# Twitter header size: X header and post image sizes

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/x-header-size)

The X header is wide, short and partly covered by your profile photo. Here is the size, the area to keep clear, ideas for what to put on it, and the right sizes for post images.

## The short version

- The Twitter header size on X is 1500×500 pixels, a 3:1 ratio.
- The profile photo overlaps the lower left of the header, so keep words and logos out of that corner.
- Different screens show slightly different crops of the header, so keep important content in the middle band, away from the top and bottom edges.
- X post images work best at 1600×900 for landscape (16:9) or 1080×1350 for portrait (4:5).
- A header works best as a simple, recognisable background with one short line, not a crowded poster.

The **Twitter header size** on X is 1500×500 pixels, a wide 3:1 banner. Your profile photo sits over its lower left corner, and different screens crop a little from the top and bottom, so keep words and logos in the centre and right of the banner, away from the edges. For images inside posts, use 1600×900 for landscape or 1080×1350 for portrait.

## X image sizes at a glance

| Format | Size (px) | Ratio | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Header | 1500×500 | 3:1 | Profile photo overlaps lower left |
| Post image, landscape | 1600×900 | 16:9 | The classic timeline shape |
| Post image, portrait | 1080×1350 | 4:5 | Takes more height in the timeline on phones |
| Link card image | 1200×630 | 1.91:1 | Comes from the linked page's Open Graph image |

Recommended upload sizes for X. The link card image is set on your website, not uploaded to X; see [Open Graph image size](https://gradiently.design/guide/open-graph-image-size).

- Header 3:1: 1500 × 500
- Post 16:9: 1600 × 900
- Portrait post 4:5: 1080 × 1350

The three X shapes drawn to scale. The header is the only one where something sits on top of your design.

## Where the profile photo covers the header

Your round profile photo overlaps the bottom left of the header on both phones and desktops. Anything you put there, such as a logo, a date or the end of a headline, will be hidden or look cramped against the photo's edge. On top of that, the header isn't shown at exactly 3:1 on every screen, so a strip at the top and bottom can be trimmed.

### Avoid

- Text or a logo in the lower left quarter
- Words running close to the top or bottom edge
- Small text that only reads on a large monitor
- A busy photo that fights the profile picture

### Do

- Words in the centre or right half, in the middle band
- Generous space above and below any text
- One short line, large enough to read on a phone
- A calm area where the profile photo lands

A useful trick is to make the background itself leave room for the photo. Put the darkest or calmest part of your gradient in the lower left, where the photo sits, and let the colour open up towards the right, where your words go.

- Dark under the photo, pink to the right: `linear-gradient(60deg, #0d0d1a 0%, #0d0d1a 25%, #3b2a8c 60%, #f08fb2 100%)`
- Warm glow right, calm left: `radial-gradient(circle at 80% 40%, #ffb17a 0%, #c2410c 35%, #1c0a05 80%)`
- Deep green to mint: `linear-gradient(60deg, #0b1f1a 0%, #0b1f1a 20%, #14746f 60%, #b8f2e6 100%)`

Header gradients built around the profile photo. At 60 degrees, the first colour sits in the lower left and the blend travels to the upper right.

## What to put on an X header

A header is seen every time someone visits your profile, often right after reading one of your posts. It should confirm who you are at a glance, not tell your whole story. These work well.

- **Your look, and nothing else.** A distinctive background in your brand's colours or material is often the strongest header.
- **One line.** What you do or what you're working on, in a few words.
- **Something current.** A launch, a book, an event date, changed when it's over.
- **A consistent pair.** The same look as your LinkedIn banner and website, so people recognise you across platforms. See [LinkedIn banner size](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-banner-size).

1. **Start at 1500×500** Set up the canvas at the exact size. Designing in another shape and cropping later is how logos end up under the profile photo.
2. **Mark the no-go corner** Block out the lower left quarter as a reminder that the photo will cover it.
3. **Lay the background first** Choose a background that is calm where the photo lands and more interesting where the eye travels.
4. **Add one line, right of centre** Keep it short and set it large, with clear space above and below.
5. **Check on a phone** Upload it and look at your profile on a phone and a laptop. Adjust anything that sits too close to an edge.

A wide 1500 by 500 X header with a short line of text right of centre over a gradient

A header with one line set right of centre, in the middle band, leaving the lower left calm for the profile photo.

## X post image sizes

For images in posts, choose the shape by what you're sharing. Landscape 1600×900 suits screenshots, charts and wide photos, and matches the frame many other platforms use. Portrait 1080×1350 takes up more of the timeline on phones, which gives a designed post more presence. [Twitter image design](https://gradiently.design/guide/x-post-image-design) covers layout in more depth.

A landscape X post image titled Three things we shipped, laid out in two columns

Landscape 1600×900: good for wide layouts and side-by-side content.

The same post as a portrait image, with the headline stacked vertically

Portrait 1080×1350: more height in the timeline, better for a single strong headline.

Export headers and post images as PNG when they contain text or gradients, in sRGB, at exactly the sizes above. X recompresses uploads, and smooth gradients show it first as banding; a little grain helps. The full list of platform sizes is in [social media image sizes](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-media-image-sizes).

## FAQ

### What is the Twitter header size?

1500×500 pixels, a 3:1 ratio, on X.

### Why does my X header look cropped?

X shows the header at slightly different proportions on different screens, trimming a little from the top and bottom, and the profile photo covers the lower left. Keep important content in the middle band and away from that corner.

### What size should images in X posts be?

1600×900 for landscape (16:9) or 1080×1350 for portrait (4:5).

### Where should text go on an X header?

In the centre or right half of the banner, in the middle band, with space above and below. Keep it out of the lower left, where the profile photo sits.

### What file type should an X header be?

PNG for headers with text, flat colour or gradients, and a high-quality JPEG for photographs, both in the sRGB colour profile.

### Is the X header the same size as a LinkedIn banner?

No. The X header is 1500×500 (3:1), while a LinkedIn profile banner is 1584×396 (4:1), so each needs its own layout.