Facebook is forever making changes to image sizing. I thought I’d put together a quick little cheat sheet so you can quickly reference this for quickly sizing images on Facebook. As sizes change, I’ll try to update the cheats so you can keep up with changes too.
PS…If you’re looking for quick and easy photo software, CHECK OUT THIS BLOG POST.
Profile Photo: This photo is the main pic you’ll see everywhere next to your name. This is next to your comment, your posts and in the circle on your profile page. This should be a SQUARE/1:1 ratio image AT LEAST 160×160 pixels, but of course, the bigger the better; either way it’s compressed by Facebook’s servers so the size doesn’t really matter over 180 pixels.
Cover Photo: This photo is the larger header photo on the homepage of your profile page when you click your name. This is only shown when someone hovers over your name anywhere on Facebook or if they click on your name and are on the homepage of your profile. This image should be LANDSCAPE/2:7:1 ratio and 400×150 pixels minimum dimensions. Recommended is 820×312 pixels. You should know these display at 820×312 pixels on the desktop and 640×360 pixels on phones (hence the min/rec dimensions).
Shared Image: This is the photo that you upload and share with the world. This is the most common way to share your image on Facebook. The recommended upload size is 1,200×630 pixels but most users just upload whatever size they have in their phone. Know that the photo will appear *cropped* in your feed/friend’s feed at a max width of 470 pixels (1:1 ratio) and on a page at a max width of 504 pixels (1:1 ratio). So if you need information to display in the feed, make sure that info is inside a square area of the photo/image being shared.
Event Image: This image represents an event you’re hosting on Facebook’s platform. This will be the main image that is seen first and foremost when the event is replied to, shared or seen on feeds throughout Facebook. Even though the minimum image for this is only 470×174 (16:9 ratio), it’s recommended to use a larger image of 1920×1080 so it’s seen nicely on a desktop computer; especially if a flyer will be printed from the Facebook event, for the actual event.