Facebook supports more visual formats than most social platforms. That flexibility is useful, but it also makes Facebook creative surprisingly easy to get wrong.
A square feed post, portrait feed image, Story, Reel, cover photo, event image, carousel, and ad can all appear on Facebook, yet they do not use the same canvas or behave the same way across desktop and mobile.
The best workflow is not to memorize every dimension. It is to understand which aspect ratio belongs to each placement, then use a maintained specification reference before exporting.
For current dimensions, file types, file-size limits, and downloadable templates, check the Facebook specifications on Media Cheat Sheet.
Facebook sizes at a glance
These are the formats you will use most often:
| Placement | Practical working size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 320 × 320 px | 1:1 |
| Cover photo | 851 × 315 px | wide |
| Square feed post | 1080 × 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Portrait feed post | 1080 × 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 px or larger 9:16 equivalent | 9:16 |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 px or larger 9:16 equivalent | 9:16 |
| Carousel card | 1080 × 1080 px | 1:1 |
These numbers are useful starting points, but Facebook changes placements and delivery behavior over time. Always use the Media Cheat Sheet as your final pre-export check.
Facebook profile photo size
Facebook profile images are square uploads but are displayed as circles in many parts of the interface.
That means the file can be 1:1, but the important content should sit comfortably inside an imaginary circle.
For a personal profile, this mainly affects head position.
For a brand, it matters even more. A logo that fills the entire square may lose corners or small text once Facebook applies the circular crop.
Profile photo design tips
- Keep the logo or face centered.
- Leave breathing room around the edges.
- Avoid small taglines.
- Use a high-quality source.
- Preview the image at a very small size.
The last point matters because a profile image is often seen as a tiny avatar next to comments and posts rather than as a large image on the profile itself.
Facebook cover photo size
The cover image is one of Facebook’s trickier assets because it displays differently on desktop and mobile.
A layout that looks perfectly balanced on a large desktop screen may crop differently on a phone.
The safest approach is to treat the outer parts as flexible background space and keep critical content toward the center.
Critical content includes:
- logos;
- headlines;
- phone numbers;
- web addresses;
- event dates;
- promotional offers.
Do not place essential information against the far left, far right, top, or bottom edges.
If you manage several social channels, read The Complete Guide to Social Media Cover Photos and Banners for a broader cross-platform workflow.
Facebook feed image sizes
Facebook’s feed accepts several shapes, but two formats cover most practical work.
Square posts: 1:1
Square is the safest universal shape.
It works well for:
- simple announcements;
- product images;
- quotes;
- event reminders;
- branded graphics;
- cross-platform content.
A common working size is 1080 × 1080 px.
Square is easy to reuse, but it does not use as much mobile screen space as a portrait post.
Portrait posts: 4:5
A 4:5 post, commonly 1080 × 1350 px, takes up more vertical space in the mobile feed.
That makes it useful for:
- photography;
- product campaigns;
- infographics;
- promotional graphics;
- educational content.
If most of your audience is mobile, 4:5 is often worth designing as a dedicated version rather than automatically falling back to square.
Facebook landscape images
Wide images still make sense when the subject itself is horizontal.
Examples include:
- panoramas;
- group photographs;
- website previews;
- charts;
- screenshots;
- event environments.
The disadvantage is mobile presence. A wide image naturally occupies less vertical room in the feed.
Do not use landscape just because the original source is landscape. If the image can be cropped without damaging the subject, a portrait version may create a stronger mobile post.
Facebook Stories
Stories use the familiar 9:16 vertical format.
A practical working size is 1080 × 1920 px or a larger equivalent with the same ratio.
The difficult part is not the size. It is the interface.
Facebook overlays account information, navigation, replies, buttons, and other controls on the Story.
Keep important content away from the extreme top and bottom.
For more on this, see Social Media Safe Zones Explained.
Facebook Reels
Reels are also built for 9:16 vertical video.
For a Reel, the most important parts of the design should remain in a central safe area:
- hook;
- face or product;
- subtitles;
- logo;
- offer;
- CTA.
A beautiful vertical poster is not automatically a good Reel.
Reels are moving, interface-heavy, and consumed quickly. Your first frame and first seconds matter more than elaborate decoration around the edges.
For a broader technical guide, read Best Video Export Settings for Social Media.
Facebook carousel sizes
Carousels allow several cards inside one post or ad.
Square cards are the most predictable starting point because they are easy to view consistently.
For good carousel design:
- choose one aspect ratio;
- keep margins consistent;
- build a recognizable visual system;
- use one main idea per card;
- make the first card strong enough to earn the swipe.
Do not treat carousel cards as unrelated images.
A carousel is one experience.
Facebook event cover images
Event cover images are very wide.
That makes them useful for atmosphere and branding, but less useful for paragraphs of text.
Keep the visual simple:
- event name;
- date if needed;
- one strong image;
- recognizable brand.
Remember that Facebook already displays event information around the cover. The cover does not need to repeat every detail.
Facebook group cover photos
Group cover photos also use a wide banner format and may crop differently depending on screen size.
Put:
- group name;
- logo;
- key message
near the middle of the composition.
Use outer areas for photography, patterns, gradients, or other flexible background material.
Facebook ad sizes
There is no single “Facebook ad size.”
Ads can appear in:
- Feed;
- Stories;
- Reels;
- Marketplace;
- Search;
- carousels;
- other Meta placements.
The most reliable production approach is to create placement-specific variations.
Feed ad
Use square or portrait creative depending on the campaign and placement.
Story and Reel ad
Use 9:16.
Do not send a 1:1 ad into a full-screen vertical placement and expect automatic adaptation to produce the same quality as a deliberate vertical design.
Carousel ad
Keep every card consistent.
If a campaign needs many placements, see How to Turn One Design into Every Social Media Size.
Image vs video on Facebook
An image and video may use the same aspect ratio but still require different design decisions.
Video introduces:
- motion;
- captions;
- audio;
- compression;
- platform controls;
- thumbnails;
- timing.
An image communicates in one frame.
A video has to communicate over time.
This is why you should not simply animate a static ad and assume it is optimized for video.
Read Image vs Video Specs: Why Platforms Treat Them Differently for more detail.
Common Facebook sizing mistakes
Using the cover photo as a normal banner
Cover images crop across devices. Keep critical information central.
Designing only for desktop
Most social content is consumed on phones. Check every important asset on a real mobile screen.
Publishing one square file everywhere
Square works in feeds, but wastes the full-screen Story and Reel canvas.
Putting tiny text in ads
A high-resolution export cannot make tiny typography readable on a phone.
Ignoring safe zones
Correct dimensions do not protect text from interface overlays.
Uploading repeatedly compressed files
Always export from the best available source rather than downloading an existing Facebook image and editing it again.
A simple Facebook workflow
For most campaigns, create these core assets:
- 1:1 square
- 4:5 portrait
- 9:16 vertical
- cover/banner version, if needed
Start with the format that matters most to the campaign, then adapt.
Do not stretch.
Do not simply center-crop.
Rebuild the composition where necessary.
Final Facebook checklist
Before publishing, check:
- Is the correct aspect ratio being used?
- Is the image sharp at normal phone size?
- Is important content safe from cropping?
- Are Story and Reel elements away from UI overlays?
- Are carousel cards consistent?
- Is the profile image readable as a circle?
- Does the cover work on both desktop and mobile?
- Is the video exported from a clean master?
Facebook specifications continue to evolve. Use the Media Cheat Sheet to verify the latest Facebook image, video, ad, cover, Story, Reel, and carousel specs before exporting.