--- title: "X Image Size: Header, Profile and Post Dimensions" description: "Get the X image size right for the header, profile photo and post images, with X's file limits, the header safe area and a checklist to run before you upload." url: https://kairopost.com/blog/x-image-sizes --- # X image sizes and dimensions: header, profile and post images By Sami Kerr Published 11 November 2026 12 min read (Featured image for X image sizes and dimensions: a wide header frame labelled 1500 by 500 with two shaded bands for the 60 pixel crop zones and a round profile photo marked 400 by 400, beside the title X image sizes and dimensions and the label Images, video and design.) ## The short answer X recommends 1500 by 500 pixels for the header and 400 by 400 for the profile photo. For post images X sets no pixel size: a single photo shows in full when its shape is between 2:1 and 3:4, and each photo can be up to 5 MB. ## Key takeaways - Header: 1500 by 500 pixels. Keep words in the middle 380 pixels, because X says 60 pixels at the top and bottom could be cropped. - Profile photo: 400 by 400 pixels, JPEG, GIF or PNG, under 2 MB. Keep the face in the middle. - Post photos have no required pixel size. A single photo with a shape between 2:1 and 3:4 shows in full. - A post holds up to 4 photos, or 1 animated GIF, or 1 video. Photos can be up to 5 MB each. - Add an image description of up to 1,000 characters, and repeat any text that sits inside the image. ### Contents13 sections You are about to upload a new header and you want the number before you open a design tool. The X image size for a header is 1500 by 500 pixels. For a profile photo it is 400 by 400. Post images work differently: X sets no pixel size for them, only a range of shapes that show in full. This guide gives every size, ratio, file limit and format in one place, with the date we checked each one. Where X is silent we say so instead of guessing, because a design built on a guess is the one that gets cropped. ## X image sizes at a glance Four numbers cover most of what you will upload. Each one comes from X's Help Center or its developer documentation, and we checked them on 1 October 2026. Right size but still soft? See why X images look blurry. 1500 × 500 Header, in pixels X Help Center, recommended size 400 × 400 Profile photo, in pixels X Help Center, recommended size 5 MB Largest photo in a post X Help Center and X API documentation 4 Photos in one post X API documentation The table adds the shape, the file limit and the format for each kind of image. "Recommended" means X suggests the size and does not enforce it. | Image | Size | Shape | File limit | Format | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Header | 1500 × 500 (recommended) | 3:1 | None found | JPG, GIF or PNG, not animated | | Profile photo | 400 × 400 (recommended) | 1:1 | Under 2 MB | JPEG, GIF or PNG, not animated | | Photo in a post | No required size | 2:1 to 3:4 shows in full | 5 MB | GIF, JPEG or PNG in the app | | Animated GIF in a post | No required size in the app | Any | 5 MB on mobile, 15 MB on web | GIF | | Image description | Not applicable | Not applicable | 1,000 characters | Text | (Four shapes, one scale. Each shape is drawn at a quarter of its example size. For post photos, only the shape is X's rule. Legend: red means may be cropped or hidden, green means shows in full. A wide header outline with crop bands at the top and bottom, Header 1500 × 500. A small square profile photo with a circle inside, Profile photo 400 × 400. A wide photo outline, Post photo, wide 2:1. A tall photo outline, Post photo, tall 3:4.) The same scale for every shape: a header is far wider than anything else you upload, and a profile photo is a small square. ## What size is the X header image The X header is 1500 by 500 pixels, a 3:1 shape: three times as wide as it is tall. X also calls it the banner. You add it from Edit profile, with the camera icon and Upload photo. For the profile photo itself, see how to choose a profile picture people recognise. The catch is that X does not always show the whole header. If a header at the recommended size looks cropped, X's Help Center says 60 pixels at the top and bottom could be cropped, depending on the monitor and the browser. The header and its crop bandsTwo 60 pixel bands close in from the top and bottom. A line placed in the bands is cut, and a line in the middle band always stays. That leaves a safe band of 1500 by 380 pixels in the middle. Work in two layers: - **Background.** Colour, texture and photography can run to every edge. - **Content.