Guides
Facebook Image Sizes: Practical Export Guide and Checklist
Published by Influence
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For a Facebook feed graphic, start with a 1080 × 1080 px square or a 1080 × 1350 px portrait canvas. For full-screen vertical creative, start with 1080 × 1920 px. These are practical design recommendations, not Facebook upload maximums or a promise that every placement shows the full image.
Choose the destination before designing. A Page cover, feed photograph, link preview, and vertical Story have different jobs. Reusing one flattened file everywhere can crop a face, hide a date, or make a useful instruction unreadable. This guide helps you prepare separate versions and review the result before publication.
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Which Facebook image size should you use?
| Destination | Suggested working canvas | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Square feed graphic | 1080 × 1080 px · 1:1 | Readable text at phone width |
| Portrait feed graphic | 1080 × 1350 px · 4:5 | Subject and message survive the preview crop |
| Vertical creative | 1080 × 1920 px · 9:16 | Interface overlays, captions, and destination eligibility |
| Page cover | Use the current Page cover editor | Desktop and mobile crop; profile and interface overlap |
| Link preview | Review the linked page’s preview image | A website preview is separate from an uploaded photo |
These canvases are practical export starting points, not Meta’s upload limits or ad specifications. Before publishing, check the exact destination in Meta’s editor and preview how it crops on desktop and mobile. Confirm the current requirements there for covers, ads, and other placements.
Prepare a readable Facebook image in five steps
- Choose one purpose. Write the message the image must communicate, such as a workshop date or a product detail. Put secondary explanations in the post text.
- Keep an editable master. Export a separate square, portrait, or vertical version from the original layout. Do not stretch an already flattened image to a different ratio.
- Move essential information inward. Leave breathing room around faces, logos, dates, and calls to action. No single fixed safe margin guarantees visibility across every placement and device.
- Inspect the actual export. Open the file at phone size, check small text, and look for compression artifacts. A larger pixel count cannot rescue blurred source photography or tiny type.
- Review the intended placement. Check the correct Facebook Page or account, image order, caption, destination link, and mobile appearance. Save the reviewed version in your calendar.
Copy the Facebook export worksheet
Use one worksheet per destination. This free worksheet needs no signup and does not upload, schedule, or publish anything. Copy it into a document beside your creative files.
Campaign and owner: [name]
Facebook destination: [Page / feed / Story / link preview]
Audience and purpose: [who needs to understand what]
Working canvas: [width × height in px; aspect ratio]
Essential content: [subject, date, short headline]
Crop and overlay check: [desktop / phone / native preview]
Export filename and format: [file]
Caption and destination link checked: [yes / changes needed]
Reviewer and decision: [name; ready / revise]
Worked example: a neighborhood repair workshop
Fictional example
Fictional business: Oak Street Repairs. Goal: explain a free Saturday bicycle-maintenance workshop. No attendance or performance results are claimed.
Feed version: 1080 × 1350 px. The image shows one repair tool, the workshop title, and Saturday at 10:00. Registration details stay in the caption.
Square version: 1080 × 1080 px. The designer shortens the headline and moves the date upward rather than stretching the portrait image.
Vertical version: 1080 × 1920 px. The tool stays central and the date is moved away from interface overlays after checking the destination preview.
Review decision: revise the square version because the location is too small. Keep the street address in the caption and check that the destination link opens the correct workshop page.
This example separates a design decision from a platform requirement. The team chose these canvases because they could reuse an editable layout and keep the message readable. It did not assume that matching a ratio would guarantee reach or eliminate all cropping.
Common Facebook image questions
Does a larger image always look better? No. Sharp source material, readable typography, and careful export settings matter. Check the rendered result rather than repeatedly increasing dimensions or exporting a heavily compressed image at a larger size.
Can I use the same file on Instagram? Sometimes, but review each destination separately. Use the Instagram image size guide to make the second version and preserve the original composition.
Is a Page cover the same as a feed image? No. A cover identifies the Page and must survive different screen crops. Use the current cover editor, keep important details central, and avoid relying on a cover to carry information that readers must not miss.
After the image is approved, put its filename and review status in the social media calendar. Use the post templates to write a caption that explains the offer without repeating every word in the artwork.