Twitter Image Size 2024: All You Need for X, Updated!

Got the right Twitter image size?

Let’s make sure you’re on track for 2024!

The new name is X – but it’s still Twitter to most users.

The old Twitter post image size at 2:1 reduces your impact. Go bigger!

The baffling responsive Twitter header has changed for the better.

This post includes everything you need to know about Twitter X images:

• Twitter avatar, header, tweet, and link image sizes 2024
• Twitter X Lists banner image size
• Twitter ad image size (promoted tweets)
• Twitter Card image size
• 7 ways to leverage your Twitter header’s first impression
• How to post photos or GIFs on X
• How to edit and tag Twitter photos
• Image file sizes and types you can tweet
• Twitter X image size cheat sheet (save it to Pinterest!)
• And even more!

Better get started…

What’s the Best Twitter Image Size Now?

Let’s run through  all the image types you could possibly need for Twitter in 2024.

One caveat covers all: Twitter supports JPEG, GIF, and PNG file formats.

Twitter Round Profile Image Size

Twitter switched from square to round profile picture in 2017. The recommended dimensions are still 400×400 pixels.

Any square or round image of at least 400px will work.

The aspect ratio for the Twitter avatar is 1:1. Maximum file size for profile photos is 2MB.

Years ago, Twitter jumped on the “profile picture in a circle” bandwagon, along with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

I recommend you keep your avatar consistent across all business social media accounts, and that you use a close-up photo of your face.

Here are some great tips to achieve a compelling portrait:

Twitter profile picture doesn’t fit?

Larger businesses that are not represented by an individual will use a logo. These add another layer of complication.

If your logo is strongly horizontal, it may be unreadable when reduced to profile image size. Consider having your designer create a stacked version so it won’t become a tiny stripe of mouse type in your avatar.

Got a squarish logo? It looks great in a square. In a circle, not so much.

If you have a squarish logo, before uploading you’ll need to reduce it and place it in a larger square that won’t get the corners cut off when cropped into a circle.

Twitter Banner or Header Image Size 2024

You might also refer to this as the Twitter cover photo. Twitter totally copied the Facebook Timeline cover photo when they came up with their header.

The Twitter X header no longer changes size and shape per device. 🙌

The Twitter header photo recommended dimensions are still 1500×500 pixels in 2024, per X. However, they are also referring to cropping, which is certainly not happening for me. Is it for you?

There is a different display size that varies by device, but ALL are 3:1 aspect ratio. 1500×500 still works.

The only difference I see is how much of the header is covered by the profile picture. This changed slightly last year. The profile picture covers less of the header on desktop, which is never a bad thing.

Also note: The top part of the cover photo will have cell data overlay on mobile, and/or full screen phones’ display cutout area. Design accordingly!

To help you work around these issues when designing, I created an absolutely free Twitter header template that you can download by right-clicking the image below.

There are more free social media templates, plus instructions, in the free member area! No charge to join.

Additional tips for updating your profile or header photo

You can edit your Twitter profile on desktop or mobile, but your Twitter theme color is only editable on twitter.com.

To customize your theme or display color:

1. In the sidebar menu, click on More.
2. Next, click Settings and Support and then Display.
3. Now choose your desired font size, color, and background theme.

These settings will affect every tab or account you look at on twitter.com on this browser.

When changing a profile or header photo, click or tap the camera icon and select Upload photo or Remove.

When finished, click or tap Save changes.

Photos can be in any of the following formats: JPG, GIF, or PNG. (Twitter does not support animated GIFs for profile or header images.)

Check out this Twitter help article if you’re having trouble uploading a photo.

The Best Twitter Post Image Size 2024

The recommended Twitter image post aspect ratio is 16:9. That’s a width and height at minimum 600 x 335 pixels. Larger images (for example 1200 x 675) will be better optimized for when users click to expand images.

You can tweet taller now!

Square images work well, and no longer get cropped in the mobile feed. 1:1, the favorite post size on Instagram, can give you more impact on X.

If your image is taller than square, it’s still subject to Twitter crop.

Image file size: Max 15MB on twitter.com and 3MB on ads.twitter.com.

File types: PNG, JPEG, or GIF are recommended. Twitter does not accept BMP or TIFF files.

Twitter image card size or Twitter X shared link image size

Good news!

The Twitter link preview image size is the same as a Facebook link preview image.

The correct proportion for Twitter card images (or link shares / link previews) is 1.91:1.

Recommended: 1200 x 628 pixels.

Twitter List banner image size

Added in 2020: the Twitter List cover photo, aka header or banner image.

