Want your Facebook Cover Photo to look good on both desktop AND mobile?
Optimizing your Facebook content for mobile is non-negotiable.
Why?
More than 3/4 of Facebook users will only see it on smartphones and tablets!
But your Cover Photo can have it both ways: Here’s a Facebook Cover Photo mobile template – that also works great on desktop.
Updated for New Facebook 2021! Good news – it’s simpler than ever.
Read on…
2 Great ways to make the perfect Facebook Page Cover Photo!
Already know how to design with a graphics program that has layers, like Photoshop?
Then you’ll love my FREE cover photo template below.
Not a pro designer? No worries!
There’s an EASY online design app that includes a template right inside!
Read on for both of these options, with instructions on keeping your elements within the “safe zone” so it won’t get cropped on either desktop or mobile.
Why Should You Care about Optimizing for Mobile?
Mobile use is on the rise, and this trend will continue to grow.
Google won’t like your website if it’s not optimized for mobile – and Facebook users won’t understand your cover photo that’s designed only for desktop viewing!
Facebook mobile usage stats for 2021
These are the most recent stats available, checked December 2020.
79% of Facebook users ONLY access the site by mobile (up from 51.7% in January 2016). source
One billion users access Facebook daily through their mobile phones. source
In 2020, 98 percent of active user accounts worldwide accessed Facebook via mobile devices. source
That’s up from 96% in January 2019, and let’s face it, it’s just about everyone!
Because people access Facebook from a variety of devices, the percentage numbers are over 100%. Stats and chart: Statista
I love my big beautiful desktop monitor, but even I use Facebook on mobile sometimes 😉
Why is the Facebook Page Cover Photo so Confusing?
Facebook Cover Photo sizes seem to be a tough concept for many to grasp.
First off, there are 4 different kinds of cover photos on Facebook (see below).
If that’s not confusing enough, Facebook recommends different sizes for each.
BUT the problem is NOT the pixel dimensions!
Issues arise because each cover photo has a different shape on desktop vs. mobile.
Cover photos have a wider aspect ratio on desktop. They’re taller on mobile.
This isn’t because Facebook is trying to confuse designers! It’s because a browser window is wide. A mobile device is tall.
FB is trying to accommodate these completely different displays.
However, Facebook doesn’t help us much when they tell us:
Your Page’s cover photo:
Displays at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall on your Page on computers and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall on smartphones.
Must be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall.
Loads fastest as an sRGB JPG file that’s 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and less than 100 kilobytes.*
Yeah. Well that would be great if we could actually upload a separate image for mobile and desktop. But we can’t!
What we need to do is design a cover photo that works for both sizes / shapes.
Let me reiterate, the pixel size is not the critical issue. It’s that the SHAPES are different.
You can design for desktop, and have a huge portion of the sides cut off on mobile.
OR, you can design for mobile, and allow some cropping top and bottom on desktop.
I highly recommend mobile-first design!
As marketers, we spend a lot of time at a computer monitor. This is not the case with the general public!
Over half – 56.5% – of Facebook users ONLY access the site by mobile. These folks will never see your desktop-optimized design.
My templates are optimized for mobile first.
*By the way, I strongly suggest you ignore any cover photo size advice from Facebook!
This article applies to Facebook Business Page cover photos ONLY.
For personal profiles, groups, and events, click:
Facebook Profile Cover Photo size
Facebook Group Cover Photo size
Facebook Event Cover Photo size
What’s New in “New Facebook” Page Cover Photos?
Here’s the bottom line. Not a lot has changed for the Page cover photo dimensions.
The mobile version stayed the same, per my iPhone display. It’s still a delightfully simple 16×9 proportion.
See it in all its simple beauty below:
Pre-New FB, my iPad showed the profile picture, page name, and username splashed over a heavily shaded cover photo that was cropped a bit from the iPhone display.
But no longer!
Now the Page cover photo is clean and clear of overlays on tablet, with the exact same cropping shown on phones. So that’s good!
Facebook Page cover photo on desktop
The cropping on the desktop version has become a bit more severe in New Facebook. Whereas Facebook is still telling us:
Your Page’s cover photo:
Displays at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall on your Page on computers source
I find it’s been cropped down to only 303 pixels tall (if you go with that 820 width).
Here’s how the mobile to desktop crop plays out now, in New Facebook. The purple dotted line shows the 16×9 cover photo on mobile while the green dotted line shows how it crops on desktop:
More details on sizing when you get to my template further down this article.
The biggest visual changes on desktop are:
1 | The repositioning of the profile picture from left of the banner image, to below it. There’s only a tiny bit of overlap, so this won’t mess up you banner design.
2 | That gradient! While it can add a nice splash of color when you have a solid background that reflects your brand colors, it can also look weird if your cover photo is actually – a photo!
Or just different color blocks on either side.
Facebook is pulling a color from the top outer edges of your header image. And if the image is different on either side, then so is the gradient.
Me no likey.
You can see a couple examples below to help inform your cover photo creation:
Facebook Page Cover Photos made easy!
Let me alleviate your confusion. It doesn’t have to be difficult.
If you don’t want to mess with Photoshop and templates, make your FB header the easy way – with Snappa!
Snappa has integrated Facebook’s cover photo dimensions and safe zones into their graphic design tool, so it’ll look perfect on both phones and computers.
Inside Snappa, you’ll also find:
- 40,000+ photos and 3,500+ 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!
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.
Cover Photos on Desktop vs. Mobile
I agree – it’s tricky to design your Facebook cover photo to display properly on both mobile and desktop. Designing with “safe zones” will get you a Facebook cover photo 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 Facebook cover photo will crop out the sides, while showing more of the cover photo’s height.
And on a desktop device, Facebook displays more of your cover photo’s width, while cropping the top and bottom.
You can quickly see the difference below.
Using the Facebook cover photo size of 820 pixels by 360 pixels and keeping critical elements within safe zones will ensure that nothing important gets cut off on either mobile devices or desktop.
If you’re ready to create a Facebook cover photo, Snappa’s powerful and easy-to-use graphics builder has made this process incredibly simple.
Here’s a step-by-step video showing you how to create a Facebook Page cover photo in the optimal size using Snappa.
Or, follow these screenshots to walk you through the process.
Choose the Facebook cover photo preset for a perfect cover photo size – automatically!
Next, choose a premade Facebook Cover template (which is fully customizable), or create a cover photo from scratch.
Even if you use a template, you can upload your own image – or choose from Snappa’s library of free images.
Add text, graphics, shapes, and effects to any part of the 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.
You’ll notice that there’s an overlay showing the mobile and desktop only zones of your Facebook cover so you’ll never have to worry about text and graphics getting cut off. ?
Ready to get going?
• • • Create a Facebook cover photo for free NOW! • • •
Disclosure: IF you upgrade to a paid plan, I may receive a referral fee.
Facebook Page Cover Photo Mobile / Desktop Template 2021
Prefer Photoshop, or another Canva alternative?
Your mobile Cover Photo will no longer have the sides rudely chopped off with this template.
The secret is to make your image much taller than the recommended 820 x 312 pixels – 461 pixels tall, to be exact.
