Facebook Cover Photo Size (2026): Dimensions, Safe Zone and Tips
What is the right Facebook cover photo size? When Facebook launched Timeline in December 2011, the cover photo was a fixed 851 x 315 pixels, and we tested how uploads, cropping and minimum sizes worked. Facebook has redesigned profiles and Pages many times since. In 2026 the cover photo still uses 851 x 315 as its recommended size, but it is cropped differently on phones, so where you place text and faces matters more than ever.
Quick answer: The Facebook cover photo size is 851 x 315 pixels for best results. It displays at 820 x 312 on computers and 640 x 360 on phones, so the sides are cut off on mobile and the top and bottom on desktop. The minimum is 400 x 150 pixels. Use an sRGB JPG under 100 KB, or a PNG if it contains a logo or text.
Table of Contents
Facebook cover photo dimensions in 2026
| What | Size |
|---|---|
| Recommended upload | 851 x 315 px |
| Desktop display | 820 x 312 px |
| Mobile display | 640 x 360 px |
| Minimum size | 400 x 150 px |
| Facebook Group cover | About 1640 x 856 px |
| Facebook Event cover | About 1920 x 1005 px |
Meta lists the Page cover sizes in its Facebook Help Center. Group and event sizes are commonly used guidelines and can change with redesigns.
Design tips: the safe zone
- Keep important content in the middle. Phones crop the left and right edges, and desktops crop slightly at the top and bottom. A centred area of roughly 640 x 312 px is safe on both.
- Avoid the bottom left. On personal profiles your profile picture overlaps the cover there.
- Upload at double size for sharpness, such as 1702 x 630 px, so it stays crisp on high-resolution screens.
- Use PNG for text and logos to avoid blurry compression around letters.
- Free tools like Canva have ready-made Facebook cover templates with the right dimensions.
What we found when we tested cover photos in 2011
When Timeline arrived we experimented with uploads. Images narrower than the minimum (then 399 px wide) were rejected. Larger images could be repositioned by dragging up and down until the area we wanted filled the frame. Smaller images that only just met the minimum were zoomed out and could not be repositioned at all. That is why uploading the exact recommended size, or a larger image with the same proportions, still gives the best result.
We also noticed something that is still true: cropping is virtual. When you reposition a large photo, Facebook stores the full image, and anyone who opens your cover photo can see the whole uncropped picture. Crop photos yourself before uploading if there is anything you do not want shown.
How to change your Facebook cover photo
- Open your profile or Page on Facebook.
- Click Edit cover photo (or Add cover photo).
- Choose Upload photo, or pick one you have already shared.
- Drag to reposition, then click Save changes.
Remember that cover photos are always public, even if the rest of your profile is private.
Facebook cover photo ideas
The best covers are simple. For a personal profile, a wide landscape, a favourite hobby or a city skyline works well because nothing important sits near the edges. For a business Page, show your product in use, your team or your shop front, and add one short line of text at most, such as your tagline or a current offer. Change your cover image for seasons or launches to give regular visitors something new, and check how it looks on your own phone straight after uploading.
FAQ
Why does my Facebook cover look blurry?
Facebook compresses images. Upload a sharp image at 851 x 315 or double that size, and use PNG if it contains text.
Why is my cover cut off on mobile?
Phones show a narrower, taller crop (640 x 360). Keep text and faces in the centre.
Can I use a video as my Facebook cover?
Facebook Pages have supported cover videos, but the option varies by account type and region. Check Edit cover photo on your Page.
ya’ll uglies
It’s also a good idea to do a makeover of images as well to keep the page looking alive. Build 4 or five image setups that you interchange from time to time to achieve that goal. –w
What’s annoying me is that my picture is smaller than 850×315 and yet facebook wants to to be cute and crop parts of it anyway. How do I get my full image up there? I want to see this entire thing. This is annoying
the great points i have ever read. Thanks For Great Tip
I have the right size 835×315, but it does not fit well in the space provided. Every time I upload the picture (front page), it has the right width but it is way too high. The space is not the right size compared to everyone else. I wonder how to make my picture appear slim (in height). Thanks.
the real size is 863 x 315 check using chrome developer tools and try here
Isn’t it 851×315 px? some says it’s 850×315 and some says 851×315. Which one is the exact size of cover photo?
Hello, May I ask the dimension in which your profile picture will be place on the given 850×315, Uhmm… I mean the coordinates Thanks in advance!
hi,i tried so mony times but its says at least 399 pixels wide so pls try to supply ……tanx
Cover Photo Concept Is Good And Really Great Aricle For This..
Hi. I have changed my cover photo many times. At 850 it is gigantic and distorted so I tried the 399 it said it has to be. It is still way too distorted and huge. I tried to go lower to 200 and it said it is too small. What’s up with that??? this is so frustrating
thanks,Penne
which is the best resolution 72 or 300
to get timeline
It took a while to catch on but I’ve seen some really creative uses of the cover photos space. Especially on business and non-profit pages.
Hi there,
I have changed my photo to 850 x 219 (its my company logo) but when I upload it still cuts it off half way through, any more suggestions & also changing the size doesnt seemt o make any difference to when I do the profile image either?
Thank you in advance
Lyz
What is the minimum width of the Cover Photo?
Officially Facebook FAQ says your cover image must be at least 720 pixels wide. Smaller images will get upload errors. I tried to upload a smaller image and got a message to upload cover photo at least 399px wide. I was able to upload images 399px wide and above (which were zoomed out and could not be repositioned). Any image height is accepted it seems.
cover photo size
Woohoo! I really enjoyed this thing! Thx a lot!
is new for me… but I thik its cool to try
If anyone is looking for properly sized cover photo images, I found a site that has a lot of them. They are all presized, so it makes it very easy. Hope this helps someone out. http://www.fblyts.com
I guess, i am using the right Facebook timeline cover for my Facebook Timeline. Anyway thanks for your Great Ideas!
Unlike other sites we’ve looked at so far, MyProfileCover.com doesn’t integrate with your Facebook profile. It simply offers the cover photo at the correct size so you can save and upload it manually. The images do carry a watermark.
I can see a big drawback with this whole photo size thing. I tried the Timeline format, and a lot of my photos were posted without captions, which makes some of them meaningless. I usually just browse the internet, download then upload to Facebook within a couple of minutes. This will add considerable time and trouble to the way I post. I love the way it looks though. Very classy.
Facebook have done a gud job by enabling timeline for all profiles this will help us to style facebook profiles
Took me a while to figure out the size.But its a nice addition for sure.
hi guys. please visit this site for the tutorials on how to add facebook timeline cover and check also their facebook cover layouts.
I followed the right dimension but the quality is really F**** up. -__- the original is good and looks really quality..
What can I do if i already crop my photo in 850×315 but the resolution is not good?
If the resolution is poor, it will get poorer as Facebook compresses it. Try a high res picture and dont crop it, Facebook will resize it.
so the size given is minimum size to set? if we have highter dimension then facebook will resize it according to their requrement?
Darkyez – Facebook normally compresses all images by default. You can try uploading an image this way > Go to Photos>Upload Photo – then while uploading you get an option to click ‘High Quality’. Later instead of uploading a new cover photo, select that image as Cover Photo.
I made the exact size but when uploaded its all washed out, the original was pristine. Are there compression settings that specifically need to be used or is it a file size issue?
Pooja – Crop you image to an exact size of 850×315 using any image editor like Microsoft Paint, Irfan View, Photoshop etc. and then upload.
my picture is too big and hence doesnt fit the cover size. help me get the entire pic in the given area please:(