When someone shares your link on social media, the image that appears — the one that determines whether they click or scroll past — is controlled by your OG (Open Graph) image. Get the dimensions wrong and platforms either shrink it into an unreadable thumbnail, crop it badly, or skip it entirely.
This guide gives you the correct size for every major platform, the safe zone rules that keep your content visible regardless of how each platform crops, and a pre-publish testing checklist.
The short answer: Use 1200×630 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio) for almost everything. For Twitter/X specifically, 1200×600 (2:1) avoids edge cropping.
OG Image Dimensions: Quick Reference Table
The recommended OG image size is 1200×630 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio), which works across Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord. For Twitter/X specifically, use 1200×600 pixels (2:1). Keep all key content within the central 80% of the image to survive platform-specific cropping.
| Platform | Recommended Size | Minimum Size | Aspect Ratio | Max File Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal (all platforms) | 1200×630 | — | 1.91:1 | — |
| Facebook / Meta | 1200×630 | 600×315 | 1.91:1 | 8 MB |
| Twitter / X | 1200×600 | 300×157 | 2:1 | 5 MB |
| 1200×627 | 1200×627 | 1.91:1 | 5 MB | |
| 1200×630 | 300×200 | ~1.9:1 | 300 KB (recommended) | |
| Slack | 1200×630 | 500×262 | 1.9:1 | No hard limit |
| Discord | 1200×630 | Any | 1.9:1 | ~8 MB |
One image for all platforms: 1200×630 works everywhere except for Twitter/X, where a 2:1 crop will clip ~15px from the top and bottom of a 1200×630 image. For most designs this is acceptable — just keep logos and text away from the very edges.
The Universal OG Image: 1200×630 and Why It Works
The 1.91:1 aspect ratio became the de facto standard because the Open Graph protocol — originally developed by Facebook — established this ratio early, and most major platforms adopted it for compatibility. Today, 1200×630 satisfies Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord without any adaptation.
Here's the HTML meta tag implementation:
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yourdomain.com/images/og-cover.png" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630" />
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Descriptive alt text for your image" />
The og:image:width and og:image:height tags are technically optional but recommended — they help platforms cache and render your image faster without needing to fetch and analyze it first.
The 1200px width is important for high-density (Retina/2x) displays. At 1200px, Facebook and LinkedIn will display a sharp image on standard and high-DPI screens. Images narrower than 600px on Facebook will render as small inline thumbnails rather than large preview cards — a significant downgrade in visibility.
When to go platform-specific: If your OG image includes fine-detail text or design elements right at the edges, generate separate 1200×630 and 1200×600 variants. For most SaaS landing pages and blog posts, a single 1200×630 image works well across every platform.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
Facebook / Meta
Recommended: 1200×630 · Minimum: 600×315 · Max file size: 8 MB
Facebook is the most forgiving major platform. Images between 600×315 and 1200×630 will display as large preview cards. Below 600×315, Facebook reverts to a small inline thumbnail — which is a dramatic drop in click-through rate. The 8 MB file size limit is generous; most optimized images will be well under 500 KB.
Twitter / X
Recommended: 1200×600 · Minimum: 300×157 · Max file size: 5 MB
Twitter uses a 2:1 aspect ratio, not 1.91:1. If you use a standard 1200×630 image, Twitter will center-crop it to 1200×600, trimming approximately 15px from the top and bottom. For most images this is unnoticeable. For images with text or logos positioned at the very top or bottom edge, generate a dedicated 1200×600 variant.
Twitter also requires <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> to show the large image format. Without this tag, Twitter defaults to a small square thumbnail regardless of image dimensions.
Recommended: 1200×627 · Minimum: 1200×627 · Max file size: 5 MB
LinkedIn is the strictest platform. If your image is smaller than 1200×627, LinkedIn will not show the large card preview at all — your link will appear as plain text or a small icon. The minimum is effectively the recommended size. LinkedIn's 1200×627 minimum is so close to 1200×630 that a standard 1200×630 image works perfectly — the 3px difference is below detection threshold.