As I mentioned above, the crop on desktop is now only 303 tall if you use the 820 pixel width. This gives you 79 pixels top and bottom that will be cropped on desktop.
I tried different aspect ratios, and this one worked best. You may lose a pixel or two on one or more of the edges on mobile. Nothing worth worrying about!
You have a choice of 2 templates here: low resolution (820 x 461 pixels) and high rez (1200 x 674 pixels).
I do recommend that you make your cover photo larger than 820 pixels for best resolution. The one just below is 820 pixels wide, Facebook’s recommended width.
Just right click the image below to download, and choose “Save Image As…”
For high-resolution version and instructions, keep scrolling!
Facebook Page Cover Photo template, UPSIZED!
Even better – Make your Facebook Page Cover Photo BIGGER! I recommend 1200 x 674. Right click here to download the LARGE template.
Instructions for using the Facebook Cover Photo templates under the next heading ⬇️
This template is so close to the recommended size for link shares that you can multi-purpose it. It’s also the perfect size for tweeted images. The proportion is 16:9.
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.
The easier Photoshop solution for Facebook Cover Photos
Photoshop Smart Objects!
You can find flexible social media header templates available for purchase on Creative Market.
They use Photoshop Smart Objects so you can preview how your design will look on desktop, phone, and tablet. Move your images and text around and see the mockups update before your eyes!
Disclosure: I’m a Creative Market affiliate and will make a small referral fee if you purchase.
I believe the small cost is well worth the time you’ll save.
How to upload your Facebook Page Cover Photo
When you upload your Cover Photo on desktop, you can adjust the top cropping so it’s positioned top-to-bottom exactly as you like it.
If you upload on mobile, it will crop to center automatically in desktop view. However, I don’t recommend this, as the compression is terrible!
Stick to uploading a PNG file via your desktop computer and it will look 10 times better.
Facebook Cover Photos: Conclusion
Don’t forget to visit these other articles for more cover photo templates:
Facebook Profile Cover Photo size
Facebook Group Cover Photo size
Facebook Event Cover Photo size
For all Facebook dimensions, including ads:
Want all the top social media image sizes?
Find them all in one place, with links to in-depth articles on many of the topics! It’s truly the ultimate guide to social media image sizes.
Ready to make your Facebook Page 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 phone.
- Create highly engaging images in minutes with drag-and-drop.
- 40,000+ photos and 3,500+ 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.
- Choose from hundreds of pre-made templates, suitable for a wide range of niches.
- Image dimensions for social media, display ads, blogs, emails, and infographics.
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.
What do you think? Now your Facebook Cover Photo mobile version can rock just like on desktop! Share with a friend!
Kaye says
Thank you so much – will definitely appreciate this in a couple weeks when I update for after Christmas ! ?
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome Kaye!
Wendy says
Why is there now an @ sign and business name?
Louise Myers says
Because Facebook wanted to? Sorry, but they tend to do whatever they want. It’s weird as we’re not used to seeing @ tags on FB!
David Nelson says
I posted a Facebook cover photo for a client that’s 828 pixels wide and it’s getting cropped on my mobile device on both sides. Would you know how to solve this? Do I just move all the content into the center more and assume the outsides will be cropped?
Louise Myers says
If you make it to the FB-recommended size of 828×315, the sides will be cropped on mobile. I haven’t experienced cropped sides with my template, though.
Al says
If you haven’t noticed this on any design, you’re a magician!!! Any design that exceeds, let’s say 700px to the 828px limit, is cropped.
Louise Myers says
Have you tried my template? It works for me, and I don’t think there’s any magic involved.
Thales Santos says
Hey, the template link is broken 🙁
Louise Myers says
The links are working for me. You have to log in to get the template though. Which link are you having a problem with?
Kitty Larry says
Logged in getting a 404 message :/
Louise Myers says
Sorry to hear this! If you’re still unable to get in, let me know if you want me to email you the FB template.
Anna Leticia Lima says
I can’t open the link either : (
Louise Myers says
Which is the link you’re having trouble with? I’ve tried everything I see, they work for me, not sure what’s going on!
Thanks for any details you can provide.
Louise Myers says
Emailing the template to you in a minute!
Louise Myers says
Emailing the template to you in a minute!
Kent Rosengaard says
Where is the FB cover template ?
How to download ?
Louise Myers says
Hi Kent,
Click the button in the article that says “Get a free membership here.” You have to log in to get it. You won’t be added to any email list.
Lia says
This is an excellent resource. Any chance of a similar one to preview Facebook ads in both desktop and mobile settings?
Lia
Louise Myers says
Hi Lia,
I’m not up to speed on FB ads mobile vs. desktop, but if I come across something, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Inn the meantime, perhaps this infographic of all 2016 ad sizes is helpful?
Jesse McGilligan says
Hi Louise,
I’m also having problems with the template link. Can you provide an alternative or send via email? Very excited to have found this.
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
Hi Jesse,
I just emailed it to you. Sorry for the confusion.
Lauren McDonnell says
Hi I’ve signed up, I’m logged in but I can’t see where I download the template from. I’ve looked in resources too but can’t find it?
Many thanks 🙂
Louise Myers says
Hi Lauren,
I just emailed it to you. Sorry for the confusion.
Peter Cardenas says
I am having problems with the template link. Can you send via email? Thanks!
Louise Myers says
It’s odd. I see that there have been 373 downloads, so it’s definitely working. I’ll go ahead and send it so you don’t have to hassle with it any more 🙂
Julie Hanan says
The download is not working. Keep getting error message. Why not make the graphic clickable so we can download it? I’ve wasted 10 minutes already trying to download after registering, logging in, etc. Very disappointed.
Louise Myers says
Sorry for the hassle. I’m having my support team look into it, so far they can’t find any problem.
It’s strange that 400 people have downloaded it, yet something has been preventing a few from doing so.
I will email you the template now and will implement your suggestion if my team can’t figure out what’s wrong.
Kaye Lister says
Hi Louise,
I’m not able to download the link. I seem to just be going around and around in circles. Could you email it to me please?
Thanks
Kaye
Kaye Lister says
Got it thanks Louise!
Kaye
Louise Myers says
Thanks for your patience – my support team is working on it and asked me not to change anything until they can figure out what’s wrong. Sorry for the hassle!
matt d says
Broken record I’m afraid… same problem as everyone else. No download… just keeps telling me I am already logged in.
Louise Myers says
Emailed to the address you provided here. Sorry for the hassle! Thanks for your patience – my support team is working on it and asked me not to change anything until they can figure out what’s wrong.
tudor freio says
Hello, where is the link please ?
Louise Myers says
If you’re logged in and can’t find the free member resources, please use this link: https://louisem.com/member-resources
Sorry for the hassle.
Carol Brooks Ball says
Louise,
First, THANK YOU for all the legwork you do for those of us in this crazy, ever-changing, social media marketing biz! Your resources are terrific and extremely helpful.
Second, unlike so many others (based on the comments), I was able to download the FB template! That said (and here’s a dumb Q), how are these best used? Do I upload them to my FB page and T account, and then try to design from there somehow? If so, how do I make it so that my followers/fans don’t “see” this on my FB and T pages? #confused
Thanks, Louise.