Now Twitter will place a generic, monochromatic banner graphic in one of several vibrant colors. But you can go one better and add your own photo or branded graphic, making the list that much more enticing to be shared.

The specs for a List banner image are the same as a profile header image: 1500×500. When sizing the image, know that 60 pixels on the top and bottom could be cropped.

You will note that the top of the list header image will have the user’s cell phone data overlaid, so you’ll want to avoid having text or faces there.

To add a cover photo to your Twitter List, just tap the Edit List button, then tap the camera icon on the existing banner image.

If you don’t upload a perfectly-sized image, you can crop it here. Tap Apply.

Then you can also crop the thumbnail for the little square that appears in list view. Tap Done, then Save.

And you’re done!

 

How Do I Create a Twitter Card?

With Twitter Cards, you can attach rich photos, videos and media experiences to Tweets, helping to drive traffic to your website.

Simply add a few lines of markup to your webpage, and users who Tweet links to your content will have a “Card” added to the Tweet that’s visible to their followers.

The first step is to choose which type you want!

The different Card types each work for Twitter’s web and mobile clients:

• Summary Card: Title, description, and thumbnail.
• Summary Card with Large Image: Similar to the Summary Card, but with a prominently-featured image.
• App Card: A Card with a direct download to a mobile app.
• Player Card: A Card that can display video/audio/media.

To learn more about how the Card meta tags and web crawler work, you can check out Twitter’s Getting Started Guide.

Adding Twitter cards in 4 simple steps

Ready to get started with Cards? In most cases, it takes less than 15 minutes to implement.

1. Choose a card type to implement.
2. Add the correct meta tags to the page.
3. Run the URL through the validator tool to test. If you are working with a Player Card, request approval for whitelisting. All other Cards do not need whitelisting.
4. After testing in the validator or approval of your Player Card, Tweet the URL and see the Card appear below your Tweet in the details view.

On a self-hosted WordPress site, the easiest way is to install a plugin that allows you to add code to your site more easily. The Yoast SEO plugin or JM Twitter Cards plugin require no coding skills.

If you have any questions, ask on the Twitter Cards Forum.

Are Twitter cards free?

How much do Twitter Cards cost? The Twitter Cards described above and linked below are free.

• Summary Card.
• Summary Card with Large Image.
• App Card.
• Player Card.

However the Cards under the section about ads below are not free.

Twitter Summary Card image sizes

The image size for the regular Twitter Summary Card is minimum 120×120 pixels and no more than 1MB.

These images are shown as a small square. You might also call this the Twitter image thumbnail size.

You know I encourage better photo resolution online, so please make your thumbnail image size bigger than 120 pixels square – which, by the way, is too small to even be Saved to Pinterest.

I would recommend no smaller than 600 pixels, which also works as a Pinterest image size.

Feel free to go up to 1200 pixels square, which is recommended as a Facebook image post size or Instagram post size.

Because repurposing rocks!

The Large Summary Card image size should be at least 280 x 150 pixels and no more than 1MB. This is approximately 1.91:1 aspect ratio.

It appears these large images might be cropped to a horizontal at a 2:1 aspect ratio on desktop. See the example above with the envelope art.

Twitter hasn’t given us a lot of control over images, as you’ll see again below.

Again, I would say this size is way too small and suggest 1200 x 675 for Twitter, which is also perfect fro Facebook and LinkedIn.

How Can I Get the Right Image on my Twitter Card?

A reader alerted me that this post isn’t pulling the right image as its Twitter Card. How embarrassing!

I have an optimized image at the top, perfectly sized for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

In Yoast I can specify that Facebook pull this particular image. And even if I don’t specify, it seems FB is smart enough to pull the correctly-sized image.

But not Twitter! No, they head to the bottom of the post and pull my Pin image.

Read on for a hack for those using WordPress. I haven’t yet found anything on how to get the right image on another website platform.

Twitter Card image tip 1: According to the experts at Sprout Social, if you use WordPress, set the “featured image” for the post and it should be pulled in. It worked for me! (Purple image below).

Twitter Card image tip 2: It’s possible Twitter pulls either the first uploaded, or the largest image on the page. You can test this theory. Unfortunately I was not able to test this since I always upload the Pinterest image first – that’s how my sharing button for Pinterest works best.

Twitter Card image tip 3: You can check the correct image is pulled on the Twitter Card validator. Maybe this will work for you, though it didn’t for me. It actually didn’t pull any image for this post.

C’mon Twitter, clue us in!

7 Ways to Leverage your Twitter Header

Want to improve your Twitter banner?

Learn to leverage a valuable first impression with these tips!

You are the image that you project. This goes for your personal as well as professional life.

