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Home » Facebook Tips » Ideal Facebook Group Cover Photo Size 2025: Free Template!

Ideal Facebook Group Cover Photo Size 2025: Free Template!

Updated on: February 10, 2025 by Louise Myers 209 Comments

Looking for the correct Facebook group cover photo size?

One that works on both desktop and mobile?

And gives you an attractive thumbnail preview!

You’re in the right place.

Like all Facebook cover photos, the one for groups displays differently on various devices.

The Facebook group cover photo size just changed. It crops differently on every device, so you'll want to use this template!

What you’ll learn below about Facebook Group Banners

1 | How to create a Facebook Group Cover Photo for mobile AND desktop.

2 | How to get a great looking Group thumbnail preview and “first view” on desktop.

3 | FREE group cover photo template.

4 | The EASIEST way to make your group header without fussing over size and safe zones.

What Facebook Says about Group Cover Photo Size

According to Facebook, the ideal size is 1,640px by 856px, or 1.91:1 ratio.

If you don’t want to deal with a template, you can simply create a new image in your graphics program at 1,640px by 856px. This will work fine on both phones and tablets.

Allow cropping top and bottom on desktop views. Facebook won’t allow you to control the crop. A portion of the top and bottom will be cropped.

Below is Facebook’s simplified template. But keep reading as we can do this one better.

Facebook provided Group Cover Photo template

Facebook Group Thumbnail Previews

Have you noticed the little previews when you look for groups?

Some previews catch your eye or communicate at a glance, and others are messy and confusing.

Facebook Group thumbnail previews
Many Facebook Group thumbnail previews look messy and confusing.

Where does the Facebook Group thumbnail preview come from?

The preview is grabbed from the center of your banner.

However, if you have a strong focal point in your cover photo, that will be auto-detected by Facebook, and may pulled out as your thumbnail. No guarantees with Facebook!

If you don’t have a powerful focal point, or care to risk Facebook’s whims of the week, use my new 2025 group cover photo template below to preview your preview!

How do I get the best Facebook Group preview?

An effective group cover photo doesn’t necessarily translate into an effective thumbnail.

Most group admins are ignoring this opportunity, so you can really stand out if you pay attention!

Lots of tiny text is not your best bet. You may want to include your group rules, but try to include an element with visual impact.

How to design your header image so you get the best thumbnail:

  • Keep it simple! That’s the best and easiest way to go.
  • Center something that communicates at a glance. Don’t make it slightly off-center.
  • OR, include a strong visual element and let FB pull that out.
  • Cut additional text, or make it much smaller, so your main message stands out.

Read on for examples.

Below you’ll see an example of an effective cover photo that failed as a thumbnail.

Without a strong focal point, the center was grabbed, which simply makes no sense at all.

An effective group cover photo doesn't necessarily translate into an effective thumbnail

 

On the other hand, the Simple Pin Collective group cover photo produced one of the strongest thumbnails, and as you can see, it was not grabbed from the center. Facebook simply pulled the strongest visual element.

Simple Pin Collective group thumbnail

Here’s another favorite, which had a strong and attractive logo centered on the cover image:

Spark Insider group cover and thumbnail

Now that you can see what works (and doesn’t) for previews, let’s face one more issue that came with New Facebook.

New Facebook Gradient on Desktop

Another element to consider when designing your group cover photo is the background gradient.

On desktop display only, Facebook pulls a color from the top sides of your group banner, and creates a gradient that stretches to either side.

If your cover image has different colors on either side, this gradient can come out a bit odd and unbalanced.

It can also be less than ideal if you’ve used a photo with colors in the upper corners that clash with your brand colors.

These may not be deal-breakers for you, but worth considering.

New Facebook group gradient on desktop example 1

New Facebook group gradient on desktop example 2

Here’s your Facebook Group Cover Photo Template for 2025!

The mobile view doesn’t show quite the entire 1640 x 856 header image. So I’ve updated my template!

This new template:

  • Is the recommended width of 1640 pixels.
  • Is the recommended proportion of 1.91:1.
  • Shows where that group thumbnail will be extracted (see tips above).
  • Shows the “first view” on desktop (explained below template).