Best,
Carol
Louise Myers says
Hi Carol,
Nope, don’t upload them to your social accounts. You could use them 2 different ways:
1. If you use Photoshop, Pixlr, PicMonkey, PowerPoint, or another program for designing your image that supports layers, you would make the template a transparent layer to use as a guide for your design – then delete it when your design is finished, and save your design to upload to social.
2. If you don’t design with layers, you can use the template to get the measurements and use it as a visual guide for where to place elements in your design. If your program supports “guidelines,” you would use the measurements on the template to set them up.
I apologize if all this is over your head! If so, it’s best to just use a plain photo for your social cover photos. You can crop it after uploading to the social network.
Carol Brooks Ball says
Makes perfect sense. Thanks!
Lindsay Solomon says
I’m also having this issue, unfortunately. The link only states that I am logged in. Thanks for your help!
Louise Myers says
Lindsay,
Thanks for your help via email to resolve this!
Tina F says
Hi Louise!
Thanks for the great info! I setup a membership then came back to this page and clicked on the Log In link. Which goes here:
https://louisem.com/login?redirect_to=https://louisem.com/member-dashboard
this url results in: (Failed to Open)
However, I went to another page under Resources and the button to log-in there goes to:
https://louisem.com/member-dashboard
The first url’s redirect is pointing to a secure url (https) the second one is not.
I’m in now. Thanks!
Louise Myers says
Thanks so much, Tina!
Connie Zimmermann says
Hi Louise,
Thank you soooooo much!! The 462 height did the trick. I had created my very first business Facebook page today, and was not surprised but still very disappointed that the Cover on the mobile was cut off on both sides. Why oh why do things never work the first go round!!???
But then, thanks to your awesome tip… all is well now.
I am launching the page this Monday, Memorial Day, with an observance to our fallen heroes.
Louise Myers says
Excellent! I’m glad you worked it out, Connie.
danny kientz says
Just wanted to take the time to thank you.
Louise Myers says
How nice of you, Danny! Thanks. 🙂
Peter Costello says
Thanks Louise.
This solved a real problem for me.
Much appreciated
Pete
Louise Myers says
Glad to hear it, Pete!
Anil Agrawal says
The Facebook business Page cover dimensions/display has changed again. Is there a new template we can use? Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Hi Anil, it’s the same size, the only difference is no profile picture overlap. Use 828 x 464 as I have on the cheat sheet. I just used it this week and it works perfectly.
Kristin says
Hi there! I’m wondering if you can shed some light on a little bug bear of mine. When I view the cover image on my mobile, the image doesn’t seem to be ‘responsive’… it used to be… but in the past few months, this has changed it seems. The cover photo looks bright and crisp on the laptop, but on the mobile, the image looks like it’s overlaid with a shadow, and the image view is cropped. I’m a bit baffled about this… can you offer some insight on it?!
Thank you for your website… its incredibly well resourced 😀 xKristin
Louise Myers says
Thanks, not sure I can help…
I’ve never noticed the cover photo on mobile to be responsive, and I don’t see the shadow you mention. If you used the FB-recommended size, it will be cut off on the sides on mobile. I feel my size works better! 🙂
Paul Estes says
Brilliant! Thank you!
zaiten says
Hi Louise,
I’ve tried uploading PNG images a hundred times to no avail. Facebook keeps turning them into JPGs with abismal compression and nasty artifacts. My clean PNG was 24bit, 97kb, 851x315px, didn’t work. tried an 8bit, 32kb, 256 color PNG and Facebok still converted it to JPG.
Here’s what’s driving me crazy: this page is managing to upload pristine PNG images, how are they doing it? https://www.facebook.com/breakfestco/photos/gm.295675714148611/550867371778369/?type=3&theater
Louise Myers says
Not sure. If I get a chance to test, I will update.
However, I don’t know of a way to get hi resolution on Pages from mobile. For personal accounts, you could try this: https://www.facebook.com/help/187741037945488
evie p says
Managed to download the template but cannot get cover photo resize to work at all … Any resizing for dummies tip as it feels like Ive tried everything!
Louise Myers says
While I don’t know which design app you’re using, the best process is to start with the correct canvas (image size) first.
Then import your photo and size to fit the canvas.
You might have to refer to the instructions for your particular app if you don’t know how to do this.
Olga says
This helped me a lot, thank you!!
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome, Olga!
Vineet Rajan says
This really helped! Thanks so much! 🙂
Louise Myers says
Glad to hear it!
KIRSTEN OILUND says
This hack is a lifesaver!! Thanks
Louise Myers says
Welcome!
Nikhil says
Thanks for the info. I resized my cover page design for new changes.
Louise Myers says
Good to hear!
Heather says
When I try the new cover photo size there is a bar on the right of information that don’t seem to adjust and hover over my cover photo. The right bar that says type of page, response time, etc… all of it hovers over the cover photo to the top of page 🙁 instead of below. moompphotography on Facebook.
Louise Myers says
Sorry, I don’t see any overlays on your page on desktop or mobile, or anything above your cover photo, OR to the right.
Chanuka Asanaka says
Thanks it’s vary help full scale up height, rather than extent width
Louise Myers says
Glad you found it helpful!
tina frissora says
Thank you for figuring this out and posting!
Janine Lazur says
thanks for figuring this out! great solution!
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome, Janine!
Kasia Stasiowska says
Hi Can not download the template can you please send me it.
Thanks x
Wayne says
Really appreciate this, Louise. Like you said, changes to social media never stop. (I’ll definitely be subscribing to keep up-to-date!) Seems like the dimensions are always changing. Just yesterday, after creating a Facebook group, I thoroughly researched (or so I thought) what the dimensions of a perfectly sized cover photo should be. Then, I painstakingly created a multi-layered 828 x 315 masterpiece in Pixlr, comprised of images I found on Pixabay. Really wish I’d read this first! Also, I wasn’t aware that FB no longer superimposes profile pics on cover photos. Good to know.
Cheers
P.S. The cover photo dimensions DID change in Summer (or Fall). The height was increased by a pixel! lol
Louise Myers says
It’s crazy, isn’t it, Wayne?! Yet Facebook still says the cover photo size is 828 x 315.
Hope you were able to salvage your collage!
Michele says
What an awesome thing you have done! Thank you!!
Louise Myers says
Glad you liked it, Michele!
Filip says
Thank you for this, and for reminding that one has to think mobile-first these days!
Filip
Louise Myers says
You bet!
Michael says
My cover image was looking awful on mobile, this is exactly what I needed to fix it, thanks!
Louise Myers says
Great to hear it, Michael!
Ven says
Would it be recommended to maintain the same aspect ratio (828 by 465) but to increase the size in pixels? I have a huge group photo of everyone in the firm, I mean it’s 21,000 pixels wide by 4,000 tall; before the professional photographer sent it, I thought that 3,000 pixels on any side was the maximum and I was w r o n g. Of course I can resize it to be a /little/ smaller without losing resolution, but it would still have to be rather big to make work for the cover.