While your company may provide the very best quality products or services, if you don’t have an impeccable-looking online presence, potential customers may think you’re a Mickey Mouse concern.

When you consider some of the biggest and most successful brands in the world, their Twitter pages all look highly professional and creatively put together.

So, what can you do to leverage your own Twitter banner?

1. First, have a brainstorming session to determine the image you with to project.

A factor to consider here is your target audience: what kind of image would appeal to them the most? Are you trying to come across as a fun, professional, or family brand?

Keep branding in mind when selecting your header images.

2. Before you design your header, keep in mind that Twitter does have certain rules when it comes to sizing.

Your cover picture should be 1500 x 500 pixels, while your profile picture is 400 x 400 pixels square.

These dimensions are covered in detail above.

3. Your Twitter header can be an excellent marketing tool! For instance, if you have just launched a new product or service, it’s the ideal place in which to showcase this.

The banner space is also a perfect place to advertise events such as talks, webinars, new books, and many others.

4. Do you have a company or brand-specific hashtag that you want people to know about?

Create a high quality cover photo with the hashtag to attract attention to it.

5. Personalize your banner as much as possible. Use copy that strikes at the core of your offer.

If you must use a stock photo, never use it “as is.” Twitter users can generally tell, and this will inevitably detract from the professional image that you are trying to create.

Instead, make use of photo editing tools or hire a professional designer to create something compelling to capture the essence of your brand, blog, or company.

6. Share places you or your company has been published, or has gotten press. This show of influence helps people trust you and your information. It’s another bit of “social proof.”

Other trust factors could include a testimonial, or 3 quick bullet points of your product or service’s key value proposition.

7. Never settle for anything but the very best! Insisting on superior quality design will definitely be well worth the effort and investment in the long run.

Your Twitter header can be likened to your company’s reception area. It’s the first port of call that many new and potential clients make when visiting your business.

Therefore, extreme care and accuracy need to be taken when selecting your Twitter banner’s profile and header photos, as this is a make or break opportunity!

Best Twitter X Ad Image Sizes

This section describes paid ads, so the sizes may vary from the free Twitter cards described above.

Twitter image website card size

There are currently two types of website image cards for Twitter ads: landscape and square.

These will link to your website. Below are the ad creative specs.

Website title length: 70 characters. Depending on device and app settings, this description may truncate. Limiting the description to 50 characters should ensure that truncation won’t occur across most devices.

Image size: 800 x 418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio, 800 x 800 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio (max 3MB).

Aspect Ratio: 1:91:1 or 1:1. The 1×1 aspect ratio is not currently available to self-serve advertisers.

File types: PNG and JPEG are recommended. Twitter does not accept BMP or TIFF files.

Twitter image app card size

Twitter ads have the same two types of app image cards: landscape and square.

These will link to your app for downloading. Below are the ad creative specs.

Image size: 800 x 800 pixels (max 3mb) for 1:1 aspect ratio. 800 x 418 pixels (max 3mb) for 1.91:1 aspect ratio

File types: PNG and JPEG are recommended. Twitter does not not accept BMP or TIFF files, and GIFs uploaded will render as static images.

Title/price: Pulled from app store.

Call to action options: Install (default if app is not installed), Open (default if app is installed), Play, Shop, Book, Connect, and Order.

Twitter promoted video

You already know that video rocks on social! You can easily repurpose these YouTube video ideas to work on Twitter as the size will be right.

Here are the size specs for Twitter video ads.

Title (under video): 70 characters.

Description (under video): 200 characters.

File type: MP4 or MOV.

File size: 1GB Max

Max time: 2 minutes and 20 seconds (Select advertisers are eligible to request an increase up to 10 minutes. Please contact your Twitter Account Manager for more information.)

Video Resolution: 720×1280 (portrait), 1280×720 (landscape), 720×720 (square).

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 1:1 (square)

Twitter video thumbnail

Supported file types: PNG or JPEG.

Recommended aspect ratio: 16:9 or 1:1

Minimum size: 640 pixels by 360 pixels.

Max size: 5MB

Single Image Tweets & GIFs in ads

Mobile images are limited to a 16:9 proportion, whereas desktop can handle any aspect ratio – although if the height exceeds the width, it will be cropped to square.

When using the same image across desktop and mobile, stick to the mobile specs — which will work across both. Selecting desktop specifications may result in cropping on mobile.

Mobile image width/height: Minimum 600×335 pixels, although larger images (for example 1200×675) will be better optimized for when users click to expand images.

Aspect ratio on mobile: 16:9.

Desktop image width/height: Minimum width of 600 pixels, although larger images (for example 1200 pixel images) will be better optimized for when users click to expand images.

