Social Media Specs
Facebook Specs
Facebook is the platform where the accepted range is widest and the rendered result is least predictable, because the same post can appear in feed, in Marketplace, in a Reel surface and inside Messenger. I build to the ratios below and let Facebook crop from there. The link preview section is the part most teams get wrong.
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Recommended pixels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed image | 1.91:1 | 1200 x 630 | Also the safe size for shared links |
| Feed image, square | 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 | More vertical space on mobile |
| Stories | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Keep copy inside the safe area |
| Reels cover | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Cropped to 1:1 on the profile grid |
| Page profile photo | 1:1 | 170 x 170 displayed | Upload larger, it is downsized |
| Page cover photo | Roughly 2.7:1 | 820 x 312 on desktop | Crops hard on mobile |
| Event cover | 1.91:1 | 1200 x 628 | Text sits over the lower third |
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Resolution | Length guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed video | 1:1 or 4:5 | 1080 x 1350 | Sound off by default, caption it |
| Reels | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Short form, up to 90 seconds is typical |
| Stories video | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Splits into 15 second cards |
| In stream video | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | Longer form, monetisable surface |
| Field | Limit or requirement | What actually shows |
|---|---|---|
| Post text | Very long, over 60,000 characters | Around 250 before 'See more' |
| Page short description | 255 characters | Shown in the About panel |
| Link preview title | Pulled from og:title | Around 60 to 70 characters |
| Link preview description | Pulled from og:description | Often truncated near 100 characters |
| Link preview image | og:image, at least 1200 x 630 | Under 600 x 315 renders as a small thumb |
Notes
The single highest leverage Facebook fix is not creative, it is the og:image on your own site. If the shared image is under 600 pixels wide, Facebook renders a small square thumbnail next to a line of text instead of a full width card, and click through collapses. Set og:image at 1200 x 630 and force a re-scrape in the Sharing Debugger after any change, because Facebook caches the old preview aggressively.
Design assuming sound is off and the crop is unknown. Feed, Reels and Stories all serve the same asset in different frames, so put the message in the middle 60 percent of the canvas and burn in captions rather than relying on auto captions.
Page cover photos are the worst asset in social because desktop and mobile crop differently from the same file. Keep any logo or copy inside a central region roughly 820 x 312 and accept that the outer edges will be lost on one device or the other.
Facebook changes these values without announcing them, and Meta frequently tests new crops in the app before documenting them. Confirm against the Meta Ads Guide and the Sharing Debugger before a large production run.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my shared link show the wrong image?
Facebook cached an earlier scrape. Run the URL through the Sharing Debugger and click Scrape Again. If it still picks the wrong asset, your page is likely exposing more than one og:image tag or an image below the minimum size.
Should I still post native video rather than a YouTube link?
Yes, if reach is the goal. Native uploads autoplay in feed and a YouTube link does not, which is most of the distribution difference. Post the link separately when the goal is watch time on YouTube itself.
Do square or vertical images perform better in feed?
Vertical formats take more screen on mobile, which is where nearly all the impressions are. I default to 4:5 for image posts and only use 1.91:1 when the asset is a shared link that needs a matching preview.
Official sources
Platforms change specifications without notice. Check the primary documentation before a launch that depends on an exact value.
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More Social Media Specs
Social Media Image Sizes
Current image dimensions and aspect ratios for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest, in one scannable table.
Social Media Character Limits
Character limits for posts, bios, captions and headlines across Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Instagram Specs
Instagram image sizes, Reels and Stories video specs, caption and bio limits, and file requirements in one reference.
LinkedIn Specs
LinkedIn image dimensions, video specs, character limits for posts, headlines and articles, plus document post requirements.
TikTok Specs
TikTok video dimensions, aspect ratio, length limits, caption and bio character counts, and safe zone guidance for creators.
YouTube Specs
YouTube video resolutions, thumbnail and banner sizes, title and description limits, and Shorts requirements in one table.