Louise Myers says
Hey Ven,
With a photo that extremely horizontal, I’m not sure you can keep the proportions for mobile. But if you can, sure! Of course it will be sized way down on mobile (and even desktop). So I’m not certain that going more than double the display size would make any noticeable difference to the quality.
Pinto says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for a great post! do yo also have a guide line for the Facebook Fan Page & Group cover size?
For what i saw there is a difference on the sizes between Pages & Groups.
Thanks,
Pinto
Louise Myers says
Hi Pinto,
This one is strictly for Fan Page. I have one for FB Events but not for Groups.
Alex says
Thanks for this. I was wondering why the cover photo on my page was looking weird on mobile. Thought maybe my mobile was just crap, but apparently Facebook is just weird. Followed your instructions and it looks fine now.
Louise Myers says
So glad to hear it, Alex!
Joshua says
Outstanding! Thanks, Louise! I greatly appreciate these tips and tools! It relly helps when planning on the fly and needing to know what will look best when designing! Greatly appreciate you for sharing what you have discovered!
Louise Myers says
I’m glad to hear you found it helpful, Joshua! Thanks for your kind comment.
Christina says
This worked beautifully! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!
Rodger Dodger says
My apologies Louise,
I am another one who doesn’t seem to be able to download the template successfully.
Could you please provide another link, or email it to me if possible.
Kind regards
Louise Myers says
Hi Rodger,
It’s no longer behind a membership wall, so just right click the image and choose “Save Image As.”
No Name says
Excellent, thank you so much! Works like a charm.
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped.
Pat Laing says
Is there any possibility of providing similar advice for a Facebook Group cover image. Mine looks great on the PC but sides are cropped on mobile devices.
Louise Myers says
I’d have to look into it further, but for now I’d recommend allowing for 25% of the image to be cropped on each side.
MD. Arifur Rahman says
Thanks a lot. This helped me a lot. My pages look very smart. Clients are happy. They think this is magic.
Louise Myers says
It is a little bit magic 😉 Glad it helped!
Vibz says
Thankyou so much Louise.
You are indeed a genius.
This had been a niggling problem since long. You nailed the trick to it.
Bless you for sharing it!
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped!
Jenna Brown says
Hello,
This is genius! However, I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong to download it. When I right click it the little menu pops up and there is no download option, just to save it or open it in a new window/tab. Would you be able to email me the link possibly. If it’s not too much of a problem of course. Thank you!
Louise Myers says
You want to “save image as.” That should do it! It doesn’t actually say “download” in the menu.
Nina says
Thank you!! Just the information I was looking for. No more cropped edges on mobile facebook, thanks again!
Louise Myers says
Yay! Glad it helped.
Ritesh says
Can we need to design 2 different sizes of image for Facebook cover?
Louise Myers says
No, that isn’t possible. You need to make 1 design that works for both.
Roux Laflame says
who knew well now I do so thanks roux
Kim says
Hi Louise
I’m unable to download the Facebook cover photo template.
Can you please email it through?
Thanks in advance
Kim
Louise Myers says
Right click the image and choose to save to your computer. The template is right in the post.
Mike says
Thanks Louise, I spent ages perfecting our cover photo, uploaded and looked perfect on my laptop. Took me a day to realise it had cut off the sides on mobile!! But a fairly simple fix with your info.
Louise Myers says
Great! Glad to hear it, Mike.
Steven says
Hi,
I don’t think your template is correct. I attempted to use it and I had far less vertical space than the template specified. Also noticed on your page that your own cover photo has been sliced vertically. It is also extremely distorted. I am viewing on a 2017 Lenovo ThinkPad.
Louise Myers says
Facebook is constantly changing things, making it impossible to keep up – unless it’s your full-time job 😉
I’m now seeing a bar across the top of the cover photo on desktop. But sometimes these changes release in limited areas, and then they revert back.
Interesting about the distortion. I don’t see it.
Lane Lester says
I, too, was unable to use the “official” height of 312. To get all my image displayed, I had to use 250 px. As with other users, my image displays perfectly on desktop and almost completely in Safari on mobile devices. However, the Facebook app on iPhone and iPad chops the image horribly. I’m now going to try Louise’s extra high approach and see how that works.
Lane
Louise Myers says
250? How weird (and tiny). I hope this works for you! My cover photo still looks fine.
Jose Suarez says
Worked like a charm, thank you!!
Louise Myers says
Great, glad to hear it!
Ariadne says
Hi, Louise – Using Firefox’s inspector shows that the desktop version of the Facebook cover photo is now a just a tiny amount of pixels fewer – 820 x 312. Proportionately, it probably doesn’t make too much difference with your template!
Louise Myers says
Thanks Ariadne. It never did measure out exactly right to me. I figured FB was counting a couple pixels that get covered by the border 😉
Mark Daniels says
This info from Facebook themselves seems to contradict this a little? https://www.facebook.com/PagesSizesDimensions/photos/a.214509701989629.48753.214500051990594/1047812085326049/?type=3&theater
Louise Myers says
That’s not from FB but from a Fan Page. It’s not contradictory but a different way to deal with the size difference that’s more desktop-focused. And also low-resolution.
Hilder BOSSE says
thanks a lot. it’s help me to format the workspace when I working in something for social media.?
Jessica Raven Littlestar says
This is so helpful, Louise! I really appreciate you taking the time to put this together and delivering the information so clearly. A big help for designers like me! Much love to you!
Louise Myers says
Thanks Jessica 🙂
Alan says
Really helpful thx Louise, was driven demented with these variables, not to mention the amount of time lost in trial and error. Thanks for the helpful share
Louise Myers says
Glad that this helped!
Christine says
Hello Louise,
I’m not good with this stuff! So please be patient!
I’ve saved your template to my drive but what do I do now please?
Christine
Louise Myers says
Create your canvas in your favorite image editor at the full size: 828 x 465 pixels.
If you’re using Photoshop or another program that gives you the ability to add layers, add the template as a semi-transparent layer so you can see what will get cut off on desktop.
Otherwise, you can just use it as a reference to visualize what will get cut off on desktop.
Nancy says
Thank you for this! This solved my problem and my cover photo is now mobile friendly!
Ego Ipse says
I’ll never find enough words to thank you for this… The trick works delightfully…
Louise Myers says
Glad to hear it!
Betty says
Thanks SO MUCH for this guide! Finally, I’m able to have a decent looking Facebook cover for desktop and mobile applications.
You ROCK, Louise!
?❤
Louise Myers says
Yay! Glad it helped, Betty.
MorDylTy says
All Hail the Queen! You ROCK! THANK YOU!
Lahiru Siritunga says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for this, this is helpful.. (y)
Louise Myers says
Great! YW
Adam says
Thank you very much for taking the time to share this information.
I tried to figure out a way solve this problem and your solution is just great.
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped!
MorDylTy says
Louise, I had a quick question. After downloading your template, I noticed that it was done in 200 ppi, with a Index-256 color palette and not the usual 72 ppi with an RGB 8 bit Channel. Does this make a difference or is there a reason for this? Thanks so much, was just curious. 🙂
Louise Myers says
My file is 72 dpi – I just checked. It doesn’t matter though. I saved it as a PNG-8 for small file size. For more about that, read:
https://louisem.com/6598/image-file-types-infographic
Commandr says
Hi
Can I use Mobile cover size 828*465 as you told?
