# Spotify playlist cover size: 1080×1080 covers that read small [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/spotify-playlist-cover-size) A playlist cover spends most of its life the size of a fingernail, in a library list or a search result. Design it for that size first and it will look good at every other. ## The short version - Design a Spotify playlist cover at 1080×1080 pixels, a 1:1 square. - Without a custom image, Spotify builds a playlist cover from the artwork of the first tracks in the playlist. - Playlist covers are shown very small in libraries, search results and shared links, so a short title in heavy type is what reads. - A playlist series looks like one curator when every cover shares a layout and typeface and only the colour and title change. - Upload a custom playlist cover from the playlist's edit details option in the Spotify app. The **Spotify playlist cover size** to design at is 1080×1080 pixels, a square. Spotify accepts other square sizes and scales them, but 1080 gives enough detail for a large screen without a heavy file. The harder part is that covers are mostly seen tiny, in your library, in search and in shared links, so the best covers have one short title, heavy type and strong contrast. Fine detail, small words and photographs full of texture all disappear at that size. ## Spotify playlist cover dimensions | Property | Value | | --- | --- | | Size to design at | 1080×1080 px | | Aspect ratio | 1:1, square | | File | JPG, kept reasonably small | | Where to change it | The playlist's menu, then Edit details, then the image | | If you don't set one | Spotify builds a cover from the tracks' artwork | Spotify lists its current file limits next to the upload option. A 1080 square JPG sits comfortably within them. Keep a margin of about 90 pixels inside the square, so the title never feels pressed against the edge. The square is the same shape as an [Instagram square post](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-square-post-size), which makes it easy to share the playlist there too. ## Design for the thumbnail first Open your library and look at how small the covers are. That's the real canvas. A cover has to say "this one" at a glance, among dozens of others, before anyone reads a word. A square Spotify playlist cover with the single word Focus set large on a deep gradient One word, very large, on a background with one clear colour. It reads at full size and as a tiny square in a list. - **One to three words.** "Focus", "Sunday cooking", "Run club". Save the long description for the playlist's description field. - **Heavy type, big.** Capitals around 200 pixels tall in the 1080 design still read when the cover shrinks to a small thumbnail. [Bold fonts](https://gradiently.design/guide/bold-fonts) lists faces that survive it. - **One dominant colour.** At thumbnail size, colour is recognised before shape, and shape before words. - **Contrast everywhere behind the words.** A pale word over the bright half of a gradient vanishes. [Colour contrast](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-contrast-accessibility) explains how to check. ### Disappears when small - A busy photo with the title in thin type - A sentence instead of a title - Tiny text in a corner - Several colours fighting for attention - Detail that only shows at full size ### Reads when small - A calm background with one strong colour - One to three words - Type large enough to fill half the width - A clear light and dark contrast - A shape you can recognise blurred Photos can work, with care. Choose one with a single clear subject and plenty of plain space, then tint it in one or two colours so it reads as a shape rather than a scene. A [duotone effect](https://gradiently.design/guide/duotone-effect) is the classic way to do it, and it also gives a set of photo covers one shared colour scheme even when the pictures are very different. Squint test: blur your eyes, or shrink the cover to the size of a postage stamp. If you can still tell what it says and which playlist it is, it works. The same discipline applies to YouTube, where [thumbnail text](https://gradiently.design/guide/typography-for-thumbnails) has to read at a similar scale. ## Make a playlist series look like one curator If you curate more than one playlist, the covers are your shop window. A series that shares one layout says the same person made them all and makes people curious about the rest. Fix the typeface, the title position and the margins. Change only the title and the colour, giving each playlist its own mood. - Morning: `radial-gradient(circle at 30% 25%, #fde047 0%, #f97316 50%, #7c2d12 100%)` - Focus: `radial-gradient(circle at 30% 25%, #5eead4 0%, #0f766e 50%, #042f2e 100%)` - Evening: `radial-gradient(circle at 30% 25%, #f9a8d4 0%, #be185d 50%, #4a0420 100%)` - Late night: `radial-gradient(circle at 30% 25%, #a5b4fc 0%, #3730a3 50%, #0c0a2a 100%)` A four playlist series. Every cover uses the same structure, light from the top left falling to a deep corner, so only the colour family changes. A square playlist cover titled Sunday cooking, Vol. 3, on a warm gradient One cover from a series, title at the top, volume above it. A matching square playlist cover titled Run club, Vol. 3, in a different colour with the same layout The next cover in the series: same layout and type, a different colour. Making a dozen covers by hand is where series drift: a title moves a few pixels, a size changes. Gradiently's bulk create (a Pro feature) takes one cover and a spreadsheet of titles and makes every version in one pass, so the series stays exact. Each Mark keeps its calmest area behind the title, so the words read on every colour. [Batch creating content](https://gradiently.design/guide/batch-create-social-media-content) explains the method. ## How to change a Spotify playlist cover 1. **Design at 1080×1080** One short title, heavy type, a margin of about 90 pixels and one dominant colour. 2. **Check it small** Shrink the file on your screen to thumbnail size, then look at it on your phone as well. Fix anything that stops reading. 3. **Export as JPG** A high quality JPG keeps the file small. If you see banding in a gradient, add a little grain before exporting. 4. **Open Edit details** On the playlist, open the menu, choose Edit details and tap or click the image to replace it. 5. **Write the description** Use the description for the details the cover can't carry: the mood, who it's for, how often it's updated. Artists who make playlists of their own music can carry the look of their [album cover design](https://gradiently.design/guide/album-cover-design) and [Spotify Canvas](https://gradiently.design/guide/spotify-canvas-size) onto playlist covers, so everything on their profile feels like one body of work. ## FAQ ### What size is a Spotify playlist cover? Design it at 1080×1080 pixels. It must be square, and Spotify scales it for every place it appears. ### How do I add a custom cover to a Spotify playlist? Open the playlist's menu, choose Edit details, then select the image and upload your own. ### Why does my playlist cover show four album covers? That's Spotify's automatic cover, built from the artwork of tracks in the playlist. Upload your own image to replace it. ### What makes a good playlist cover? One to three words in heavy type, one dominant colour and strong contrast, so it still reads as a small thumbnail in a list. ### Can I use a photo for a playlist cover? Yes, but choose a simple photo with a clear subject and keep the title away from busy areas. Detailed photos turn to noise at thumbnail size.