Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUse a 1200 × 630 pixel landscape image as a practical cross-platform starting point. It is close to the 1.91:1 frame used by LinkedIn, whose official guidance specifies 1200 × 627 pixels, a 1200 × 627 minimum and a 5 MB maximum for website-sharing images. No single file works identically everywhere: image dimensions, aspect ratio, file size, metadata, cropping and cache behavior are separate concerns.
The short answer: 1200 × 630 is a useful default
Create your website’s social preview image at 1200 × 630 pixels (about 1.91:1), export it as an appropriately compressed JPEG, PNG or WebP, and place it in your page’s Open Graph metadata. Keep important text and logos away from the edges because platforms can crop or render the asset differently.
This is a practical convention, not a universal platform guarantee. LinkedIn’s documented frame is 1.91:1 and 1200 × 627 pixels. A 1200 × 630 file has the same practical ratio, but LinkedIn’s own minimum and file-size rules still apply. Other services may use different card types, limits or undocumented rendering behavior.
What “image size” actually means
When someone asks “What size should my og:image be?”, they may mean several different values:
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
- HTML CSS Design and Build Web Sites
- Comes with secure packaging
- It can be a gift option
- Pixel dimensions: the width and height of the source file, such as 1200 × 630.
- Aspect ratio: the shape of the image. A 1.91:1 image is wider than it is tall.
- File size: the encoded file’s weight in megabytes or kilobytes. A large pixel canvas can still be compressed below a platform limit.
- Metadata: the Open Graph fields that tell a crawler which title, image, description and URL to display.
- Rendered crop: the portion a service actually shows in a feed, message or card. This can differ from the original file.
Meeting one of these conditions does not prove that the others are met. A correctly proportioned image can still be rejected for being too large, or displayed with the wrong title because its metadata is missing.
Platform guidance and confidence levels
| Platform or context | Dimensions and ratio | File-size or metadata notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn shared links | 1.91:1 preview frame; 1200 × 627 pixels | Website-sharing documentation lists 1200 × 627 minimum and 5 MB maximum. Use og:title, og:image, og:description and og:url. |
Official LinkedIn Help |
| Facebook and common Open Graph use | 1200 × 630 is widely reported as a common landscape recommendation | Verify current, product-specific rules before treating it as an official limit. | Secondary technical guidance |
| X large-image cards | A secondary guide reports a 300 × 157 minimum for the large-image card | The same guide reports a 5 MB limit and distinguishes the large-image card setup. Card declarations matter. | Secondary guidance; not a verified current primary specification here |
| WhatsApp, Slack and Discord | No single authoritative universal dimension established | Secondary roundups discuss these services; Slack and Discord do not publish exact image-dimension specifications in that guidance. | Secondary guidance |
Use the LinkedIn values when LinkedIn is a hard requirement. Use 1200 × 630 as a sensible shared source for multiple destinations, then inspect each destination’s rendered card rather than assuming identical behavior.
Build the image and metadata correctly
1. Design a safe 1200 × 630 canvas
- Put the page’s main idea, brand mark and contrast near the center.
- Leave breathing room around all edges for unknown crops.
- Do not put essential text in a narrow strip at the top or bottom.
- Export a readable image at or above LinkedIn’s 1200 × 627 minimum when LinkedIn sharing matters.
- Keep the encoded file at or below LinkedIn’s 5 MB maximum.
2. Add Open Graph fields to the page head
Use an absolute, publicly reachable image URL. A minimal implementation is:
<meta property="og:title" content="Your page title">
<meta property="og:description" content="A concise description of the page.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/article-preview-1200x630.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/articles/example">The canonical page URL in og:url should match the URL you intend people to share. Keep the image response accessible to crawlers: do not require a login, block the relevant user agents, or serve a broken redirect.
3. Check the actual response
Confirm that the image URL returns an image content type, a successful status and the expected dimensions. Check the page source, not only a client-side preview, to ensure the tags are present in the initial HTML. If your CMS generates tags, inspect the final published URL after deployment.
Why a correct image may not appear immediately
LinkedIn says its share box uses oEmbed and/or the Open Graph protocol to obtain the most accurate title, description and image. It also advises allowing up to 48 hours for cached content to refresh after you change tags. A missing preview image does not necessarily prevent the link itself from being shared.