And will it appear on desktop computer?
Please answer, because I’m using FB just on Smart phone ?
Louise Myers says
It will appear cropped on desktop. You (or have another admin) should go in and adjust the cropping on desktop to your liking, bc I can’t guarantee FB default cropping.
Tom C says
Your trick made our event page look great.
facebook.com/capitalcitycentury/
Thanks, Louise!
Louise Myers says
Great! Glad to hear it.
carla says
Thanks so much for this info! Worked like a charm. I have used your tips on several occasions, thank you so much!
Louise Myers says
Great to hear, Carla!
Mark says
Unfortunately this doesn’t work for me. I’m trying to upload from desktop and I can’t click the ‘Save’ button because it displays at the bottom corner of the image which isn’t visible because the image is too tall for the frame… Anybody else have this issue?
Louise Myers says
I haven’t heard of this. I’ll try it next week. Which browser are you using?
Mark says
Chrome and Firefox. I ended being able to do it by adding the cover photo while sitting on the ‘photos’ tab of my page because of the way the page is displayed – there was just a sliver of the save button showing that I could click. It’s pretty odd that Facebook hasn’t created an easier way to do this.
The template works really well though, thanks!
Louise Myers says
Yes, very strange! Thanks for letting us know.
Clyde says
I noticed that when I created my cover using PS, it looks great and has high quality but when I uploaded it to FB, the image turns a bit blurry. Is this how FB works or there is something I did wrong? 🙁
Louise Myers says
FB really crunches the cover photos. It’s even worse if you upload from mobile.
Andrew says
Awesomely helpful, particularly the download template – thank you!
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome!
Kaleb says
Just wanted to say that this post and the social media cheat sheet really helped me out with designing some stuff for my local food bank. You rock, Louise!
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped, Kaleb!
Gediminas says
I dont understand one thing. How to upload desktop and mobile cover separately? Because If I will use mobile version than it will look bad on desktop and vice versa.
Louise Myers says
You can only have one cover. That’s why the template – so you can design it so the part that shows on desktop won’t cut off any important info.
TenaSmiley says
I used the template and specs worked great for the mobile. What I am confused about is how do I use the same photo for the desktop. I used the template and sized for mobile,
Louise Myers says
The template is to show you how much of the mobile image will show on desktop, so you don’t put any important elements in the areas that will get cut off.
S Chauhan says
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this post.
its really helpfull
Sylvia says
April 20, 2017
Hi Louise,
Thank you for the great templates. I have been having lots of fun with Facebook in the last few days.
Not only are the page sizes doing a lot of changing they are also experimenting with webP compression. According to Facebook you need to increase your page resolution from 72ppi to 251ppi and keep your page size to 851px X 351px.
This size looks great on the desktop page, terrible on the ipad – it cuts off the sides, terrible on the iphone it cuts off the sides. I will try your templates hopefully they are newer than the info I found.
Louise Myers says
251ppi? Who said that? PPI doesn’t matter when you’re designing web graphics. They’ll be displayed at the resolution of the device they’re viewed on.
The cover photos haven’t been 851 wide for a year. Try my size and let me know how it goes! It worked great for me.
Sylvia says
Sorry I can’t find the article I read on webP which suggested I work on my image at 250ppi and upload as a .png.
I also asked a photographer friend about it and she uploads all her Facebook images as 300ppi jpgs.
I had to make my own template 250ppi, 851px X 315px which they do say is the correct page size on this page https://www.facebook.com/help/1703757313215897/?helpref=hc_fnav.
Through testing I found there was an area of 140px on the left and right sides of my cover image that was getting cropped off when I viewed the image inside the Facebook app, on an iPhone . Strangely enough viewing the same page inside Facebook.com in Chrome there is no problem.
I just did the same test on my iPad with the same page and image. Viewing it inside the Facebook app, it gets cropped. Viewing it via Facebook.com, it doesn’t get cropped.
Firefox the same results.
I said ppi doesn’t matter because Facebook seems to be allowing the upload of all all resolutions as long as the file sise is under 100kb and lets webP work it’s compression magic and shows them all as 72 ppi. At least that’s my guess because all the 250ppi and 300ppi photos that I have uploaded to Facebook and downloaded to my system have opened up in Photoshop as 72ppi images.
So I am left with 2 questions.
1. What do we do tell our client’s not to use the Facebook app and just build for the web?
2. If Facebook is going to compress our images with webP why not save them with a really high ppi at the correct final size ?
By the way for anyone that needs this you can create a folder on Facebook and turn on HD and it won’t compress the images you save into it. I haven’t tried it yet.
I hope this isn’t too rambling 🙂
Louise Myers says
Hi Sylvia,
PPI is totally irrelevant for web images. We have absolutely no control over the PPI of a user’s device. Whoever told you to produce a certain PPI is misinformed.
You asked: What do we do tell our clients not to use the Facebook app and just build for the web?
People are going to use the FB app, whether your clients do or not. Read the article and use the template. It’s optimized for both.
Elijah Nathan says
Great! that would have taken me aaages to figure out! Thanks!
Josie says
This was so helpful and amazing. Thank you. You don’t happen to have just as perfect of a solution for twitter do you?
Louise Myers says
Here ya go! https://louisem.com/4598/twitter-header-size-template
Bo says
Thanks a bunch!
Just found your site – wanted to update FB cover photo.
Done.
Gavin says
Thank you, this just saved me a whole world of pain. Having been a graphic designer for 20 years and finally managing to quit and do something entirely different (something that makes my heart sing!) I really appreciate the time and energy you have put into this, something so simple to most but some of us know how much time you’ve spent. Thank you.
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome! And good for you! Enjoy.
carlyn says
When creating a graphic for Facebook, was resolution/dpi do you use, and set the color to RGB when creating a new document, correct?
Louise Myers says
I use 72, but it really doesn’t matter, as graphics on the web will be shown at the viewer’s screen resolution (usually 72). This is why dimensions are provided in pixels and not inches or cm.
Yes, RGB.
anna says
Thank you so much! I’ve been looking for something like this for ages.
Does this apply to facebook group cover photos as well?
Anna
Louise Myers says
It seems every cover photo on FB is different. See if this post helps with the groups. I’m not sure if that’s still current – FB changes so often!
Hezi says
Hi.
I updated my cover photo abd changed it to video. However it chopped most of it as u may be able to see on mobile view. Any ideas how to handle this?
Louise Myers says
Probably the same issues as a static cover photo. So you’d need to create your video so that it works in both shapes (desktop and mobile). I’ll have to try it.
Barbara C Phillips says
Thanks for the template. Any idea how to get the images to save? I’m trying to update my group cover photo. I’ve tried uploading directly, but it won’t save. So I uploaded it to group photos, it still won’t save. have tried 3 different browsers – chrome, firefox and safari. Any other ideas?
Many thanks!
Louise Myers says
Oh my! Sorry, I haven’t heard of this issue.