** Names, taglines, logos and faces stay inside the middle band, with a little room to spare. ### The maths of the safe band The header is 500 pixels tall. X says up to 60 pixels at the top and 60 at the bottom could be cropped, so 500 minus 60 minus 60 leaves 380 pixels that are always shown. A line of text that must always be seen therefore has its top edge at 60 pixels or lower and its bottom edge at 440 pixels or higher, measured from the top of the 500 pixel header. Here is the difference in practice. Tagline inside the safe band The tagline sits 180 pixels from the top. Only background reaches the top and bottom edges. It reads the same on every screen. Tagline near the edge The tagline sits 30 pixels from the top. On a screen that crops the full 60 pixels, the top of the letters is gone. The pages we saw give no file size limit for headers. We keep header files under the 2 MB that applies to profile photos, as a cautious habit and not as a rule from X. ## What size is the X profile photo The profile photo is 400 by 400 pixels, a 1:1 square. X says to use a JPEG, GIF or PNG file under 2 MB. As with the header, the size is a recommendation. For moving images, see how to make a GIF for X. You upload a square, but people see it as a circle. A circle drawn inside a square covers about 79 per cent of it, so roughly a fifth of your picture, the four corners, is never seen. So: - **Centre the face or the logo.** Leave a margin of about 40 pixels inside the circle's edge. - **Keep words out of the corners.** They are the part that disappears. - **Use a still image.** X does not support animated GIFs for profile photos or headers. Press Apply The Help Center says your new photo does not save until you select Apply. Which picture to use matters as much as its size. For the size, the rule is to design for the circle, not for the square you upload. ## X post image size: what shows in full There is no required pixel size for a photo in a post. [The X API](https://kairopost.com/blog/x-api-guide) documentation lists no dimension limits for images. X's Help Center gives one rule, and it is about shape: a single photo with a standard ratio between 2:1 and 3:4 displays in full. Definition Aspect ratio The width of an image compared with its height. A 2:1 image is twice as wide as it is tall. A 3:4 image is a third taller than it is wide. Which shapes show in fullThe mint zone runs from the tallest shape, 3:4, to the widest, 2:1. A vertical phone screenshot at 9:16 and a 3:1 banner both fall outside it. The rule says nothing about pixels, so any size in that range works. These are the sizes we reach for. They are our examples, not numbers X publishes. | Shape | Example size | Inside the range? | We use it for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2:1 | 1600 × 800 | Yes, the widest | Wide graphics and charts | | 16:9 | 1600 × 900 | Yes | Screenshots, video stills | | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Yes | Quote cards, logos | | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | Yes | Portraits, product shots | | 3:4 | 1200 × 1600 | Yes, the tallest | Posters, tall photos | | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | No, taller than 3:4 | Avoid for a single photo | | 3:1 | 1500 × 500 | No, wider than 2:1 | Header only | Outside the range, X's page promises nothing. Treat a crop as likely and look at the preview before you post. The [X post preview](https://kairopost.com/tools/x-post-preview) shows your draft on a phone and on desktop, with your images in place. We pick a width of 1080 or more for any image that carries text. A phone shows [an image](https://kairopost.com/blog/images-on-x) far smaller than your screen does, and thin lines and small type are the first things to go. ## How many images can an X post hold A post can carry up to 4 photos, or 1 animated GIF, or 1 video, according to the X API documentation. X's Help Center describes the app differently: up to 4 media items in total, for example 2 photos, a GIF and a video. Check your own composer before you plan a mixed post. Up to 4 Photos Each photo can be up to 5 MB. One photo gets the 2:1 to 3:4 rule. Two to four share the space. Just 1 Animated GIF A GIF takes the whole media slot of the post, so it cannot sit beside photos. Just 1 Video A video also takes the whole slot. Its length, size and format follow different rules from photos, so check them before you export one. For two to four photos, we found no X page that says how each one is cropped. That is why we keep the subject of every photo in its middle and keep text away from its edges. Check the preview, not the artboard The image that looks right in a design tool is often not the one people see. Check every image in a preview before it goes out. ## X image file size and format limits A photo in a post can be up to 5 MB, and a profile photo must be under 2 MB. Animated GIFs get more room. These are the limits for each kind of image, as of 1 October 2026. 5 MB Photo in a post GIF, JPEG or PNG in the app. The X API accepts JPG, PNG, GIF and WEBP, also up to 5 MB. 5 or 15 MB Animated GIF The Help Center says 5 MB on mobile and 15 MB on web. The API allows 15 MB, 1280 × 1080 pixels or smaller, and 350 frames or fewer. 2 MB Profile photo JPEG, GIF or PNG, under 2 MB, at the recommended 400 × 400 pixels. Not animated. No limit found Header JPG, GIF or PNG at the recommended 1500 × 500 pixels. Not animated. We found no file size limit. 5 MB Link preview image The image set in your web page's card tags must be under 5 MB. JPG, PNG, WEBP and GIF are supported. 