Where 1200 × 630 is asked for
Meta's guide to images in link shares says to use images of at least 1200 × 630 pixels for the best display on high resolution devices, and to stay as close to a 1.91:1 aspect ratio as possible to avoid cropping in Feed. Images of at least 600 × 315 pixels show link page posts with larger images, the smallest image allowed is 200 × 200 pixels, and the file must not exceed 8 MB. The image is the one the og:image tag of the page points to. Source: Meta for Developers: Images in Link Shares.
Keep the important part, such as a title or a face, away from the edges. 1200 × 630 is close to 1.91:1 but not exact, so a preview frame of a slightly different shape trims a few pixels.
If your picture has text on it, Fit and pad keeps all of it, with bands in a color that matches your design.
1200 × 630 in numbers
| Aspect ratio | 40:21, about 1.90:1 |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Landscape, wider than tall |
| Pixels | 756,000 (0.76 megapixels) |
| Print size at 300 dpi | 4 × 2.1 in (10.2 × 5.3 cm) |
| Print size at 150 dpi | 8 × 4.2 in (20.3 × 10.7 cm) |
| Uncompressed, 24-bit color | 2.27 MB (3 bytes per pixel) |
Pixels have no physical size until you print them. The print sizes divide the pixels by the dots per inch, and 1 inch is 2.54 cm.
What happens to common photo sizes
Each row shows what the three shape options make of a typical picture at 1200 × 630, worked out with the same math the tool uses. Crop to fill, the preset, always gives exactly 1200 × 630. Trimmed pixels are counted on the original photo, before it is scaled.
| Photo | Fit insideKeeps the shape | Crop to fillExactly 1200 × 630 | Fit and padExactly 1200 × 630 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,032 × 3,02412 MP phone photo, 4:3 | 840 × 630 | 454 px trimmed from top and bottom, 30% of the picture | 840 × 630 picture, bands of 180 px left and right |
| 1,920 × 1,080Full HD screenshot, 16:9 | 1,120 × 630 | 36 px trimmed from top and bottom, 7% of the picture | 1,120 × 630 picture, bands of 40 px left and right |
| 3,000 × 2,000Camera photo, 3:2 | 945 × 630 | 213 px trimmed from top and bottom, 21% of the picture | 945 × 630 picture, bands of 127 and 128 px left and right |
Crop to fill always keeps the middle of the picture. To choose which part stays, crop it first in the image cropper and then resize it here.
File size of a 1200 × 630 image
A JPEG of 1200 × 630 spends its bytes on 756,000 pixels. Wallace's guide to the JPEG standard rates 0.25 bits per pixel as moderate to good, 0.5 as good to very good, 0.75 as excellent and 1.5 as usually hard to tell from the original, for color images of moderate detail. At 1200 × 630 that makes about 24 KB, 47 KB, 71 KB and 142 KB, in that order.
| Bits per pixel | Expected quality | JPEG at 1200 × 630 |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | Moderate to good | 24 KB |
| 0.5 | Good to very good | 47 KB |
| 0.75 | Excellent | 71 KB |
| 1.5 | Usually hard to tell from the original | 142 KB |
These are estimates for JPEG, not a promise: a detailed photo needs more, a flat graphic less, and PNG stores every pixel without loss. The tool's quality slider sets JPG and WebP quality, and the list under the tool shows the real size of every file. If a form sets a limit in KB, resize first and then compress the image to 100 KB or any other size with compress to target size.
How to resize an image to 1200 × 630
Drop one or more images above. Width 1200 and height 630 are already filled in, with Crop to fill selected. Every image is resized right away; change the shape option, the format or the quality and they are all redone. Download each image or all of them as a ZIP. The file names end in -1200x630, so you can tell them apart from the originals.
Need a different size? One size down is 600 × 600, one size up 1280 × 720. Type any width and height into the fields, or use the image resizer with percent and max size modes. To make the file smaller without changing the pixels, use the image compressor.
Sources
- Meta for Developers: Images in Link Shares
- Gregory K. Wallace: The JPEG Still Picture Compression Standard, section 4.5 (copy hosted by the National University of Singapore)
Frequently asked questions
What happens to a 12-megapixel photo resized to 1200x630?
A 12-megapixel phone photo of 4,032 × 3,024 pixels is 4:3. With Crop to fill, the preset, it becomes exactly 1200 × 630, and 454 pixels are trimmed from the top and the bottom of the original first, 30% of the picture. Fit and pad gives 1200 × 630 with the whole photo scaled to 840 × 630 and bands of 180 pixels left and right. Fit inside keeps the shape and returns 840 × 630. All three shrink the photo, which keeps it sharp.
Is 1200 × 630 exactly 1.91:1?
Almost. 1200 ÷ 630 is 1.905; an exact 1.91:1 at 630 pixels high would be 1,203 pixels wide. Meta's guide asks to stay as close to 1.91:1 as possible and names 1200 × 630 as the size for the best display.
How do I use the resized image as a link preview?
Upload the file to your site and point the og:image meta tag of the page to its URL. Meta's guide also suggests the og:image:width and og:image:height tags with the size in pixels, so the preview can show right away. Keep the file under 8 MB; a JPG at 1200 × 630 is usually far below that.
What aspect ratio is 1200x630?
1200 × 630 has an aspect ratio of 40:21, which is about 1.90:1: the width is 1.9 times the height. Any picture of the same shape resizes to it without trimming or bands.
Are my images uploaded to resize them to 1200 × 630?
No. Your browser opens each image, draws it at the new size and saves it on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server.