Rose says
Hi Louise,
I’ve tried every possible sizing you recommended up above (the 828 x 315, the 830 x 315, the 1200 x 675, the 820 x 461)… And it still cuts it off on the side of my Facebook cover on mobile and tablets… Do you have any recommendations? It’s driving me dotty!!
Many thanks!
Louise Myers says
Hi Rose,
For a Facebook business page, 1200 x 675 or 820 x 461 works for me. It’s also the same proportion FB recommends for mobile. Not sure why you’re having problems, sorry.
Alan says
Banner size for PC needs to be 851 x 315 pixels. I noticed that the very edges of the my previous banner were not visible on a PC because it is reduced to 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall on a Page for computers. It’s awkward, but you have to design for 820 x 312, but make sure your final image is actually 851 x 315. Then again, if you want to cater for smartphones, the crucial part of your banner needs to be 560px, (with the 1st 158px of 851px on the left not shown, and the last 134px of the 851px on the right not shown)
Alan says
now see blog.bufferapp.com/facebook-cover-photo
Louise Myers says
Nice (not). I guess they took my info and wrote their own post.
Louise Myers says
Did you read my article? You’re making things way too complicated.
Charles Rodmell says
Some good tips here. I’ve been trying to figure out how to take it a step further – if there’s text on the cover image, when some SHARES the business page and then that sharing post is viewed on a desktop, the page name gets plastered over the top of the image, so you need to restrict the text area quite a lot to make sure the text is still ok. Something like “no text in the lower half and none in the top 5th”
Louise Myers says
Would love to hear if you work that out.
jasmine says
Your writing style inspires me. It’s so clean and personal. I can hear you talking. You are a great teacher!! Kudos!!
Honey Soibelman says
This is great! I was struggling for so long trying to find the perfect responsive template. You rock!
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped!
Nagendra Singh says
How we can get more traffic through facebook and how to choose facebook cover banner design ?
I Have run a ads on facebook but the charges experience rather than other Campinas.. how we can reduce the cost….
Louise Myers says
I would suggest Google for free info, and maybe purchase a course. Certainly more than I can answer in a comment.
Mark says
Thanks for the post. Works brilliantly!
Chase Wilson says
This was extremely helpful. I’ve been trying to fix our mobile cover for a month or so now and I’m glad I found this page.
Hrvoje says
hey there Louise,
regarding the png, do you prefer to have it in 300 ppi or 200 or?
would really appreciate hearing your take on that.
regards
Hrvoje
Louise Myers says
It makes no difference, as the web ignores ppi. I make all web graphics at 72 – but the only factor that matters is the overall pixel size.
Hrvoje says
I appreciate the follow-up Louise.
tnx
Hrvoje
Anna says
Hi Louise,
Thank you for much – worked wonders for the FB page cover photo, however could not get the template to work as well for the FB group cover photo. Do you have a similar template as the FB page cover template for FB group covers?
Driving me crazy haha 🙂
Thanks Heaps 🙂
Louise Myers says
I don’t keep up with group cover photo changes, but last time I checked, this advice worked: The Digerati
Louise Myers says
Hi Anna, updated info and my new FB group cover template here.
Clarisse says
Wow, this worked like magic, thank you very much!
Martin says
Just what I needed, cheers!
Al says
What programs do you recommend to create banners, cover photos, or just general content? I’ve messed around with a few apps, but haven’t found one that I am in love with yet.
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
Hi Al,
I go into depth here: Best Design Tools
Austin says
Any tips for Facebook Group’s cover photos?
Austin says
Nevermind. I saw your previous comments. Hopefully those guides you linked work!
Louise Myers says
Hi Austin, updated info and my new FB group cover template here.
Becky H says
This is extremely helpful, but I just have one problem. My profile pic is still over the top of my cover photo! It seems FB may not have changed how everyone’s pages display? In any case, I’m still having to block out the 170×170 px area so that I don’t have important content there. Just thought I’d share. Still appreciate your helpful hints and the template!!
Louise Myers says
On a FB business page? I may not have been clear about that 😉 It would be very odd if after a year this wasn’t applied to all pages. Of course, anything’s possible with FB!
Harjit says
Worked brilliantly!! Thank you so much! 🙂
Aryn says
thank you so much for this! it worked perfectly.
Deborah Lowery says
Thank you Louise! Just helped me to get my fb business cover to function responsively. Previous dimensions used in Canva had it looking wonky on mobile. I know, I know, that’s what I get for using software instead of a human being graphic designer:)
Louise Myers says
I wish one of those programs would get “with it” on this issue 🙂
tommy elliott says
Hi Louise I’m clueless at this sort of stuff and need an image made for my page can you drop me an email for anyone that might be able to create this for me
Louise Myers says
It’s a toughie, and my best resource has retired from this business. I hope to find another source soon.
Oleksa says
Nice job!
Deb Cassie says
Please help. I have tried using the 820 px 312px but it is still too big when I view on mobile device. what am I doing wrong?
Much thanks
Louise Myers says
Deb, if you read the article and look at the template, you’ll see that that size won’t work for mobile. Follow the instructions and it will work.
Deb Cassie says
640 x360 fits but is very grainy. Please help
Deb
Louise Myers says
I don’t recommend that size. Read the article for my recommendation.
Rodrigo Costa Amora says
Thank you so much 🙂
Dawn Tonner says
I keep trying to create a cover photo for a group page, and nothing I have found is working out. Is the size different?
Louise Myers says
Yes. FB cover photos for business pages (this article), groups and events are all different. And they change frequently, so I can’t verify current size for group or event.
Louise Myers says
Hi Dawn, updated info and my new FB group cover template here.
Nikki says
Thank you for this info! I ended up sizing mine 3280 x 1844, saved as JPG, and it looks pretty good on both desktop and iphone/Android phones. -Nikki
Jasmine says
Thanks Louise! This works brilliantly!
x Jasmine
Aeriadne says
Hi, Louise – It seems like now the Facebook covers are being cropped from the top, rather than right in the middle, on desktop.
Louise Myers says
Click on “Change Photo” and then “Reposition” to adjust the cropping.
D Pankhurst says
Thanks! I was struggling to make my artwork fit on all views without cropping anything and your up to date template helped immensely – thanks again!
A says
Thank you so very much, worked like a charm.
M Hopkins says
Thanks for this info. Its not really a big deal if just using an image, the problem we’re having is when we use text on the image. Upload one size and it looks good on desktop but text is cropped on mobile, upload another size and its visa versa.
So I guess the answer if you are using text on your cover photo is to go for 820 x 461 and keep your text within 75 pixels from top and 75 pixels from bottom.
The full image should then show on mobile and the cropped image will show on desktop with all your text showing.
Louise Myers says
Yes, that is correct. Or go larger as I recommend. I have templates for both 820 width and 1200 width. No guessing required 🙂
Martina says
This doesn’t work fir me even after going larger. I think he has a point for those of us that use text in our cover photo
Louise Myers says
I don’t understand what point that is. He’s only said what I wrote in the article and applied in the template. You must keep your text away from the top and bottom.
What seems to be the problem?