Aspect ratio on desktop: Any aspect between 2:1 and 1:1 is acceptable. For example, 1200×600 (2:1), 1200×800 (3:2) or 1200×1200 (1:1). After 1:1 aspect ratio (for example, 1200×1800) will be cropped to a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Image file size: Max 15MB on twitter.com and 3MB on ads.twitter.com.

File types: PNG, JPEG, or GIF are recommended. Twitter won’t accept BMP or TIFF files.

Multi-image Tweet ads for mobile

Image width/height: Minimum 600 X 335 pixels, although larger images (for example 1200 X 675) will be better optimized for when users click to expand images.

Aspect ratio: For two images, the images will be side by side, both at 7:8 aspect ratios. For three images, there will be one 7:8 aspect ratio image on the left, with two 4:7 aspect ratio images running up the right side of the image. For four images, there will be four 2:1 aspect ratio images in a grid.

Image file size: Max 3MB on twitter.com max 1048kb on ads.twitter.com.

Multi-image Tweet ads for desktop

Image width/height: Twitter recommends a minimum of 600 x 600 pixel images, although larger images (for example 1200 x 1200 pixel images) will be better optimized for when users click to expand images.

Aspect ratio: Multi image Tweets will always be cropped to a square (1:1 aspect ratio). For two images, the images will be side by side horizontally. For three images, there will be one large square image on the left, with two square images running up the right side of the image. For four images, there will be one large square image on the left and three smaller square images along the side.

Image file size: Max 3MB on twitter.com max 1048kb on ads.twitter.com.

It might be hard to believe, but there are even more creative specs for ads. You can find them here.

How to Post Photos or GIFs on Twitter

There are some slight differences in the steps to post a photo or GIF via iOS, Android, or computer.

The instructions below are for iOS. Skip step 2 for Android and computer.

1. Tap the Tweet icon.
2. Below the Tweet compose box, you’ll see quick selection options to add a new photo or video to your Tweet. Additionally, your most recent photos from your device gallery will appear as thumbnail previews for easy access.
3. Tap the photo icon  to take a photo, or to choose a photo or GIF from your gallery.
   Tip: Read about how to include a video in your Tweet.
4. To search for and select a GIF from the GIF library, tap the GIF icon.
   Note: Animated GIFs cannot be included in Tweets with multiple images. You can send only one GIF per Tweet.
5. Once a photo or GIF is selected, the image will attach to your Tweet in full size. You can select up to 4 photos to Tweet at once.
6. Tap Tweet to post.
   Tip: You can also send photos and GIFs in Direct Messages.

How to search for a GIF when composing a Tweet

After tapping the Tweet icon, tap the GIF icon to open the GIF library.

You can search for GIFs by entering various keywords in the search box, or you can look through the auto-displayed categories to choose a GIF.

On the Twitter for iOS or Android app: at the top of the category list, tap on Frequently used to view all of your most recently-used GIFs for quick access.

Note: Twitter supports looping GIFs. If your animated GIF doesn’t loop and plays a single time, it will display as a static image.

How to Edit and Tag Twitter images

How to edit a Twitter photo

If you’re Tweeting from the Twitter for iOS or Twitter for Android app, you can enhance, apply a filter, crop an image, and add stickers to a photo once you select it.

How to add a sticker to a Twitter photo

If you are Tweeting from the Twitter for iOS or Twitter for Android app, you can add up to 25 stickers to a photo, once you take or select an image. To add a sticker to an image:

1. Tap the Tweet icon.
2. Tap the photo icon to take a photo or to select one from your camera roll.
3. Tap the sticker icon from the selected photo to launch a library of stickers to choose from. Tap your selected sticker(s). Once placed on your photo, hold and drag the sticker with your finger to move to your desired position.
4. To tilt, enlarge, or shrink a sticker: Place two fingers on either side of the sticker and turn the sticker clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate, or slide your fingers apart or together to resize.
5. If you’d like to remove a sticker from a photo, press and hold on the sticker, then drag it to the bottom of your screen until the delete icon appears.

Note: Once you have Tweeted your photo with stickers, you cannot edit the image. Additionally, you cannot edit stickers when Retweeting someone else’s photo.

How to tag people in a Twitter photo

Tap Who’s in this photo? to tag people. Type in a full name or an username and then tap Done.

Note: Tags cannot be applied to animated GIFs.

How to tag location in a Twitter photo

When you select a photo or GIF, you may see Add location and a list of suggested locations under the image.

To tag your photo or GIF with a location, tap Add location to select a location from a list, or tap one of the locations suggested based on your current location or the location where you took the photo.