Since Facebook isn’t allowing full control over the cropping on desktop, this template shows a default center crop.

Right-click to download full-size template for 2025:

Facebook Group Cover Photo template for 2025.

Desktop preview or “first view”

You’ll see an odd cropping of cover photos on desktop when you first visit the group page (same with events, business pages, etc).

In the groups, only the bottom sliver of the cover photo shows unless you scroll up to see more. Who does that? So you may want to consider this in your design.

You can see what I mean below. And it’s marked on the new template above!

depiction of severe cropping of group cover photos on desktop.

Instructions for using my social media templates

1 | Open in Photoshop or other graphics editing program that has layers.

2 | Change Image > Mode to RGB (the template is an indexed color PNG).

3 | Add guidelines to match template, or use template as a translucent layer for guidance.

4 | Delete template from image file when your design is done.

If your design program doesn’t have layers, you can use them for size and visual reference.

There are more social media templates in the Free Member Area.

I Can’t Get the Right Size for my Facebook Group Cover Photo!

IF you’ve looked at the easy solution above, but insist on persisting…

If your preferred design tool doesn’t allow you to set pixel size, look for a “Facebook Link Preview” size, or a 1.91:1 shape. This is the same proportion, or aspect ratio.

No go? You can find a 16:9 cropping template in any photo editing app, even free ones, like Photos on iOS.

If you go with Facebook’s suggested width of 1640, it’ll be 923 pixels tall.

Be aware that only 856 pixels of the height will show on mobile, and 662 on desktop. So you’ll lose a smidge off the top and bottom.

Remember that the thumbnail will be taken from the full height you upload, though!

Persistence is futile? Try Snappa!

Easiest Facebook Group Cover Photo Maker!

If you don’t want to mess with Photoshop and designing from scratch, make your group header the easy way – with Snappa.

Snappa has integrated Facebook Group cover photo dimensions and safe zones into their graphic design tool, so it’ll look perfect on both mobile and desktop.

Facebook Group cover photo dimensions and safe zones
Just one of dozens of Facebook group cover photo templates inside Snappa.

Inside Snappa, you’ll also find:

  • 500,000+ photos plus graphics – royalty-free and licensed for commercial use.
  • Or, upload your own photos into Snappa.
  • 200+ fonts pre-loaded in Snappa
  • Or, import your own custom fonts to keep your branding intact.
  • Hundreds of pre-designed templates!

You can toss together eye-catching Facebook Group banners in seconds!

Even better? In a couple clicks, your cover photo can become a perfectly-optimized:

→ Facebook Page Cover Photo

→ Facebook Event Cover Photo

→ Twitter header

→ YouTube channel art

→ Facebook ad

Or any one of a couple dozen other social media images!

Read on for instructions. Or jump in and try it out now…

• • • Create a Facebook cover photo for free NOW! • • •

Disclosure: IF you upgrade to a paid plan, I may receive a referral fee.

Facebook Group Banners on Desktop vs. Mobile

It’s tricky to design your cover photo to display properly on both mobile and desktop. Designing with “safe zones” will get you a Facebook group header that looks great on all devices!

Facebook doesn’t stretch and distort your image to fit different devices – it crops it automatically instead.

On a mobile device, your group cover photo will be seen in its entirety.

But on a desktop device, Facebook will crop the top and bottom.

Using the Facebook-recommended group cover photo size of 1640 pixels by 856 pixels, and keeping critical elements within safe zones, will ensure that nothing important gets cut off on desktop.

How to make your FB Group cover photo with Snappa

Choose the Facebook Group cover photo preset for a perfect cover photo size – automatically!

Choose the Facebook Group cover photo preset

Next, choose a premade Facebook Group Cover template – it’s fully customizable. Or, you can choose to create a cover photo from scratch.

Make your life easy with a template! You can still upload your own image as a background – or choose from Snappa’s library of FREE images.

choose a premade Facebook Cover template

Add text, graphics, shapes, and effects to any part of the banner image.

All of these add-ons can be:

  • Dragged and dropped easily.
  • Defined as to the opacity you desire.
  • Placed on whichever layer you choose.

toggle off safe zones

You’ll notice that the overlay shows the mobile-only zones of your Facebook cover, so you’ll never have to worry about text and graphics getting cut off.