Thomas says
Merci beaucoup, votre article a été d’une très grande aide.
Thanks a lot for the high quality of this article. It helped me a lot ^:)
A French Webmaster 🙂
Mel says
Really useful, thanks so much!
Jennifer Castle says
Been having the problem of text being cut off on my cover images when viewing on a mobile device. This worked great to fix that problem!
Louise Myers says
Great!
Leslie says
How do I remove the writing and purple background now that it fits. It does fit beautifully but I don’t know how to remove the original writing on the template. I copied and pasted my logo into the template if that helps to bring light on my situation.
Louise Myers says
Hi, I just added the instructions from the free member area to the blog post. In short, you need a photo or other background to make a cover photo. The template is for guidance, not an image to use in your design.
Sharese says
I cannot thank you enough I tried canva and just about everything nothing worked
Louise Myers says
I hear ya! No one wants to get on board with this. And once you know, it’s easy!
Susan Joy Schleef says
Your template and proportions match what I’ve been using for the template I created to use in PowerPoint for designing my covers. I was not aware of the whole series of changes that had been made so I really enjoyed reading about that.
I noticed one comment mentioned cover dimensions for Facebook groups and I thought I would share what I’ve been using for my GB groups and it seems to work well with dimensions of 784 x 250.
Louise Myers says
Thanks Susan! Is that size still working OK? It seems the size changed very recently, maybe even today. Right now I see approximately 2.5 times as wide as tall. 1025 x 415 on desktop.
Tim says
Thanks for the template and suggestion to go bigger so it suits mobile and desktop.
Just wondering what your experience is with FB video? Sizing? Format?
Also, I uploaded my image and then the next day FB had decided to delete it and has again. Any ideas why that would be?
Louise Myers says
I don’t use video, but the 16:9 proportion should fit perfectly on mobile.
Valerie Schaal says
The dimensions for the Facebook group cover photo don’t work at all now. Does anyone know what are the new group cover photo dimensions for desktop?
Louise Myers says
Hi, updated info and my new template here.
Muriel says
thank you!
the key was to NOT use the standards dimensions given by FB… haha of course…
Well thank you! now my cover pic does not get cut on the mobile version
Louise Myers says
Right! Of course 😀
Cipriano says
Thanks for this tutorial. I have just one question. In the page where I’ve uploaded the cover with your dimensions but the image on the page look a little blur (in mobile naviagiont)…but when i click on it I can see properly. Why this? How can I fix it?
This happen also with the dimensions given by Facebook.
I use a retina display on smartphone.
Thanks in advantage.
Louise Myers says
Probably a separate preview image that FB creates to load faster. Doubt there’s anything you can do about it.
Alex says
Hi,
Shouldn’t it be 820x 462 for mobiles?
312 + 75 + 75= 462
Louise Myers says
You can do that if you like. Basically I’m following a 16:9 proportion. It might not be *exactly* 75 off the top and bottom, but close enough.
Jonathan says
Thanks very much Louise. This is VERY helpful information, and especially great that it’s so current. FB seem to be changing things around regularly.
Keep up the great work. Cheers from New Zealand.
Jonathan
krinal mehta says
the size you have described are perfect. Now I am able to set my Favourite picture in cover picture. Thank you so much for this post. Great work keep it up..!!!!
Lisa Schwaberow says
Thank you for your directions. I have been doing this for a while but never had a client banner that had to fit mobile before. Your instructions worked perfectly! The banner now looks good on mobile with all pertinent images within the viewing area. I can’t wait to explore the rest of your site.
Louise Myers says
Great!
Fredrik says
Thanks! Helped me a lot!
Heather says
Hello,
Any one have any suggestions on a particular photo editor that I can install on my desktop to do this?
Thanks
Louise Myers says
GIMP is a free photo editor that works like Photoshop, so it would be able to do this. Steep learning curve though.
Mariëtte says
Hi Louise.
MANY thanks for all the tips and tricks – they are invaluable!
I strictly follow your guidelines for the cover photo, etc. but have used a jpeg instead. I uploaded on desktop and, although it looked perfect prior to uploading, I’m unhappy with the end result on Facebook. Would uploading a png instead solve the problem? Not sure what happens compression-wise when uploading to Facebook, but something certainly happens! Way too much “noise” in the image for my liking. (Maybe I should add that it’s an illustration with text, and not a photograph. I mostly upload illustrations.)
Thanks again and all the best for 2018!
🙂
Louise Myers says
Hi Mariëtte,
You’d have to try a PNG file and see what happens. PNG-24 has the highest resolution, however in the past I’ve tried this and cover photos still get compressed by Facebook. Used to work great for image posts though.
If it’s only flat colors you could try a PNG-8 file which will be a small file size.
I can’t say for certain what FB is doing with different types on images, different file types, and maybe even in different countries! I’d love to hear what happens if you test it. Take screen shots to compare 🙂
Mariëtte says
Hi Louise.
Thank you. Seems like we’re on the same page. My biggest reason for using jpegs is file size, yes. And I reckon that FB wouldn’t be too keen to help us upload high res images – or rather, hand out the how to’s. I’m in South Africa, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a difference in the compression.
Once I get to a solution, I’ll let you know. 🙂
Louise Myers says
Fantastic! It’s frustrating trying to help my readers when I suspect they may be seeing Facebook differently than I do. 2 billion users, who knows how many ways FB serves up content lol
Neri says
The business page works perfectly with the above 1200 x 675 template however the personal page just would not show clear writing like the business page.. exact same image. So I re-saved it as 851×479 and the writing suddenly became crystal clear.. I have no idea why but FB must do something to the personal one that it doesn’t on the business page banner???
Louise Myers says
I’ve heard that if your file size is under 100kb FB won’t compress it. Maybe your smaller image got by without compression 🙂
Suzi says
Thanks this saved me a ton of hassle!
Craig says
Hi,
I have no issues with the image height but on desktop the image is great but viewing on mobile is very different with text being cut off on both sides. Is there a limit on how wide the image should be (it seems as if the image is not being re-sized once in mobile format).
Thanks
Craig
Louise Myers says
It’s all about the proportions, or aspect ratio. If you use a shape that works for desktop, then the sides will be cut off on mobile. I recommend using a shape that works best on mobile and allowing the crop top and bottom on desktop. Have you tried the template?
Craig says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for the reply, I haven’t tried the template yet but will give it a go today.
Cheers
Craig
jose says
the big one worked perfectly, thanks a bunch
boon says
THANKS, finally, I have been editing that facebook cover from 851 x 315 to 820 x 312, and the mobile version is still CROPPED. GODDAMIT. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Vanessa Byers says
Thank you.
WENDIE says
1200 x 675 perfectly fits desktop and Android, but not to iPhone. Kindly advise
Louise Myers says
There isn’t one size that looks the same across all devices.
Christina says
Thank you SO MUCH!
jim says
Thanks! This aspect ratio is just what I was looking for..
Robin says
Thank you so much, finally right size
Ulrika Shaw says
Thank you so much. This was exactly what I needed and it worked perfectly!
Tovey says
Hi There,
I know I am not dumb, but I cannot get my cover photo to properly show even when following the template.