Recommended: 1200×630 · File size: Keep under 300 KB
WhatsApp respects Open Graph tags and displays preview cards in most conversations. The important constraint here isn't pixels — it's file size. WhatsApp struggles with images over 300 KB on mobile connections, which can cause the preview to fail to load or appear broken. Optimize your OG image to under 300 KB for reliable WhatsApp previews. A 1200×630 PNG saved at 80% quality or exported as a compressed JPEG typically achieves this.
Slack
Recommended: 1200×630 · Minimum: 500×262 · No hard file size limit
Slack renders OG previews in channel messages and DMs. It's relatively forgiving on both dimensions and file size. The minimum of 500×262 means smaller images still work, but 1200×630 ensures a crisp preview on high-resolution monitors common in professional settings.
Discord
Recommended: 1200×630 · No strict minimum or file size limit
Discord reads Open Graph tags for link previews posted in servers and DMs. It's the most permissive platform covered here — nearly any image will display. Using 1200×630 ensures consistency with every other platform and a high-quality result on Discord's desktop clients.
The Safe Zone: Keeping Your Content Visible on Every Platform
Even at the correct dimensions, platforms crop and mask your OG image differently — rounding corners, applying circular overlays in some views, or showing different portions of the image depending on the preview layout.
The rule: Keep all essential content — logos, headlines, key visual elements — within the central 80% of the image, both horizontally and vertically.
For a 1200×630 image, the safe zone is approximately:
- Horizontal: 120px margin on each side (leave 120–1080px as safe)
- Vertical: 63px margin on top and bottom (leave 63–567px as safe)
Content outside this zone may be hidden, cropped, or covered by platform UI overlays (like the domain label that Facebook places over the bottom of preview images). Backgrounds, textures, and gradients can extend to the full bleed — just don't place any content you need readers to see in the outer 10% margin.
Format, File Size & Technical Requirements
JPG vs PNG
JPG is generally the better choice for OG images. It produces significantly smaller file sizes than PNG for photographic content and complex illustrations — often 3–5× smaller at comparable visual quality. A typical 1200×630 JPG at 80% quality is 80–200 KB. WhatsApp's 300 KB limit is easy to meet with JPG.
PNG is appropriate when your OG image has sharp geometric shapes with hard edges (text-heavy designs) or when pixel-perfect accuracy matters more than file size.
For most SaaS OG images — product screenshots with a branded background, text, and logo — JPG at 80–85% quality delivers the best balance of quality and file size.
General File Size Targets
| Platform | Recommended Max |
|---|---|
| 300 KB (hard practical limit) | |
| All other platforms | 500 KB (best practice) |
| Acceptable upper bound | 1 MB |
Technical Requirements
Always use HTTPS. Platforms will not load OG images served over HTTP — the preview will show a broken image icon or be skipped entirely. Your image URL must start with https://.
Include alt text. The og:image:alt meta tag provides accessibility context for screen readers and is increasingly indexed by search engines. Keep it descriptive and under 420 characters.
Specify width and height. Including og:image:width and og:image:height in your meta tags is optional but improves performance — platforms can reserve the correct layout space before the image finishes loading.
Absolute URLs only. The og:image URL must be a full absolute URL (https://yourdomain.com/og.png), not a relative path (/og.png). Relative paths won't resolve for external crawlers.
How to Test Your OG Images Before Publishing
Platform crawlers cache OG images aggressively. If you update your image after a URL has already been shared, the old image may continue to show for days. Each platform provides a validator tool that forces a fresh crawl.