Rank #3
Therefore, test a new URL or wait for the cache window before concluding that a change failed. Updating the file at the same URL can also leave an old copy in a crawler cache; changing the asset filename is a practical way to make a new URL available, while keeping your page metadata consistent.
Common failure modes and fixes
The preview is blank or uses the wrong image
- Inspect the final HTML for one
og:imageand verify its absolute URL. - Open that URL without authentication and confirm it returns the intended file.
- Remove crawler blocks, expiring signed URLs or redirects that require JavaScript.
- Allow the documented cache period before retesting.
The image is rejected or missing on LinkedIn
- Check that the source is at least 1200 × 627 pixels and no larger than 5 MB.
- Use the 1.91:1 shape and a conventional JPEG, PNG or WebP export.
- Ensure the page includes
og:title,og:image,og:descriptionandog:url.
The card is cropped unexpectedly
That is a rendering decision, not necessarily a bad source file. Keep critical content inside a central safe area, avoid edge-aligned text, and preview the link in every destination that matters. A ratio match cannot guarantee identical crops.
Recommended Free Tools
The title or description is stale
Compare the live page source with the values you expect, then wait for the platform cache to refresh. A page can continue sharing successfully even while its preview remains old.
Rank #4
- Brand: Wiley
- Set of 2 Volumes
- A handy two-book set that uniquely combines related technologies Highly visual format and accessible language makes these books highly effective learning tools Perfect for beginning web designers and front-end developers
The file is too heavy
Reduce JPEG quality gradually, remove unnecessary metadata and resize only after preserving the required minimum dimensions. Check the resulting byte size, not just the editor’s canvas dimensions.
Testing previews without guessing
- Publish the page and image at stable HTTPS URLs.
- Fetch the page source and record the four Open Graph values.
- Fetch the image directly and verify status, content type, byte size and dimensions.
- Share the URL in each target service and compare title, description, image and crop.
- After a metadata change, retest after the service’s cache interval; for LinkedIn, allow up to 48 hours.
For automated visual checks, capture the published page at a fixed viewport and compare the result in your deployment pipeline. A screenshot does not replace checking Open Graph tags, but it can reveal cookie dialogs, chat widgets, failed fonts or layout shifts that affect the page a visitor sees.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo can capture a clean page through one request, which is useful when you want a repeatable visual check of the page behind a social link. Before capture it accepts the cookie or consent banner and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutecURL:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for the API and its 63 capture options, including full-page shots, element selection, custom CSS and JavaScript, waiting rules, device presets, PDF output, request blocking, signed links, asynchronous jobs and bulk capture. Its MCP server lets Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients use take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up free.
Cost, performance and reliability considerations
- Serve a reasonably compressed asset: smaller files improve crawler and feed retrieval, but never sacrifice the documented minimum dimensions.
- Use stable URLs: avoid short-lived image links and authentication gates for public previews.
- Cache deliberately: a long-lived image URL is efficient, but changing the filename makes a replacement easier for crawlers to discover.
- Test failure paths: verify behavior when the image, page or third-party font is unavailable.
- Separate visual and metadata checks: a clean screenshot cannot prove that a platform accepted your Open Graph fields.
FAQ
Is 1200 × 630 mandatory?
No. It is a practical cross-platform default. LinkedIn documents 1200 × 627 and a 1.91:1 frame, so use its exact minimum when LinkedIn is the deciding destination.
Can I use a portrait image for a website link?
You can publish one, but link-card layouts commonly reserve a landscape frame. A portrait source is more likely to be letterboxed or cropped, so create a dedicated landscape asset for sharing.
Does changing the image URL immediately update every preview?
No. Crawlers and platforms cache metadata and assets. The visible update depends on the service’s refresh process; LinkedIn advises allowing up to 48 hours after tag changes.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Do Open Graph tags control every social network?
They provide broadly used link metadata, but individual services can add card declarations, limits and rendering rules. Validate the final card on each service you target.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size should my og:image be?
Start with 1200 × 630 pixels at about 1.91:1; for LinkedIn, meet its documented 1200 × 627 minimum and 5 MB maximum.
Why does a social preview show an old image?
The platform may have cached the page or asset. Verify the live tags and allow the service’s refresh window; LinkedIn says this can take up to 48 hours.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