You can also search for a location by tapping the location marker icon  or by tapping Search locations.

Note: To remove the image file you selected, click or tap the x on the image thumbnail (or next to the file name). To remove a tag, tap the tag and then the backspace or delete button. You can only do this before you Tweet the photo. You can’t remove tags from a photo once it is Tweeted.

And once again, yes there is even more information about posting images to Twitter on this help page.

Twitter Image File Sizes and Types

What are the size and file type requirements?

• Photos can be up to 5MB; animated GIFs can be up to 5MB on mobile, and up to 15MB on web.
• You can tweet GIF, JPEG, and PNG files.
• You CAN’T use BMP or TIFF files.
• Your photo will be automatically scaled for display in your expanded Tweet and in your gallery. source

Twitter image size cheat sheet

Here’s a handy reference you can save to your Pinterest board on social media tips or marketing!

At the end of this post you’ll find out how to get the complete social media sizes cheat sheet free printable.

Pin the Twitter image sizes cheat sheet, and read on.

How to Make Twitter Images Private

If you set your Tweets to protected, only your followers will be able to see the photos in your Tweets.

However, your followers may download or re-share links to photos that you share in protected Tweets. Links to photos shared on Twitter are not protected. Anyone with the link will be able to view the content.

If you don’t want anyone to see your photos on Twitter, delete the Tweets containing those photos.

How to Delete Twitter Images

You can delete a photo by deleting the Tweet that contains it.

Once a Tweet is deleted, the photo will no longer be available from Twitter. However, it may still be cached in some browsers, apps, and servers.

How to Make Twitter Images Accessible for Visually Impaired

This is a great feature! Twitter has its own version of your website image alt text.

When you Tweet photos using the Twitter app for iOS or Android, or on twitter.com, you have the option to compose a description of the images so the content is accessible to people who are visually impaired.

This Twitter help article includes information about how to enable the Compose image descriptions setting and instructions for composing image descriptions using iOS, Android, or computer.

It’s a little complicated, yet certainly a must if your audience includes people with disability.

Previous Twitter Size Info from my Readers

I thank these readers for their help in solving the image size riddle!

According to my reader Jeffrey:

To have images not crop on Twitter, you need an aspect ratio of 533:300 (or 1.777 x height to get width or 0.562 x width to get height) This means at 1066 the height should roughly be 600. Or as per your example, 1024×576 not 512. They keep changing the system, but at this moment, this is what works.

Tweeter @RobLathamUK pointed me to the Twitter Business Help page:

Image width/height: Minimum 600 x 335 pixels, although larger images (for example 1200 x 675) will be better optimized for when users click to expand images.

Aspect ratio: 16:9.

Image file size: Max 15mb on twitter.com and 3mb on ads.twitter.com.

File types: PNG, JPEG, or GIF. We do not accept BMP or TIFF files. source

Yes! This is exactly what I found, too.

And note their “note:”

Note: When using the same image across desktop and mobile, we recommend sticking to the mobile specs — which will work across both. Selecting desktop specifications may result in cropping on mobile.

Since mobile devices vary widely in pixel display, there’s not one perfect width. I always recommend bigger as better. Images look better scaled down than scaled up, when they could appear pixelated.

I’m currently recommending 1200 pixels wide by 675 pixels tall for tweeted images. This shows in full in the tweet stream on mobile as well as desktop.

It’s a bit taller than the Facebook link size of 1200 x 628, and the Twitter card size.

Leave some “free space” top and bottom that can be cropped off, and your tweet image can work for all 3.

If you don’t want to go with 1200 pixels wide, follow Jeffrey’s tip and multiply your height times 1.777 to get the proper width.

Or multiply your width times 0.562 to get the appropriate height.

Nail your Twitter Image Sizes!

In this article, we covered:

• Twitter avatar, header, tweet, and link image sizes
• Twitter List cover photo (or banner image).
• Twitter image sizes for advertising (promoted tweets)
• Twitter summary card image size
• How to post photos or GIFs on Twitter
• How to edit and tag photos on Twitter
• Image file sizes and types you can post on Twitter
• Twitter image size cheat sheet (be sure to save it to Pinterest!)

Review what you’ve missed or need a refresh on. And visit the related links for more details.

Note: This article was originally published on September 19, 2017, and is updated yearly, with the latest update in January, 2024.

Are you active on other social networks?

On that post, you’ll find out how to get the complete social media sizes cheat sheet free printable.

Let me know if you find any discrepancies with these Twitter image sizes!

Want more?

Click to get ALL the social media image sizes and a FREE cheat sheet!