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Use a 1200 × 627 pixel image for a LinkedIn website link preview. That is the size LinkedIn specifies for its sharing module, with a recommended 1.91:1 landscape ratio. Keep the file at or below 5 MB, publish the image at a publicly reachable URL, and expose the correct Open Graph tags so LinkedIn can fetch it.

The correct LinkedIn website thumbnail size

For an organic LinkedIn post that contains a website or article URL, create the preview image at 1200 pixels wide by 627 pixels high. The ratio is approximately 1.91:1. LinkedIn describes 1200 × 627 as the minimum dimensions for the website-sharing module and uses that ratio for the large preview frame.

  • Width: 1200 px
  • Height: 627 px
  • Aspect ratio: 1.91:1 (landscape)
  • Maximum file size: 5 MB for the website-sharing module

Design at the full dimensions rather than enlarging a smaller file. A larger source can be resized to this ratio, but a small source enlarged after export may look soft or introduce compression artifacts.

Do not confuse a website thumbnail with other LinkedIn images

LinkedIn has separate specifications for different image contexts. The 1200 × 627 recommendation applies to the image attached to a URL or article preview in an organic post—not to every image shown on LinkedIn.

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Asset Use Specification in the cited LinkedIn guidance
Website link preview Image retrieved from a page when you paste its URL into a post 1200 × 627 px; 1.91:1; maximum 5 MB
LinkedIn Page cover Header image on a company Page 1512 × 256 px
LinkedIn Page logo Company or organization identity image 400 × 400 px recommended

Page covers and logos are different assets. Using a cover image as your website thumbnail can produce an unusually short crop or excess empty space.

Prepare the image so important content survives the preview

Keep the composition horizontal

Build a 1.91:1 canvas and place the headline, logo and key visual inside it. Avoid putting essential text against the extreme top, bottom or side edges. LinkedIn may display the image at different sizes, and mobile layouts can leave less room for fine detail.

Use readable type and contrast

Preview images are often viewed as a small card in a feed. Use a short headline, strong contrast and a simple focal point. Do not rely on tiny paragraphs or thin lines to communicate the page’s subject.

Export below 5 MB

Compress the final JPEG, PNG or WebP until it is comfortably under 5 MB. A lower file size usually loads more easily, but excessive compression can make text and gradients visibly blocky. Check the exported file’s actual size rather than assuming the design application’s setting is the final size.

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Add Open Graph metadata to the page

LinkedIn obtains a website preview from metadata in the page source. Put these fields inside the document’s <head> and make the image URL publicly retrievable:

<meta property="og:title" content="Your article title">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/linkedin-preview.jpg">
<meta property="og:description" content="A concise description of the page.">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/article">

og:image should be an absolute HTTPS URL to the 1200 × 627 image. The URL must not require a login, session cookie or an internal network connection. Ensure that your server returns the image to external requests and does not block LinkedIn’s retrieval.

What each field controls

  • og:title supplies the headline associated with the shared page.
  • og:image identifies the preview image.
  • og:description supplies supporting text when LinkedIn displays it.
  • og:url identifies the canonical page being shared.

If your CMS generates these tags, edit the page’s social-sharing or SEO fields instead of inserting duplicate tags manually. Duplicate or conflicting values can make it unclear which image LinkedIn should use.

Share the URL and verify the result

  1. Publish the page and confirm the image URL works in a private browser window.
  2. Open LinkedIn’s post composer and paste the complete page URL.
  3. Allow a few seconds for the preview image to load.
  4. Check the image, title and description before publishing.
  5. If you changed the image or metadata, paste the URL again later so LinkedIn can retrieve the updated values.

LinkedIn’s help guidance says that if it cannot retrieve a preview image, you can still publish the update as a link. A missing card image therefore does not necessarily mean the URL itself is unusable.

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How LinkedIn displays unusual dimensions

In LinkedIn Page-post preview guidance, an image narrower than 200 pixels is shown as a small thumbnail on the left rather than the larger preview image. Images with other ratios may be displayed in full with subtle white padding on mobile instead of being aggressively cropped. These behaviors are reasons to use the specified 1200 × 627 canvas: it gives the preview room to display as intended across layouts.

Troubleshoot a missing or incorrect preview

The image never appears

  • Check public access: Open the exact og:image URL while logged out. Protected directories, expiring URLs and firewall rules can prevent retrieval.
  • Inspect the source: View the page source and confirm that og:image, og:title, og:description and og:url are present in the head.
  • Use an absolute URL: Replace relative paths such as /images/share.jpg with a complete HTTPS URL.
  • Check the file: Verify that the response is an image, the file is no larger than 5 MB and the dimensions are 1200 × 627.
  • Retry the URL: Paste the link into a fresh composer after the page and image are publicly available.

The wrong image or title appears

CMS plugins sometimes emit more than one set of Open Graph tags, or a template may retain an older image. Remove duplicate values, clear the site’s own cache, and confirm that the canonical URL and image URL point to the intended page. LinkedIn can also retain a previously fetched version for a period of time, so a corrected page may not change instantly.

The preview is tiny or padded

Confirm that the source file is not narrower than 200 pixels and that the canvas is close to 1.91:1. A portrait or very wide image can be shown with padding or reduced to a small thumbnail even when the post itself can still be shared.

LinkedIn reports an error

Check for redirects that require authentication, robots or network rules that deny LinkedIn, malformed metadata, and an image URL that returns an HTML error page. Test the final URL directly and inspect the HTTP response before trying again.

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Generate a dependable preview without running a browser

If you need a screenshot of the page itself rather than a designed social graphic, a capture service can render the URL at the required viewport and save the result. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. It removes cookie-consent banners, newsletter popups and chat widgets before capture; only clean shots are billed, while bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed and are identified in the response headers. Its MCP tools let Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients call take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf.

Or skip the browser setup

Request a screenshot directly from the API, then use the resulting image as the basis for your 1200 × 627 LinkedIn asset. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all options, including viewport, resizing, custom CSS, waiting rules and format selection.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

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}`);

ScreenshotNeo supports full-page captures, CSS-selector element captures, dark mode, device presets, retina scale, custom CSS and JavaScript, click actions, hidden selectors, network-idle or selector waits, blocked requests, cookies and headers, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs, webhooks and bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call. You can request PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF and choose a cache TTL. Its parameter names are compatible with those used by other screenshot APIs, which can simplify a migration.

The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots; every feature is available on every plan. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to get started.

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Practical checklist before publishing

  • Canvas is exactly 1200 × 627 px or maintains the 1.91:1 ratio.
  • File is 5 MB or smaller.
  • Text and logos remain readable at feed-card size.
  • og:title, og:image, og:description and og:url are present once in the page head.
  • The image URL is absolute, public and returns the actual image.
  • You have pasted the URL into LinkedIn and allowed the preview to load before publishing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a larger image than 1200 × 627?

You can create a larger source and resize it, but the website-sharing specification is 1200 × 627 at a 1.91:1 ratio. Keep the delivered file within LinkedIn’s 5 MB limit.

Does a missing thumbnail stop me from sharing the link?

No. LinkedIn’s sharing guidance says the update can still be published as a link when a preview image cannot be retrieved.

Is 1200 × 627 the right size for a LinkedIn Page cover?

No. The cited Page specifications list a 1512 × 256 pixel cover and a 400 × 400 pixel recommended logo; those are separate assets from a website link preview.

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