You can easily toggle this overlay on and off.

What’s more, once your design is complete, you can transform your new Group Cover Photo into any other image type.

It’s so fast and easy. Give it a try now! 

• • • Create a Facebook cover photo for free NOW! • • •

Disclosure: IF you upgrade to a paid plan, I may receive a referral fee.

How Do I Upload a Cover Photo to my Group?

The following tips are provided by Facebook.

Only admins can upload or change cover photos for their group.

To upload or reposition a group cover photo:

  1. From your News Feed, click Groups in the left menu and select your group. If you don’t see Groups, click See More.
  2. Click Edit in the bottom right corner of the cover photo and select where you’d like to choose an image from, or select Reposition.
  3. Select the image, drag to reposition, and click Save Changes.

source

It appears this weird issue has been fixed: If the cover photo had never been set, a group member could add a cover photo. Now you must be an admin to do so.

Facebook Group Cover Photo Problems?

Please remember that Facebook cover photos crop differently on desktop and mobile. There is simply NO one-size-fits-all solution.

My article on FB business page covers gives more detail on this confounding problem. It’s all about aspect ratio.

→ Facebook Business Page Photo size with FREE template

To get details and FREE templates for personal profiles and events:

→ Facebook Profile Cover Photo size

→ Facebook Event Cover Photo size

Want more?

Check out ALL the optimal Facebook image dimensions here!

The group cover photo dimensions have been verified to work in 2025.

But things change! If you’re having problems, leave specifics in your comment. I can’t help if you simply say, My Facebook group cover photo is too large.

Explain the cropping problems you’re having and I’ll look into it.

Ready to Make your Facebook Group Cover Photo the Easy Way?

Try Snappa online design tool for free!

Their templates give you the perfect size, with safe zones to ensure your beautiful design looks great on both desktop and mobile.

  • Create highly engaging images in minutes with drag-and-drop.
  • 500,000+ photos and graphics – royalty-free and licensed for commercial use.
  • 200+ fonts pre-loaded in Snappa.
  • Or upload your own photos or fonts.
  • Choose from hundreds of pre-made templates, suitable for a wide range of niches.
  • Magically resize to another type of cover photo in seconds!

Whether you’re a designer or not, it’s really got everything you need.

• • • Create a Facebook cover photo for free NOW! • • •

Disclosure: IF you upgrade to a paid plan, I may receive a referral fee.

Enjoy your new Facebook group cover photo!

The Facebook group cover photo size just changed. It crops differently on every device, so you'll want to use this template!

Filed Under: Facebook Tips, How-to Graphics Tagged With: Facebook Business Pages, Facebook Groups, social media images, visual social media

About Louise Myers

Louise Myers is a graphic design expert whose designs have been featured by Disney, Macy's, WalMart and more. Her straightforward writing style empowers small business owners to make their own graphics for social media success!

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    March 2, 2018 at 7:36 AM

    Thank you so much for this! I was getting so annoyed with trying to simply upload my facebook group banner! Now I finally have it placed properly and visible on all devices! 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply
  2. claudia rizhman says

    February 28, 2018 at 7:17 AM

    Hi Louise, i delete & create a new FB group. I´ll use your template. Hope it fits well 🙂 By the way, FB sucks, change things and don´t answer any doubt from anyone.

    Reply
  3. Isabella Gracen says

    February 26, 2018 at 12:50 PM

    Thank you! I was able to use your provided template as a guide and it worked well! I apprecieate your help by providing this template and the useful information!

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 26, 2018 at 2:36 PM

      Great to hear 🙂

      Reply
  4. Lisa says

    February 21, 2018 at 5:16 AM

    Thankyou so much. 🙂

    Reply
  5. HL says

    February 15, 2018 at 6:20 AM

    Thank you Louise – I have just spent about 3 frustrating hours trying to get our group photo to fit and, having tried a number of different dimensions, finally found yours – which are the only ones that are correct! Much appreciated and many many thanks.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 15, 2018 at 10:52 AM

      Great!! Glad to hear it worked.

      Reply
  6. Sabbie says

    February 14, 2018 at 3:16 AM

    Whats the last update? Still 1640×859?

