That page owns the crop. This hub only names the ratio so you don’t hunt a fake “3:4 URL.”

What is 9:16 and which apps want it?

9:16 is 1080 x 1920 pixels. Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat all want it. I export one 1080 x 1920 master, then I shift captions per app because the UI chrome isn’t shared.

App9:16 pixelsNotes
Instagram Reels / Stories1080 x 1920Keep type out of top ~150 and bottom ~250
TikTok1080 x 1920Different UI, same box
YouTube Shorts1080 x 1920Custom thumbs can be 9:16 too
Snapchat1080 x 1920Hungrier bottom chrome than Instagram

Don’t drop a 9:16 still into the Instagram feed and expect it to stay full height. The feed will crop it.

Is 720 x 1280 the same as 1080 x 1920?

Same ratio, different pixels. 720 x 1280 is 9:16 at 720p. It will post. It looks softer next to a 1080 file on a new phone. I export 1080 x 1920 unless the only footage I’ve is 720.

What size should TikTok videos be?

TikTok videos should be 1080 x 1920 at 9:16. That’s the only size I send a client unless they have a specific ad placement that asks for 1:1. Safe zones, length, and file caps live on TikTok video size and dimensions. If you just need a crop, use the TikTok image resizer.

What LinkedIn image sizes do I need for posts and banners?

I post LinkedIn photos at 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350. Link-style landscape stills are 1200 x 627. Personal banners are 1584 x 396. LinkedIn Help lists company Page covers at 1512 x 256. Buffer and Hootsuite still print 1128 x 191. Full tables, carousel PDFs, and LinkedIn ads specs are on LinkedIn image sizes. The LinkedIn image resizer handles a one-off banner.

What Facebook cover photo size should I upload?

I upload 851 x 315 as Meta’s Help Center still lists for a Page cover, and I design the important stuff in the center 640 x 312 so mobile doesn’t chop the logo. Desktop shows about 820 x 312. Mobile shows about 640 x 360. That crop math is the whole job of Facebook cover photo size and safe zones. Don’t use an Instagram 4:5 as a cover. It will look like a stamp.

Facebook feed photos are a different row. Hootsuite lists feed landscape 1080 x 566, vertical 1080 x 1359, square 1080 x 1080, and Stories/Reels 1080 x 1920. I reuse the Instagram 4:5 or square for Facebook feed. I never reuse the cover canvas as a feed post.

What YouTube thumbnail size should I use?

I still export long-form thumbs at 1280 x 720 (16:9). YouTube Help also lists larger 16:9 (3840 x 2160) and 9:16 Shorts thumbs (2160 x 3840). Shorts videos themselves are 1080 x 1920. Pixel details and the TV-safe crop sit on YouTube thumbnail size and Shorts dimensions.

What X (Twitter) image sizes should I use in 2026?

Hootsuite’s 2026 sheet is the one I copy for X:

PlacementPixelsNotes
Profile400 x 4002 MB cap
Header1500 x 500~60 px can crop off top and bottom
In-stream landscape1280 x 72016:9
In-stream vertical720 x 1280New video tab likes 9:16 at min 720 x 1280
Square720 x 720 or 1080 x 1080Buffer still likes 1080 square

Buffer’s nine-network guide still prints square posts at 1080 x 1080 and link previews at 1200 x 630. I export 1200 x 675 or 1280 x 720 for in-stream photos so they don’t letterbox. I don’t reuse a 9:16 Reel cover as an X still unless the video tab is the point.

What Pinterest image sizes should I use?

I design standard Pins at 1000 x 1500 (2:3). Max Pins can run taller, up to about 1000 x 2100. Creatorflow treats Idea Pins as merged into the unified Pin format and builds vertical multi-page content at 9:16. If a client lives on Pinterest, I design 1000 x 1500 as the pin and I still keep 1080 x 1350 for Instagram. Two files. Not one squeezed file.

Can I reuse one image across every platform?

I reuse a 1080 x 1920 vertical for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts. I crop a 1080 x 1350 from the center for Instagram feed. I don’t reuse that file as a Facebook cover or a YouTube thumb. The ratios fight.

What I actually duplicate

  • 9:16 video: Reels, TikTok, Shorts, Snapchat (re-safe the captions)
  • 4:5 still: Instagram feed, sometimes LinkedIn and Facebook feed
  • 1:1 still: LinkedIn, older Instagram templates
  • 16:9 still: YouTube thumb, sometimes LinkedIn link posts and X

Covers (Facebook, LinkedIn banners, X headers, Bluesky banners) get their own files. Always.