Platform Validators
- Facebook: Facebook Sharing Debugger — paste your URL, click "Debug", then "Scrape Again" to force a cache refresh
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn Post Inspector — shows exactly how LinkedIn will render your link card
- Twitter/X: Twitter Card Validator — preview the large image card before sharing
Pre-Publish Checklist
Before publishing any page with an OG image:
- ✅ Image is exactly 1200×630 (or 1200×600 for Twitter-specific)
- ✅ File size is under 300 KB (WhatsApp) or 500 KB (general)
- ✅ Image URL uses HTTPS
- ✅
og:image,og:image:width,og:image:height,og:image:alttags all present - ✅
twitter:cardset tosummary_large_image - ✅ All key content is within the central 80% safe zone
- ✅ Validated in Facebook Sharing Debugger before launching
Forcing a Cache Refresh
If you update your OG image after initial publishing:
- Go to the Facebook Sharing Debugger
- Enter your URL and click "Debug"
- Click "Scrape Again" — this forces Facebook to re-fetch the latest image
- For LinkedIn, use the Post Inspector and click "Inspect" on the updated URL
Note that Twitter/X may take 24–48 hours to refresh cached cards even after using the validator. For time-sensitive updates (like a Product Hunt launch), update your OG image before the first share.
Creating On-Brand OG Images for Your SaaS
Getting the dimensions right is only half the equation. The other half is making the image actually represent your brand — correct colors, matching typography, your actual logo.
There are three approaches SaaS founders typically use:
1. Design manually in Figma or Canva. Set up an artboard at exactly 1200×630, use your brand color hex values, import your font, and drop in your logo file. This produces the highest quality results but requires design time for each new asset — every new blog post or landing page needs a new OG image created from scratch.
2. Use a static template generator. Tools like Bannerbear or similar services let you create a template once and swap in dynamic text. Good for scaling blog post OG images, but templates require manual setup and may drift from your actual brand as your site evolves.
3. Use a brand-aware AI generator like Framiq. Framiq generates OG images at exactly 1200×630 by reading your brand identity directly from your website URL — extracting your actual color hex values, loaded font families, and logo files. Point it at a product screenshot and it generates a properly-sized, on-brand share image in seconds, without needing to configure a template or manually specify colors.
For SaaS founders who launch frequently and need OG images for product pages, blog posts, and feature announcements, the automation approach pays off quickly. Manual template setup works once — the brand-aware approach works every time, even after a rebrand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct OG image size?
The recommended OG image size is 1200×630 pixels with a 1.91:1 aspect ratio. This works across Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord. For Twitter/X specifically, 1200×600 pixels (2:1 aspect ratio) is preferred to avoid edge cropping.
What OG image size does Twitter/X use?
Twitter/X uses a 2:1 aspect ratio. The recommended size is 1200×600 pixels. If you use a standard 1200×630 image, Twitter will center-crop it to 1200×600, trimming ~15px from the top and bottom. You also need <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> to show the large image card format.
Why is my OG image not showing on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn requires a minimum image size of 1200×627 pixels. Images smaller than this minimum will not display as large preview cards — the link will show as plain text instead. Verify your image meets the minimum size, uses HTTPS, and that the og:image tag contains an absolute URL (not a relative path). Use the LinkedIn Post Inspector to diagnose.
What is the best format for OG images?
JPG at 80–85% quality is the best format for most OG images. It produces files typically 80–200 KB at 1200×630 — well under WhatsApp's 300 KB practical limit and general best-practice ceiling of 500 KB. Use PNG only if your image contains hard-edged text or graphics where JPG compression artifacts would be visually noticeable.
How do I test my OG image before publishing?
Use the Facebook Sharing Debugger for Facebook and general validation, LinkedIn Post Inspector for LinkedIn, and Twitter Card Validator for Twitter/X. These tools fetch your page fresh and show exactly how the preview card will appear. If you've updated an existing OG image, use "Scrape Again" in the Facebook Debugger to force a cache refresh.
What happens if my OG image is the wrong size?
Platform behavior varies: Facebook shows a small thumbnail instead of a large card for images under 600×315. LinkedIn shows no image card at all for images below 1200×627. Twitter/X crops a non-2:1 image to fit, which may clip edge content. WhatsApp may fail to load images over 300 KB on slow connections. In all cases, an incorrectly sized OG image significantly reduces the click-through rate from social shares.
What size should my social share image be?
For a single image that works everywhere, use 1200×630 pixels saved as JPG under 300 KB. This satisfies Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord. For Twitter/X, a dedicated 1200×600 variant eliminates edge cropping, but the 1200×630 universal image works acceptably on Twitter in most designs.