Social media profile picture sizes: a practical 2026 guide

Platform requirements versus export recommendations

Checked September 16, 2026. Upload dimensions, on-screen display dimensions and our suggested export dimensions are different things. A small displayed avatar does not mean you should upload a tiny image. These notes cover personal profile photos, not cover images, video thumbnails or company logos.

LinkedIn: its help page specifies a minimum profile image of 400 × 400 pixels and a maximum file size of 8 MB. Export a square portrait at 800 × 800 or 1024 × 1024 pixels for a useful starting point.

X: the official recommended profile-photo size is 400 × 400 pixels. Use a square crop and inspect the circular preview before saving.

Facebook: its personal-profile guidance recommends at least 320 × 320 pixels for best quality. A square 1024 × 1024 export is our practical recommendation, not an official minimum or a Page-logo specification.

YouTube: the profile image renders at 98 × 98 pixels; that is a display size, not an upload target. The official maximum file size is 15 MB. We suggest a square 800 × 800 or 1024 × 1024 export with a readable face.

TikTok: the help page gives a 20 × 20 pixel minimum for upload. This is only a technical floor, not a quality recommendation. We suggest 1024 × 1024 pixels and checking the in-app crop.

Twitch: the channel setup guide accepts JPEG, PNG or GIF files up to 10 MB. We suggest a square 1024 × 1024 master and checking the upload preview; do not confuse the profile avatar with the much wider channel banner.

Instagram and Discord: use a square 1024 × 1024 master as our export recommendation, then check each app's current upload preview and file-size warning. We have not verified a current official pixel minimum for these two platforms, so this guide does not present a commonly quoted display size as a mandatory upload requirement.

Keep your full head inside the circular crop

Most avatars appear very small, often inside a circle. Center the face, leave space above the hair and below the chin, and keep the full hair silhouette away from the edge. Important details in the square corners may disappear in the circular version. Include enough shoulders to balance the portrait without making the face too small.

Preview at approximately 40–100 pixels wide as well as full size. If the face is difficult to recognize, simplify the background or move the crop slightly closer. Do not stretch a vertical image into a square: crop it while preserving its proportions. Keep an uncropped original so you can adjust for another platform later.

Export once, check every destination

A 1024 × 1024 square master is a practical reusable starting point, not a guarantee that every platform will accept every file. Use JPEG for photographic portraits or PNG when crisp graphic edges matter, keep the file comfortably below the destination limit and avoid repeated lossy re-exports. Higher pixel counts cannot recover a blurry source photo.

In MyAvatarPic, choose the platform or square ratio before generating, then download and review your preferred variation in the destination's crop tool. If you need an exact pixel size, resize the downloaded image without distortion. Platform interfaces and limits can change; the official help links below and the live upload screen take precedence over this dated guide.