5 MB Image in an ad Ads follow their own creative specs. PNG and JPEG are recommended, and BMP and TIFF are not accepted. One file, three gatesAn example 3 MB file passes the 5 MB photo gate and the 15 MB GIF gate on web, and stops at the 2 MB profile photo gate. The file size is an example; the three limits are X's. App limits and API limits differ The Help Center and the developer documentation describe different users. For animated GIFs the app says 5 MB on mobile and 15 MB on web, and the API says 15 MB. If you post from the app, plan for the lower number. ## Which file type should you export X lists GIF, JPEG and PNG for photos in posts. Within those, the choice follows the picture, and the pairs below are our own rule of thumb, not an X rule. | PNG | JPEG | | --- | --- | | Best for text, logos, charts and screenshots | Best for photographs and gradients | | Clean edges around letters | Soft, fuzzy edges around small type | | Photos can run past 5 MB | Photos stay small at high quality | Use GIF only when the picture moves. A still image saved as GIF gains nothing over a PNG. WEBP is the one to leave alone. The API lists it, and the Help Center page for posting photos does not. Until the two lists agree, we export JPEG or PNG. ## How to add alt text to an X image Alt text, which X calls an image description, can be up to 1,000 characters. After you upload an image, select the +ALT button on it, type the description and select Done. An ALT badge then appears on the image. 1. Upload the image: Add the image to your post as usual. 2. Select +ALT: The button sits on the image. A text box opens. 3. Describe what matters: Say what the image shows and why it is in the post. Write up to 1,000 characters. X's own advice is to include any text that sits inside the image. If that text runs past 1,000 characters, summarise it. This is why every image in this guide has its words repeated in its alt text. Kairo Post can draft alt text for an image in one click and lets you edit it before the post goes out. You can read how on the [AI Agent page](https://kairopost.com/features/ai-agent). ## Why your X images look cropped or blurry Most image problems on X come from six habits. We see them often enough that we check for them on every image before it goes out. - **Text near the header's top or bottom edge.** Move it into the middle 380 pixel band. - **A small original stretched to fit.** Start from an image at least as large as the size you need. - **Words saved as JPEG.** Edges go fuzzy. Save text as PNG. - **A vertical phone screenshot as a single image.** 9:16 is outside the range that shows in full. - **A logo in the corner of a profile photo.** The circle removes the corner. - **A design checked only on a desktop screen.** Look at it at phone width, too. Most of these come down to starting too small or exporting the wrong type, so check the original before you blame X. ## How to prepare an image for X in five steps This is the order we work in. It takes a few minutes, and it means the image you export is the image people see. 1. Pick the target: Header, profile photo or post image. The target sets the shape. 2. Set the canvas: 1500 × 500 for a header, 400 × 400 for a profile photo, or a shape from 2:1 to 3:4 for a post. 3. Mind the edges: Keep header content inside the middle 380 pixels. Keep profile content inside the circle. 4. Export under the limit: PNG for text, JPEG for photos. Check the size against 2 MB for a profile photo or 5 MB for a post photo. 5. Preview and describe: Look at it at phone size, then add an image description. If you would rather not set canvases by hand, the free [X image size guide](https://kairopost.com/tools/x-image-size-guide) crops any image to the right size in your browser and shades the crop zones. Nothing is uploaded; it runs on your device. For a line or a headline that needs to become an image, the [quote card maker](https://kairopost.com/tools/quote-card-maker) builds a card at a shape X shows in full. ## A checklist to run before you upload Run through this on every image. It is short on purpose. Before you upload - The shape suits the target: 3:1 header, 1:1 profile photo, 2:1 to 3:4 post photo. - Header words sit inside the middle 380 pixels. - The profile photo still works as a circle. - The file is under 2 MB for a profile photo and 5 MB for a post photo. - Text is saved as PNG, photographs as JPEG. - You looked at it at phone size. - The image has a description, and any words in it are repeated there. (Before you upload, a five station line. 1 Shape: header 3:1, profile 1:1, post photo 2:1 to 3:4. 