LinkedIn Cover Photo Size: The Complete 2025 Guide
Your LinkedIn cover photo is the largest visual element on your profile. Getting the size right means the difference between a sharp, professional banner and a blurry, cropped mess that undermines your credibility. This guide covers everything you need to know about LinkedIn cover photo dimensions in 2025.
The Exact LinkedIn Cover Photo Size
The recommended LinkedIn cover photo size is 1584 × 396 pixels. This gives you a 4:1 aspect ratio that displays correctly across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices without unexpected cropping.
Here are the key specifications:
- Width: 1584 pixels
- Height: 396 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 4:1
- Maximum file size: 8 MB
- Supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF (static only)
- Recommended format: JPG at 90-95% quality for the best balance of sharpness and file size
LinkedIn accepts images as small as 1128 × 191 pixels, but uploading at the recommended 1584 × 396 ensures your banner looks crisp on high-resolution displays including Retina screens and 4K monitors.
Why the Exact Dimensions Matter
LinkedIn applies automatic scaling and compression to every cover photo you upload. When your image does not match the expected aspect ratio, LinkedIn crops it — and the cropping is not always predictable.
What happens with the wrong size:
- Too wide — LinkedIn crops the top and bottom, potentially cutting off important text or design elements
- Too tall — LinkedIn crops the left and right sides, which can remove key visual information
- Too small — LinkedIn upscales the image, introducing blur and compression artifacts
- Wrong aspect ratio — You get forced into LinkedIn's crop tool, which rarely produces the result you want
By starting with exactly 1584 × 396 pixels, you bypass all of these issues. Your image uploads pixel-perfect with no cropping dialog and no quality loss beyond LinkedIn's standard compression.
The Safe Zone: Where Your Profile Photo Overlaps
Not every pixel of your cover photo is visible at all times. On desktop, your circular profile photo overlaps the bottom-left corner of the banner. This overlap area is approximately the bottom 25% of the left side.
What to keep out of the safe zone
- Your name or job title text
- Logos or brand marks
- Call-to-action text
- Important visual elements like faces or product shots
What works in the safe zone
- Gradient backgrounds
- Abstract patterns
- Solid colours
- Non-essential decorative elements
When designing your banner, place all critical content in the top half and right two-thirds of the image. This ensures visibility regardless of how LinkedIn positions your profile photo.
How LinkedIn Displays Your Cover on Desktop vs Mobile
LinkedIn renders your cover photo differently depending on the device:
Desktop (browser):
- Full 1584 × 396 display area
- Profile photo overlaps bottom-left
- Banner spans the full width of the profile card
Mobile (app):
- The banner is cropped slightly taller relative to width
- Less horizontal space is visible
- Profile photo overlap is more centred
Tablet:
- Similar to desktop but with slightly less horizontal real estate
- Profile photo positioning varies by orientation
The 1584 × 396 size works well across all three because LinkedIn's responsive layout scales the image proportionally. However, you should always preview your banner on mobile after uploading to confirm nothing critical is hidden.
File Format Recommendations
JPG (Recommended)
JPG is the best format for most LinkedIn cover photos. It handles photographic content and gradients well, keeps file sizes manageable, and LinkedIn's compression pipeline is optimised for JPG input.
Best for: photographs, AI-generated images, complex gradients, images with many colours.
Export at 92% quality for the optimal balance between visual fidelity and file size. Going above 95% increases file size significantly with minimal visible improvement.
PNG
PNG is lossless, which means no compression artifacts. However, PNG files are significantly larger than JPG for photographic content. Use PNG only when your banner contains:
- Sharp text that must remain crisp
- Flat colour areas with hard edges
- Transparency (though LinkedIn fills transparent areas with white)
- Logos or icons with precise pixel boundaries
Best for: text-heavy designs, flat illustrations, screenshots, logos on solid backgrounds.
GIF
LinkedIn accepts GIF files but does not animate them. The first frame is displayed as a static image. There is no advantage to using GIF over JPG or PNG for cover photos.
How to Export at the Right Size
From Canva
- Set custom dimensions to 1584 × 396 px
- Design your banner
- Download as JPG (recommended) or PNG
- Upload directly to LinkedIn
From Photoshop or Figma
- Create a new document at 1584 × 396 px, 72 DPI
- Design your banner
- Export as JPG at 90-92% quality
- Verify the file is under 8 MB
From our AI generator
Use our AI LinkedIn cover photo generator to create a banner that is automatically sized to 1584 × 396 pixels. No manual resizing needed — the output is ready to upload directly to LinkedIn.
Common Size Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Using 1400 × 425 (old size) | Slight crop on sides | Use 1584 × 396 |
| Uploading a square image | Heavy cropping | Maintain 4:1 ratio |
| Using a phone screenshot | Blurry when scaled up | Start at 1584px wide minimum |
| Exporting at 72 DPI vs 300 DPI | No difference for web | Pixel dimensions matter, not DPI |
| Saving as BMP or TIFF | Upload may fail | Convert to JPG or PNG |
Quick Reference Table
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 1584 px |
| Height | 396 px |
| Aspect ratio | 4:1 |
| Max file size | 8 MB |
| Best format | JPG (92% quality) |
| Colour space | sRGB |
| Safe zone | Avoid bottom-left 25% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Has LinkedIn changed the cover photo size recently?
LinkedIn last updated the recommended dimensions in 2023 when they increased the display resolution on desktop. The 1584 × 396 size has been stable since then and remains correct for 2025.
Can I use a different aspect ratio?
Technically yes, but LinkedIn will force-crop your image to fit the 4:1 display area. You lose control over what gets cut. Always design at 4:1 to maintain full creative control.
Does the cover photo size differ for LinkedIn Company Pages?
Company pages use the same 1584 × 396 dimensions for the cover photo. The same guidelines apply.
What about LinkedIn Events or Groups?
LinkedIn Events use a different banner size (1776 × 444 pixels, also 4:1). Groups use the same 1584 × 396 as personal profiles.
Next Steps
Now that you know the exact size, here are some resources to help you create a great LinkedIn cover photo:
- Browse our gallery for professionally curated LinkedIn backgrounds
- Generate a custom banner using AI tailored to your profession
- Read about common cover photo mistakes to avoid
- Learn about LinkedIn background dimensions in other units if you work in inches or centimetres
Getting the size right is the foundation. Everything else — design, colour, messaging — builds on top of a correctly sized canvas.