The short version
- Design a Facebook cover photo at 1640×624 pixels, a wide banner of roughly 2.6 to 1.
- Phones show a narrower slice of the cover than desktops, so keep words and logos in the middle two thirds of the width.
- The profile picture and page name sit at the bottom edge of the cover, so the lower band should stay quiet.
- A Facebook event cover is 1920×1005 pixels, and the event title should also be written in the event details, not only in the image.
- Facebook posts work best at 1200×1200 for squares or 1080×1350 for portrait, and stories at 1080×1920.
On this page
The Facebook cover photo size to design at is 1640×624 pixels, a wide banner about 2.6 times as wide as it is tall. Event covers are 1920×1005, feed posts are 1200×1200 square or 1080×1350 portrait, and stories are 1080×1920. The size is the easy part. The craft is laying the cover out so it still reads when a phone shows only its middle.
Cover 1640×624
1640 × 624
Event cover 1920×1005
1920 × 1005
Post 1200×1200
1200 × 1200
Portrait post 1080×1350
1080 × 1350
Story 1080×1920
1080 × 1920
Every Facebook image size in one table
Keep this table next to you when you set up a new page or plan a campaign. Each size follows the upload size Facebook recommends, and each has a different job. If you post on other networks too, the full social media image sizes cheat sheet lists every platform in one place.
| Format | Size in pixels | Shape | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover photo | 1640×624 | About 2.6:1 | Your page or profile banner |
| Event cover | 1920×1005 | About 1.9:1 | Event pages, invites and the feed |
| Square post | 1200×1200 | 1:1 | Announcements, quotes, products |
| Portrait post | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | Posts that should fill more of a phone screen |
| Story | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Full-screen, short-lived updates |
How the Facebook cover crops on phones and desktops
A desktop browser shows the cover close to its full width. A phone shows a squarer window onto the same image, so the left and right edges fall away. Tablets and the app in landscape land somewhere in between. You upload one file, and every screen takes its own crop from the middle.
The second thing to plan for is what sits on top. On both personal profiles and pages, your profile picture and name sit on or just below the bottom edge of the cover, and on phones the picture overlaps it. Anything important in the bottom band risks being covered or crowded.
A cover laid out for every crop: the words sit in a compact block in the centre, and the edges carry only colour.
A safe zone that survives every crop
You don't need exact pixel guides. Three rules keep a cover safe on every screen, and they come straight from the way the crop works.
- 1
Keep words in the middle two thirds
Of the 1640 pixels of width, treat roughly the central 1100 as the only place for text and logos. The outer thirds are for colour, texture and anything you don't mind losing.
- 2
Leave the bottom quarter quiet
The profile picture and name overlap this band. Put your line higher, around the vertical centre or just above it.
- 3
Make the edges disposable, not empty
Blank edges look unfinished on a desktop. Let a gradient or texture run to the edges so the full-width view feels generous, while the phone crop still has everything it needs.
- 4
Check it at both extremes
Before publishing, look at the cover on a laptop and on a phone. If a letter is clipped or the logo hides under the profile picture, move it inward and up.
Avoid
- A tagline running edge to edge
- A logo in the bottom-left corner, under the profile picture
- Small type that turns to noise on a phone
- A busy photo behind the words
Do
- One short line in the centre
- The logo in the profile picture, not repeated on the cover
- Type large enough to read in a phone crop
- A calm field behind the words, detail at the edges
Facebook event cover size and layout
An event cover is 1920×1005, a shape close to the 1.91:1 link preview, and it appears on the event page, in invitations and in the feed when people share the event. It gets cropped less aggressively than a profile cover, but it is often seen small, so the same rules apply: short words, centred, large.
Don't rely on the image to carry the facts. Facebook shows the date, time and place as text beside the cover, where people can add it to a calendar. Put the event's name and one line of mood on the image, and let the details do their own job. If the event also needs posts, stories and a stage screen, plan them together; event branding covers the full set.
The event cover: name, date and place, big and central.
The same event as a story, laid out again for a tall screen.
What to put on a Facebook cover
The cover is the first large thing people see on your page, and it is seen again and again. It works best as a quiet statement of who you are, not a noticeboard. Change it when something meaningful changes, like a season, a launch or a new look, and keep the same background family so the page stays recognisable.
- Your look, and one line. A brand gradient and a short promise or description.
- The current season or launch. One line and a date, removed when it passes.
- A calm texture only. With no words at all, the profile picture and name do the talking.
- Opening hours or a location for local businesses, as long as it's short enough to read on a phone.
radial-gradient(ellipse 70% 90% at 50% 45%, #2b3a67 0%, #182447 45%, #0b1024 100%)If you put a logo on the cover, make sure it has enough contrast against the part of the background it sits on. Logo on a gradient background shows how to choose a knockout or solid version.
Export settings for a sharp cover
Facebook recompresses everything you upload, and wide smooth gradients suffer most: they can band into visible stripes. Export a PNG when the cover is mostly type and flat colour, and a high-quality JPEG when it is a photo. A light layer of grain over a gradient gives the compressor detail to hold on to, which hides banding. Gradient banding explains why.
Questions people ask
What size is a Facebook cover photo?
Design it at 1640×624 pixels. Keep words and logos in the middle two thirds of the width, because phones crop the sides.
Why does my Facebook cover look cut off on my phone?
Phones show a squarer slice of the cover than desktops, so the left and right edges are trimmed. Move text and logos towards the centre and keep the bottom band clear of the profile picture.
What size is a Facebook event cover?
A Facebook event cover is 1920×1005 pixels. Keep the event name large and central, and add the date and place in the event details too.
Should I upload my Facebook cover as PNG or JPEG?
Use PNG for covers that are mostly type, logos and flat colour, and a high-quality JPEG for photos. Adding light grain to a gradient helps it survive Facebook's compression without banding.
What is the best size for a Facebook post image?
Use 1200×1200 for a square post or 1080×1350 for a portrait post that fills more of a phone screen. Stories are 1080×1920.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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