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 14, 2018 at 11:33 AM

      Yes.

      Reply
  7. Sara C says

    February 9, 2018 at 10:06 PM

    I used it today and it worked well. I played around with it a bit to make sure I would have enough room on the left for mobile and my font is big. You have no idea, or maybe you do.. how important it is to have big font. I can look down at my phone and immediately be able to see and read my group page name. It’s awesome. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 10, 2018 at 8:53 AM

      Absolutely… everything must be considered for mobile viewing.

      Reply
  8. Paolo says

    February 9, 2018 at 10:50 AM

    These size are not correct for FB Pages cover… I think neither for groups….

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 9, 2018 at 11:20 AM

      This is not for FB Page covers. Have you tried it for groups? This is what FB recommends, and it works for me.

      Reply
  9. Kim Abbott says

    February 7, 2018 at 11:35 AM

    Using your template but still having issues. I even changed my dimensions in Photoshop to what you have and every time I try to upload my image it looks bigger and looks nothing like what I saved. Even placed my picture over the template and saved it but still same problem.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 8, 2018 at 9:48 AM

      Sorry, I can’t see that anything has changed with the group cover photo, and FB still recommends this size.

      Reply
  10. Carolyn V Hamilton says

    February 5, 2018 at 11:48 AM

    I have created several different size mastheads, according to all the specs I’ve read here, in Photoshop Elements, saving them as jpegs with the sizes noted in the file name. When I try to upload one to my Facebook Group cover photo, almost all of them import at exactly the same size (one imported really small). I’m so frustrated, I don’t know where to go with this.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      February 5, 2018 at 3:05 PM

      Carolyn, I’m not really sure how to help.

      You can only upload one cover photo. It will show at different sizes and croppings on different devices. This is what the template hopes to show.

      Does this explain it better? I’m not sure if you’re trying to upload different sized images. You can only have one cover photo per group.

      Reply
  11. CFS says

    January 25, 2018 at 7:00 PM

    Hi Louise,

    Using canva.com, I created a FB Group Cover photo with dimensions 1640 x 859.

    Unfortunately even after I compressed the photo using FastStone Photo Resizer 3.8, the .jpg file ended up being 440kb, which somehow doesn’t seem to be able to upload to the Group Photo.

    I’m very new to web/graphic design, have just been running a new FB group for ME/chronic fatigue syndrome.

    The web site URL below is just the current FB group (without the new Group Cover Photo).

    Any info that you could provide would be much appreciated.

    Kind regards,
    CFS Brisbane

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 26, 2018 at 10:21 AM

      Don’t know what the problem is. I just uploaded a 1.5MB image as a group cover photo. Are you getting some kind of warning message?

      Reply
  12. Sarah Liz says

    January 23, 2018 at 7:48 PM

    These didnt work for my group image – these were are still to large

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 24, 2018 at 9:53 AM

      I’m perplexed by what you mean by “too large.” Part of it is getting cropped off on desktop that’s not as I’ve indicated on the template? It still works for me but I’d love to know where the problem is. FB is even providing a similar template now!

      Reply
  13. Brandon Benson says

    January 22, 2018 at 3:10 PM

    Everyone try 820 x 312 or 640 x 360. This link was updated Jan 6th.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 22, 2018 at 4:52 PM

      Hey Brandon,

      Those sizes have been recommended by Facebook for PAGES but it does not work for groups, and it doesn’t even work well for Pages because it doesn’t work for desktop AND mobile.

      Reply
  14. Brandon Benson says

    January 22, 2018 at 3:05 PM

    This is way off. The image is way too large. Are you sure this is for a Facebook Group Cover photo? (Not a Facebook Page Cover?) 784 x 250 is what Facebook last says, and that’s entirely too large. I tried your dimensions and it’s not correct either. What are some of us missing here?

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 22, 2018 at 4:55 PM

      There’s no such thing as a too-large image. It will be scaled to fit on different devices. It’s all about the aspect ratio. Have you seen how many people have used this and said it works? It works.

      Also, the width is what Facebook themselves say. Their height doesn’t work for mobile though. That’s what this post is about… a cover photo that works for both.