2 Safe area: header words inside the middle 380 px. 3 File: profile photo under 2 MB, post photo up to 5 MB. 4 Type: text as PNG, photos as JPEG. 5 Describe: image description up to 1,000 characters. Last stop: Upload.) The five checks on one label: shape, safe area, file, type and description. Keep the sizes in this guide close by, and check them again if X changes its pages. We checked every number again on 1 October 2026 and listed each source below. In the product ## How Kairo Post does this Everything above works by hand. Kairo Post does the same work for you, with your approval before anything goes out. - [Free tool Image size guide and cropper Every X image size, with a cropper.](https://kairopost.com/tools/x-image-size-guide) - [Feature AI Agent Ask in plain words. Posts, threads and designs appear on the canvas.](https://kairopost.com/features/ai-agent) ## Questions people ask ### Are the header and profile photo sizes required or only recommended? Only recommended. X's Help Center words both numbers as recommended dimensions: 1500 by 500 pixels for the header and 400 by 400 for the profile photo. A different size can still upload, but you give up control of how it is scaled and cropped, so we design to the recommended size. ### Does X have a maximum image size in pixels? We found no pixel limit. The X API documentation sets file limits, such as 5 MB for an image, and lists no dimension limits for photos. For animated GIFs it does: 1280 by 1080 pixels or smaller, with 350 frames or fewer. Check both the pixels and the file size of what you export. ### Can I use an animated GIF as a profile photo or header? No. X's Help Center says X does not support animated GIFs for profile or header images. A GIF file is accepted, but it shows as a still picture. Use an animated GIF in a post instead, where it can be up to 5 MB on mobile and 15 MB on web. ### Can I upload a WEBP image to X? The X API documentation lists WEBP among the image formats, next to JPG, PNG and GIF. The Help Center page for posting photos lists GIF, JPEG and PNG. Because the app and the API do not match, we export JPEG or PNG and keep WEBP out of anything that has to work everywhere. ### Which file type is best for an image on X? It depends on the picture, and X does not rank them. We use PNG for screenshots, logos and anything with text, because the edges stay clean, and JPEG for photographs, because the files are smaller. Whichever you pick, keep a photo under the 5 MB limit. ### Are ad images the same size as organic post images? No. X publishes a separate page of creative specs for ads, with its own recommended sizes for each ad type. It says image files can be up to 5 MB, that PNG and JPEG are recommended and that BMP and TIFF are not accepted. Read that page before you build an ad image. ## Sources Every rule, limit and figure in this post was checked against these on the date shown. 1. [How to customize your X profile, X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-customize-your-profile) help.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 2. [Help with uploading a profile photo, X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/common-issues-when-uploading-profile-photo) help.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 3. [How to post photos or GIFs on X, X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/posting-gifs-and-pictures) help.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 4. [How to add image descriptions, X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/add-image-descriptions) help.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 5. [How to write great image descriptions, X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/write-image-descriptions) help.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 6. [Best practices for media uploads, X developer documentation](https://docs.x.com/x-api/media/quickstart/best-practices) docs.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 7. [Media upload endpoints on the X API v2, X developer documentation](https://docs.x.com/x-api/media/introduction) docs.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 8. [Cards markup, X developer documentation](https://developer.x.com/en/docs/x-for-websites/cards/overview/markup) developer.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 9. [X Ads creative specs, X Business](https://business.x.com/en/help/campaign-setup/creative-ad-specifications) business.x.com: · checked: 1 October 2026 Written by ## Sami Kerr, founder of Kairo Post Keep reading ## More in Images, video and design [All posts on this topic](https://kairopost.com/blog#visuals) - (Featured image for Images on X: the complete guide. Three picture cards fan out on a black stage: a landscape photo with a sun over hills, a bar chart, and a quote card with a large opening quote mark, with a small ALT badge on the front card. Beside them the title Images on X: the complete guide and the label Images, video and design.) Images, video and design · Guide: ### [Images on X: the complete guide](https://kairopost.com/blog/images-on-x) X images explained in one place: when a picture helps, which kind to use, sizes, readable text, contrast, file types, alt text, rights and AI image rules. 14 October 2026: 18 min read ## Post at the right moment. Starting today. Connect an account, describe your voice and let Kairo Post do the legwork. [Get started](https://app.kairopost.com/signup) [See pricing](https://kairopost.com/pricing)