It shows fine on my desktop, I cannot get it to appear properly on my mobile.
Here is my FB page: @abovealladmin
Can someone please assist.
Kind Regards,
Tovey
Louise Myers says
Can you explain what you mean by “properly”? I see the full image on mobile and cropped on desktop.
Laura says
How do you use the template? For FB cover photo …. Need something that works for both desk top and mobile.
Thanks
Louise Myers says
Directions are in the post. Look for the header “Instructions for using my social media templates.”
Dee Unsworth says
Hi Louise, I followed the instructions you gave but I think I am still doing something wrong. I am not very computer savvy…….
I uploaded the image using a PC and it looks fine on the desktop, but on the tablet it’s cut off-
My question is – do I have to upload the image using a mobile device if I want it to fit on a mobile device?
I am using Canva which is pretty easy but also have Photoshop which I am still learning
Louise Myers says
No, I recommend uploading on desktop as mobile compresses the image even more.
As long as you’re using the overall size I recommended, it doesn’t matter what program you use. Sounds like you’re using the desktop size. I suggest you reread the article on why that won’t work for mobile.
Vincent says
Thanks Louise! Brilliant and easy instructions to follow.
Lorna says
Thank you thank you thank you! Have been looking for something like this for a while!
Anne N says
This is amazing! Now need something similar for YouTube. I tried the template in the free members area but then when I went to upload it in my channel I got a message saying it was too small, must be 2048 x 1152. 🙁
Louise Myers says
It was too small, or too big? The template is larger than that – 2560 × 1440. Same proportions as 2048 x 1152! Still finding 2560 × 1440 to be the recommended optimal size. What size was your upload?
“For the best results on all devices, we recommend uploading one 2560 x 1440 px image.” Direct from YouTube.
Kristi Kirk Trent says
You rock, Louise! Thank you! 🙂
P.S. I got an eMail from Google todaytthat read “Your personal Google+ account is going away…On April 2nd, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created will be shut down and we will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts. Photos and videos from Google+ in your Album Archive and your Google+ pages will also be deleted. ”
What the what?!?
Louise Myers says
Yep, Google announced early last year that they would shut down G+ this year.
jack says
820 x 360 seems away out when added to Facebook. Facebook seems to want me to drag the image inside a smaller window. Looks very poor on desktop and also distorts on mobile.
Louise Myers says
Even though Facebook recommends that size, I do not.
Anthony says
Thank you for this. I posted this article on my facebook page.
I also used it for my new banner design… saved me a lot of hassle.
Thanks,
Anthony
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped! Thanks for sharing.
Sara Scheuermann says
Hi Louise,
What about file size? Trying to get my 1200x675px image under 100K seems to be next to impossible. I’m in Photoshop Save for web, saving as a PNG-8 and have to select 4 colours to get the file size below 100K. (Needless to say it’s not pretty!)
Louise Myers says
Honestly I’ve never tried to compress the file that much. In my experience, the bigger the file, the better the result!
Robin says
Thank you Louise! I’m new at this and your suggestion of 820 X 461 was perfect for mobile and laptop. I wish I saw your page a 3-4 hours ago! All the other dimensions I chose just didn’t work.
Thanks again!
Louise Myers says
You are welcome!
Daniela says
Hey! I can’t locate where the PSD file is, could you help me?
Thank you so much 🙂
Louise Myers says
Link is in post: https://crmrkt.com/zBV8pM
I don’t offer a free one.
Russell says
This article is a mess. In order to get “better seo” you fill the article with 99% rubbish peppered with 1 million ads that make it virtually impossible to read. Now i will take your png “template”. make it a psd and give it away for free. Essentially duplicating your page without all of the spam and provide the reader with what they want. This page is part of the 99% of the internet that is total rubbish.
Thanks for being a part of that. And thanks for not being brave enough to approve this 100% truthful comment
Louise Myers says
So you 100% hated my article but are taking my template for your own purposes. Lovely.
“99% rubbish” and “1 million ads” isn’t exactly “100% truthful.”
Have a great day though.
Louise Myers says
More thoughts for you.
“Essentially duplicating your page without all of the spam and provide the reader with what they want.”
That’s 100% stealing, aka copyright infringement.
It appears you think I should figure all this out for you, do it for free (no ads), and not be found by search engines (so you and others can’t find it). And not only that, but it’s OK for you to copy and post it elsewhere.
I guess that makes sense ?
Fortunately I had a kind comment last week from a reader saying they love the thoroughness of my articles. Some do like all the “rubbish,” aka pertinent information.
Dan says
Does the template for FB cover photos work now for both business and personal pages? 1200×458 desktop, cropped from 1200×674 IPhone and 1200×581 IPad?
Louise Myers says
No, this is called out in the article above, with links to the other 3 kinds of Facebook cover photos.
“This article applies to Facebook Business Page cover photos ONLY.”
Here are Facebook Profile Cover Photos.
David says
Using the template the cover photo shows up fine on desktop and in the Facebook app on a mobile phone but when using a web browser on a mobile phone things are getting cut off. Not sure what Facebook is doing different in a mobile browser versus the app.
Louise Myers says
How strange. I believe this would represent a miniscule portion of page visitors though.
Amanda says
Hi I have tried this so many times but it still doesnt work. On my mobile, part of the cover is cut off on my business page. I used the dimensions 820 X 461… any idea how to fix?
Thanks,
Louise Myers says
What device and how severe is the cropping?
There’s definitely a different crop on tablets, which I don’t believe is worth worrying about, since only a tiny fraction of FB users are on tablets.
All I can tell you is the dimensions on the template are still perfect on my devices.
Susan says
Any insight for the sizing on the new look Facebook? Seems to be behaving differently.
Louise Myers says
I wish I could! FB has still not given me access to new FB.
Jessica says
I used the 1200×674 dimensions and it worked perfectly, thank you so much!!!
Jen says
Hi, Louise! I used your newest 2021 dimensions and my cover image looks great on desktop and on the Facebook mobile app (THANK YOU!). However, if I’m viewing Facebook from my mobile device via Safari, the image is cropped badly. Any way around that one?
Thank you so much!
Louise Myers says
I’ll have to check into that next time I update this article, but don’t worry, most likely a very small number of people view FB that way.
George McConnell says
Hi – very useful article – I have the same issue as Jen though. Whichever browser I use on my mobile device the image is not cropped as I would expect. Perfect on desktop and mobile app. If it makes any difference I opted (after reading lots of advice from different sources) for a relatively large image – a 1920×1080 png – which does look good where properly cropped.
Difficult to be precise, but it seems that I get approx 56% in Chrome and 37% in Firefox – in both cases seemingly cropped equally top and bottom (which is reasonable) but only cropped from the right – so you can only see the left hand side of the full image. In neither case is the image sufficiently shrunk to the appropriate size – I could use a smaller image, but would then lose the resolution.
Definitely an unexplained issue – I don’t see an explanation on any of the “How to do cover pictures” articles online.
Many thanks
Louise Myers says
It’s quite odd. I imagine no one is addressing this bc the number of people looking at your cover photo on a mobile browser is insignificant. Still, I will check this the next time I update.