      Reply
  15. Glowacz says

    January 20, 2018 at 10:40 AM

    Merci Louise pour votre réponse

    Reply
  16. Glowacz says

    January 20, 2018 at 7:45 AM

    Bonjour Louise, bonjour à tous.
    J’ai lu et relu toutes vos instructions, mais je n’arrive toujours pas à avoir la bonne dimension de l’image de mon groupe.
    J’ai tout testé, mais je ne trouve pas. Pouvez vous m’aider, je travaille sur ordi.
    Merci beaucoup.
    L’image la mieux adaptée 1500×753 mais la hauteur est coupé en haut et en bas de l’image 🙁

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 20, 2018 at 8:42 AM

      As far as I can see, these dimensions still work. It’s always possible that Facebook is rolling out changes to some people and not others. Nothing I can do about that.

      Be sure to look at your cover photo on desktop AND mobile. Don’t forget that most FB use is from mobile, so we have to come up with a solution that works for both. Something will be cropped on either one or the other.

      Reply
  17. Dude says

    January 16, 2018 at 1:56 AM

    Great! Thanks for keeping this up-to-date. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Nicole says

    January 15, 2018 at 7:05 PM

    Thanks so much! The group banner mobile dimensions are perfect. I’ve been looking everywhere!

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 15, 2018 at 9:05 PM

      Great! Glad it helped.

      Reply
  19. Nick Pappagallo says

    January 15, 2018 at 10:37 AM

    This no longer seems to work I have tried all of the variations you suggested, think FB might have changed it again! Its so frustrating that they can’t leave things alone.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 15, 2018 at 4:20 PM

      Uh oh. So far it looks the same for me, but who knows what tomorrow may bring!

      Reply
  20. Cal says

    January 6, 2018 at 12:08 PM

    Rob, Facebook have moved away from “fixed position images” … so that’s really what’s created all this mess. It’s still very vague, but most people are now opting for 1920×1080 (standard video HD) and it’s all about scalable ratio 16:9. So, yes, it does seem insane, but it’s about achieving a failsafe canvas which can downscale for all desktop/laptop/notebooks/tablets and smartphones … that’s the backbone to all this mess!!!

    I have since created a new template which is based on a 1920×1080 Canvas, where I am simply placing a letterbox boundary for important text/banner elements … so essentially, it’s simply the backdrop which is sized at 1920×1080, with the focus being on allowing plenty of space from edged, particularly top/bottom text margins within your banner.

    Hope this helps?

    Kind Regards,
    Cal

    Reply
  21. Rob says

    January 6, 2018 at 12:17 AM

    Are you insane? Your template takes up the entire page on my laptop screen!! I don’t think that is what is meant by “cover” photo. It’s not supposed to cover everything else on the screen!!

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 6, 2018 at 11:31 AM

      No, it’s not supposed to cover your screen, you’re supposed to open it in an image editing program. Sorry you’re finding it so challenging. Perhaps rereading the instructions in the post will help shed some light on it.

      Reply
  22. Christian says

    January 5, 2018 at 3:21 PM

    Thank you. Your directions seem to have worked for me.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      January 6, 2018 at 11:32 AM

      Glad to hear it!

      Reply
  23. Cal says

    January 4, 2018 at 11:28 PM

    I appreciate all the input which people are providing here – we may as well stick together, while Facebook leaves us all out in the cold to figure things out by ourselves.

    Now, regardless of which dimensions are labelled optimal or what people are coming up with themselves, I am seeing more reference to the whole 16:9 approach, where people are going with 1920 x 1080 as the standard HD scalable ratio. So …. is it absolute madness to design a template for a Facebook Group with such a large canvas, or am I going mad completely bonkers over this end?

    Kind Regards,
    Cal 🙂

    Reply
  24. Dawn says

    January 4, 2018 at 11:15 AM

    Thanks for this the new banner size was doing my fruit in!!

    Reply
  25. Esadh says

    January 2, 2018 at 11:48 PM

    Thank you so much for this!

    Reply
  26. Mayur says

    January 1, 2018 at 10:38 PM

    Thx !! Been looking for this all over.

    Reply
  27. Lindsay says

    January 1, 2018 at 12:24 PM

    Thank you for keeping this updated!