What Snapchat image sizes do I need in 2026?

Snapchat full-screen Snaps and ads should be 1080 x 1920 (9:16). Hootsuite’s 2026 cheat sheet is the one that still bothers to list Snapchat, which Buffer’s nine-network guide skips. Sprout’s evergreen guide is the other all-network sheet. Hootsuite’s numbers I actually use:

PlacementPixelsWhat crops
Snap / Story / ad1080 x 1920Top ~150 px and bottom ~330 px (UI)
Profile320 x 320Circle crop, 2 MB cap
Public-profile banner375 x 278Upload can be 375 x 569, then it crops

JPG or PNG. Ads max 5 MB on Hootsuite’s sheet. I keep faces and prices in the center, same habit as Reels, because Snapchat’s chrome is hungrier at the bottom than Instagram’s.

Don’t reuse a 1080 x 1350 Instagram feed still as a Snap. You’ll get bars.

What Bluesky image sizes should I use in 2026?

Bluesky doesn’t publish a simple user-facing size chart. Buffer lists 400 x 400 profile, 1500 x 500 banner, any ratio for posts (up to four images, about 1 MB each), and 1200 x 627 for link previews. Hootsuite lists larger uploads: 1000 x 1000 profile and 3000 x 1000 banner, and says Bluesky stores the long edge at 1000 pixels. Creatorflow says the server compresses each image under 1 MB and caps the longest side at 2000 px.

I upload a sharp square for the avatar (1080 x 1080 is fine) and a 1500 x 500 banner. Desktop shows about 3:1. Mobile crops the banner toward 4:1, so I keep the name in the center and I don’t put a CTA on the far left or far right. Posts can mix ratios. I still export 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 so the timeline crop doesn’t chop type.

What Threads image sizes should I use in 2026?

Threads is looser than Instagram feed. Buffer says profile photos are 320 x 320 (same as Instagram), posts accept mixed sizes, up to 20 images, and link previews land around 1200 x 600 (2:1). Hootsuite is more specific: profile 640 x 640, recommended post 1440 x 1920, min width 320, max width 1440, native ratio 3:4, max 8 MB. Creatorflow defaults to 1080 x 1350 for Threads stills.

I still export 1080 x 1350 (4:5) or 1080 x 1440 (3:4) for Threads stills so they match Instagram. I don’t upload a 9:16 Reel cover as a Threads photo unless I want a tall crop. Type stays in the middle. Threads can pinch two photos together on mobile, which is a parlor trick, not a size I design for.

What sizes do WhatsApp-style status and leftover apps use?

I’m not turning this hub into a 40-row wiki. The extras I still get asked:

PlacementPixelsRatio
WhatsApp / IG-style status1080 x 19209:16
og:image / link preview1200 x 6301.91:1
Mastodon (Creatorflow)1280 x 1280Instance caps vary

If you need a copy-paste table, Creatorflow is the click-to-copy sheet. This hub is the crop advice those tables skip.

Do I need a separate size for Instagram Stories vs Reels?

No. Both are 1080 x 1920. I reuse the canvas. I don’t reuse the captions, because Story stickers and Reels UI sit in different spots.

How do I keep a size cheat sheet for my clients?

I keep a Figma page with the six rectangles from the first table, labeled in pixels, and I duplicate it per brand. I don’t memorize Facebook’s mobile crop every Monday. I look it up on the spoke page.

When I’m in a hurry I resize for Instagram, then I crop TikTok and LinkedIn from the same folder. For a dummy Instagram grid before the client signs off, I still use feed preview apps.

Official numbers I trust: Instagram Help on photo resolution, TikTok Creative Center, Facebook Page cover dimensions, LinkedIn Page image specs, LinkedIn single-image ads specs, and YouTube custom thumbnails. For the all-network cheat sheets people actually Google, I check Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social, then I add the crop those pages skip. Platforms tweak UI chrome. The pixel boxes above have been stable enough in 2026 that I’ve not redrawn the masters.

I also keep the spoke URLs in the same Figma page so a junior on the account doesn’t invent a fifth canvas. YouTube thumbs and Shorts stay 1280 x 720 plus 1080 x 1920. LinkedIn posts and banners stay square or 4:5 plus the 1584 x 396 strip. Facebook covers stay 851 x 315 with the center safe zone. That’s the whole map.