    Reply
  28. Grant says

    December 28, 2017 at 1:59 PM

    This was a lifesaver for me. Thank you, thank you!!

    Reply
  29. Beney Raheem says

    December 27, 2017 at 2:02 AM

    it does not fit for cover. width is ok, but hight does not fit

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 27, 2017 at 10:03 AM

      On mobile or desktop?

      Reply
      • Grant Gardner says

        December 27, 2017 at 5:38 PM

        Hey Louise, thanks for the info above. I will agree with Beney – the height is somewhat off. I made my over all frame the size listed above (1640 x 921) and my “content” of image only 662 px tall, and FB was still cutting off the top. For my design, I was able just to bump it down into the whitespace, probably about 100px or so (just eyeballed but can go look) and that got it close enough to use. Seems like they’ve messed with things again.

        This was on desktop.

        Reply
        • Louise Myers says

          December 27, 2017 at 7:21 PM

          Thanks so much for explaining, Grant! It’s hard to keep up.

          Reply
  30. Byron Jones says

    December 23, 2017 at 10:07 PM

    Trial and error got us there but very annoyed with FB for not making this a lot clearer.

    Thank you Louise for the direction and help and Merry Xmas.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 24, 2017 at 5:52 PM

      You’re welcome and Merry Christmas, Byron.

      Reply
  31. Hubuhs says

    December 18, 2017 at 4:29 AM

    Thank you for your information, I have a plan to change my fb cover …

    Reply
  32. Mark Kalvin says

    December 18, 2017 at 3:13 AM

    Many manyThanks

    Reply
  33. Cal says

    December 8, 2017 at 6:29 PM

    Hi Folks!

    I can’t speak for older smartphones, but this approach works for my clients on Tablet, Notebook/Laptop and Desktop PC.

    1500 x 783 … 80 pixels letterbox, with 688 pixels in height, so basically showing a letterbox with a slightly deeper band at the bottom.

    As many of you say, a lot of angry people out there, as FB do this kind of thing on a whim, with no professional levels of notification. After all, with the money they make, surely they could build a simple update notification into their main website toolbar, for the entire world to see??

    All the best.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 8, 2017 at 8:15 PM

      Thanks Cal!

      Reply
      • Cal says

        December 9, 2017 at 3:19 PM

        You’re very welcome Louise!

        I should clarify, when I mention 80 pixels letterbox, I should have expanded in saying “80 pixels from the top, with a height of 688 pixels thereafter (all within an overall canvas dimension of 1500 x 783.

        Again, you never know when Facebook will change things, so even with “semi-guaranteed” dimensions, it’s still a good practice to place text areas (or crucial graphic elements) well within your preferred container template!

        Kind Regards.

        Reply
  34. Christy says

    December 7, 2017 at 2:07 PM

    Thanks for this! I found 1920 x 1080 was perfect for FB in both mobile and desktop leaving space at the bottom to account for the group name.

    That change in dimensions is so frustrating but glad you could give some help!

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 7, 2017 at 8:54 PM

      So glad it helped!

      Reply
  35. Vera Schafer says

    December 4, 2017 at 6:17 AM

    Thank you for the template. I try to make my Facebook Group Banners using Canva.com.
    However, I am having a problem first because their suggested size doesn’t fit well on my groups anymore. I found your template but this group, for example, doesn’t show either Group Name or sub-title under the 230 px clear for type. What am I doing wrong?
    facebook.com/groups/brasileirosdamelhoridade/

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 6, 2017 at 11:34 AM

      Sorry, I can’t tell. As I’m not in your group it may look different to me. Also the large type only shows on mobile.

      Reply
  36. Marthinus says

    December 4, 2017 at 3:39 AM

    Just remember to change the template from indexed color to RGB. Don’t know why the template is in indexed. ** sigh **

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 4, 2017 at 7:17 AM

      I always save flat color images as PNG for better quality and smaller file size – but I hadn’t thought to alert people about the color mode. So thanks for the heads up, and you’re welcome for the template!

      Reply
  37. Matthew says

    December 3, 2017 at 2:00 PM

    This saved me a lot of time on our facebook group. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  38. Nayem Mahmud says

    December 2, 2017 at 9:44 AM

    Thank you for the template! I just wanted to chime in that if you have a long FB Group title that shows up as more than one line on mobile, you’ll need to leave even more space on the bottom to account for that.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 2, 2017 at 3:24 PM

      Why are you copying another comment? I removed your link and if this happens again you’ll be spammed.

      Reply
  39. Uwe Jarchow says

    December 2, 2017 at 5:25 AM

    I was going nuts trying different sizes for my group cover photo after Facebook changed the dimensions. Your template did the trick first time. Thank you. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      December 2, 2017 at 6:50 AM

      Glad to hear it!

      Reply
  40. Paige says

    November 30, 2017 at 4:59 PM

    Thank you for the template! I just wanted to chime in that if you have a long FB Group title that shows up as more than one line on mobile, you’ll need to leave even more space on the bottom to account for that.

    Trial and error, as always…that’s what graphic design is all about, I suppose!

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 30, 2017 at 5:05 PM

      Oh, good point! Thanks.

      Reply
  41. Scott says

    November 29, 2017 at 8:30 PM

    Thank you Louise for your article here, I now know that I am not alone. Nevertheless, I am at my limit here with FB’s ‘Group Banner’. I have tried 296×90, 300×150, 400×150, 450×150, 493×150, 600×200, 784×239, 800×150, 821×250, 821×334, 851×315, 1200×400,1250×400, 1640×720, 1640×856, 1640×921; and all are being over-stretched or over-sized by FB, I can only re-position it left & right, yet it is still too tall. What did FB do to my older, pristine, heavily edited, beautiful ‘Group Banner’ – HeLp !? 11/29/17

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 29, 2017 at 8:47 PM

      FB cover photos, no matter what size or shape you use, are going to crop on one device or another. I recommend using the mobile proportions as I detailed in the post, allowing space at the bottom for the type overlay, and positioning it on desktop to cut that part off. The old cover photo size isn’t coming back.

      Reply
      • Katie Williams says

        November 30, 2017 at 9:55 AM

        Part of the top is also not visible. I made my own template, using the 1640 x 856 size and it works well on my notebook computer.

        Reply
        • Louise Myers says

          November 30, 2017 at 10:38 AM

          How does it look on mobile though? Remember that the vast majority of users are viewing via mobile.

          And yes, part of the top will be cut off if you don’t reposition it. Depends on how you want it to look, but the amount cut off on desktop is such a close match to where the type overlays on mobile, it almost seems intended to work the way I show in the template.

          Reply
  42. Pauline says

    November 29, 2017 at 2:52 PM

    Thanks Louise but I still can’t get the new dimensions right. it is driving me nuts. I manage a few groups and all of them are distorted and no matter what I do I can’t get the banners right at this time.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 29, 2017 at 3:34 PM

      By distorted – you mean Facebook is resizing your images non-proportionally? I haven’t seen this occur. Email me a screen shot?

      Reply
  43. Sarah says

    November 29, 2017 at 12:49 PM

    How do you use the template?

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 29, 2017 at 3:55 PM

      I added instructions to the post. But if your design program doesn’t have either layers or guidelines, just create your image to the recommended size and follow my templates for areas you need to keep clear of type or important elements.

      Reply
  44. Chris Mathan says

    November 29, 2017 at 8:41 AM

    Thank you for that! The cover photo for the group I managed changed in front of my eyes the other day. I wasted a lot of time looking for an answer and then trying to figure out what the new size is. Nothing from Facebook. They are really starting to drive me crazy, not approving ads, no response to inquiries about that etc.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 29, 2017 at 3:32 PM

      I know, they are difficult at best ?

      Reply
  45. Gloria Grace Rand says

    November 29, 2017 at 6:33 AM

    I heard from Mari Smith today that the group photo size should be: 1920×1080 pixels (16:9 ratio). I haven’t tried it yet, but wanted you to be aware!

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 29, 2017 at 7:44 AM

      Yes, that’s what works for mobile, thanks for confirming! Without the template you won’t know where the type goes or it crops on desktop. Not sure why FB has to make them different 😉

      Reply
      • Alan Stone says

        December 10, 2017 at 8:00 AM

        I only noticed this last week that my group cover image was appearing enlarged. After several attempts to find a current size I came across your page. Because my cover consists of a photo plus a logo and text I tried at least 6 times to make a cover image that worked based on the dimensions in this article. It was either too large, couldn’t be re-positioned, or cut off part of the image on the top. The following is what finally worked: Total size: 1640 x 856. Keep a margin of at least 100 pixels at the top (no text) because that gets cut off by Facebook’s blue navigation bar. Leave bottom margin of 186 pixels blank of text and image (I left mine with a simple background color). That should work for smart phones although the FB app on my phone puts text all over the darkened cover image.

        Reply
        • Alan Stone says

          December 10, 2017 at 8:06 AM

          Sorry, 1640 x 856. Just as Katie Williams says. Just leave that 100 pixel margin at the top if you are adding text.

          Reply
        • Louise Myers says

          December 11, 2017 at 8:55 AM

          Interesting. I wonder if different FB accounts are seeing it differently. I have no other explanation for why some people say my template is perfect, and others say it doesn’t work!

          Reply
  46. Rebecca Beauregard says

    August 23, 2016 at 6:25 AM

    When creating group photos should we follow the same guideline for desktop/mobile viewers? It’s so frustrating for me when I create a graphic that looks great on PC only to find my information cropped off when I view it in my fb app.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      August 24, 2016 at 9:12 AM

      I think we need to keep any text or vital elements away from the sides. If I get a chance I’ll test it for dimensions, but that won’t be real soon, sorry.

      Reply
  47. Kimberly says

    August 21, 2016 at 7:33 PM

    Louise,
    First, thank you for so freely sharing this hard-won information! I’m sure it will become a much referenced resource for me. I came upon your site via a Google search for guidelines to correctly size a picture to be used as the header of a Facebook Group page (you know, the first thing anybody will see). The recommendation of 801 x 250 pixels results in a very distorted picture and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. My group will be a very small group indeed; single purpose page providing an exchange forum for those of us ‘nerds’ who collect the Wade porcelain ‘whimsies’ given as premiums by Red Rose Tea. (See what I mean?) I still want to do a quality job and any advice you can provide would be most helpful. Thanks in advance for your time and attention.
    Sincerely,
    Kimberly Cline

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      August 21, 2016 at 8:40 PM

      I haven’t been able to find any reliable info on this. It sounds to me that what people see on desktop vs mobile vs Group app (I didn’t even know there was such a thing!) varies greatly.

      My best suggestion is to start out with a larger photo for better resolution, and if you have a PNG files, that would probably give you the best result.

      Your cover photo doesn’t appear distorted to me, just low resolution.

      Good luck! I’d love to hear how it works out.

      Reply
  48. Hadi says

    August 9, 2016 at 12:45 AM

    Is there any changes in facebook Group Cover photo size to date ? (Aug 2016)

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      August 9, 2016 at 4:57 PM

      Hadi, not that I’m aware, but I’m not a FB group admin.

      Reply
  49. Leslie says

    November 3, 2015 at 8:06 AM

    I have no idea how to make a Facebook group cover photo

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 3, 2015 at 9:24 PM

      You can simply upload a photo that’s at least 801 pixels wide.

      If you want to add text to it first, here’s one way you could do that: https://louisem.com/4344/add-text-to-pictures-free-photo-editor

      Reply
      • Court Smith says

        December 13, 2017 at 3:59 PM

        What is the correct size for a Facebook Group photo at the top of the page. it’s been fine for years up until recently.

        Look at this…. facebook.com/groups/VancouverHotRods

        No matter what size I make the photo…it turns out like this…I’ve tried so many including yours with no luck. Thank you

        Reply
        • Louise Myers says

          December 14, 2017 at 7:40 AM

          Sorry this didn’t work for you. It actual looks perfect to me, so I can only conclude that some people have a different view. FB changes always take a while to roll out to everyone.

          Reply
  50. Lynne says

    November 10, 2013 at 9:24 PM

    Creating a facebook group cover photo can do wonders for your page. It can provide a face or picture to associate with your business. Knowing how to do this right is very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Louise Myers says

      November 12, 2013 at 9:50 AM

      Most welcome, Lynne, thanks for your comment!

      Reply
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