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A 1200 × 630-pixel image is a practical default for link previews across major platforms. Set Open Graph metadata in the page’s <head>, use an absolute HTTPS image URL, and check the result in each platform’s preview tool after publishing. Platforms crop images differently and cache what they fetch, so one image can produce several distinct cards.

How link preview images work

When someone shares a webpage, the receiving app or platform fetches its metadata and uses it to build a preview card. Open Graph fields provide the title, description, canonical URL, content type, and image used by many crawlers. X can use its Twitter Card tags and fall back to Open Graph fields. The resulting card layout, crop, and refresh behavior are controlled by each platform, not by the page alone.

The practical goal is to provide complete metadata and an image that survives the differences among card layouts. Use a well-composed 1200 × 630-pixel image, keep essential text and logos away from the edges, and verify the URL in the platforms where your audience shares it.

Image dimensions and platform differences

There is no single image specification that guarantees an identical preview everywhere. The figures below are current guidance in the cited sources; platform parsers and interfaces can change.

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Platform or card Image guidance Metadata read Size limits and crop Refresh or check
Facebook / Meta-style card 1200 × 630 pixels is a broad default; about 1.91:1. Open Graph: title, description, image, URL, and type. Layout and crop can vary. The cited guidance should be checked for current file constraints; do not assume another platform’s limit applies. Use the platform’s sharing debugger/inspector to fetch the URL again. See Open Graph protocol and OG Image Design’s size guide.
X large image card Use a wide image; the large-card shape is close to 2:1. A 1200 × 630 image is close, but not identical. twitter:card plus Twitter Card fields; Open Graph fields can provide fallbacks. Expect some horizontal or vertical crop relative to 1.91:1. Keep words, faces, and logos in a central safe area. Inspect the card with X’s card preview/validator where available; recrawl behavior can change.
LinkedIn LinkedIn’s current help guidance lists 1200 × 627 pixels as the minimum dimensions for website sharing. Open Graph fields. Its recommended dimensions are very close to 1200 × 630; card layout can still differ from other apps. Use LinkedIn’s post inspector to check or refresh a shared URL. See LinkedIn help.
Slack and Discord A 1200 × 630 Open Graph image is a reasonable starting point. Open Graph metadata commonly supplies the preview content. Each client can choose its own unfurl layout and crop. The cited sources do not establish a single universal image file-size limit for both. Test by posting the URL in the relevant client; cached previews may not update immediately.
WhatsApp and iMessage Use an image reachable over HTTPS and keep the file reasonably lightweight. Open Graph metadata is a useful shared baseline, though client behavior can vary. Exact limits are platform-specific and may change; the cited guidance does not establish one durable shared limit. Test on the actual client and device. A URL that works in a desktop inspector may behave differently in a messaging app.

For a current size roundup and visual examples, see OG Image Design and OpenGraphImage. Treat their guidance as implementation advice rather than an immutable platform contract.

Example: one page, several preview cards

Imagine a page at https://example.com/guides/secure-backups with a 1200 × 630 image at https://example.com/images/secure-backups-og.jpg. The same image can be selected by Facebook-style unfurls, LinkedIn, Slack, or Discord, while each service places the title and description differently. X can render a large image card from the Twitter Card declaration. Because LinkedIn lists 1200 × 627 as its minimum and X’s large card is closer to 2:1, avoid placing important text at the top, bottom, or far edges of the source image.

A useful design is to compose the image for the broad default, with a centered focal point and generous margins. If a platform’s preview crops important content, create a platform-specific image and metadata variant only if the sharing workflow supports serving different page metadata to that crawler. Do not assume a single universal crop control exists in Open Graph.

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Add Open Graph and X metadata

Place these tags in the page’s HTML <head>. Replace the example URL, title, description, and image with values for the actual page. The image URL should be absolute and HTTPS. Explicit width and height help crawlers classify the image reliably.

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<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:title" content="Example article title">
<meta property="og:description" content="A concise description for the share card.">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/article">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/article-og.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">

Keep the values consistent: og:url should identify the page being shared, and the image should be publicly fetchable by platform crawlers without a login, expiring token, or browser-only session. The summary_large_image card instructs X to use a large image presentation. Other fields can still fall back to Open Graph values.

Choosing the image content

  • Make the subject recognizable at the smaller size of a feed card.
  • Keep text brief and well inside the edges; platform crops are not uniform.
  • Use a direct image URL that returns the image, not an HTML page or an access-denied response.
  • Compress the asset while preserving legibility. File limits differ and may change, so verify the target platform rather than assuming one number applies everywhere.
  • Use a descriptive, page-specific image instead of relying on a generic site logo when the page’s subject benefits from visual context.

Publish and validate the preview

  1. Generate the image. Export a 1200 × 630 image as a practical cross-platform starting point. Keep the critical visual content within a safe central area.
  2. Make the image public. Load its absolute HTTPS URL directly in a private browser window. It should return the image without authentication, a redirect loop, or a consent gate.
  3. Add metadata to the source page. Put Open Graph and Twitter Card tags in the rendered document’s <head>, not only in a client-side state that a crawler may not execute.
  4. Check the page response. Confirm that the public page returns successfully and that its rendered HTML contains the expected title, description, URL, and image fields.
  5. Inspect platform previews. Use the relevant platform inspector or preview workflow, then test an actual share in the target messaging app if that channel matters.
  6. Refresh after changes. Request a new fetch in the platform inspector when possible. A crawler may continue showing cached metadata or an older image until it recrawls.

OpenGraph.dev describes preview workflows and names platform inspectors. For a visual gallery and sizing guidance, see OG Image Design.

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Why an image or preview is missing or cropped

The image does not load for a crawler

Open the image URL directly without being logged in. Check that it uses HTTPS, returns an image response, and is not blocked by access controls, hotlink protection, a firewall, or robots rules. A browser may display an image because it has cookies or cached access that a platform crawler does not have.

The crawler is seeing different or incomplete HTML

Some crawlers do not execute the same JavaScript as a full browser. If metadata is inserted only after client-side rendering, the crawler may miss it. Confirm the tags appear in the HTML returned to an unauthenticated request and are not duplicated with conflicting values.

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The card shows an old title or image

Platforms cache fetched metadata and images. After an edit, request a recrawl using the relevant inspector if it offers that option. Then test the share again; updating the source page does not necessarily invalidate every platform’s cache at once.

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The image is cropped differently than expected

Card aspect ratios and available space differ. A 1200 × 630 asset is 1.91:1, while X’s large card is near 2:1. Keep essential content away from the edges, and inspect the actual card rather than judging from the original image alone.

The preview has an image but no useful text

Check that og:title and og:description are present and meaningful. Confirm og:url points to the intended page and that X has twitter:card set if a large image card is desired. Platform presentation may omit or truncate fields even when the tags are valid.

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Inspect what a crawler receives

A browser-based screenshot can help diagnose whether a public page visually renders and whether an image URL resolves. It does not replace a platform inspector: a normal browser session may differ from a crawler in JavaScript support, request headers, cookies, cache, and access rules. Use a screenshot to see the rendered page, then validate metadata and the actual share card separately.

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For repeatable visual checks, capture the page after any consent interface has been handled and compare the result after a change. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server by Yorker Media; its service details are at ScreenshotNeo.

Or skip the browser setup

To capture a rendered page for visual inspection, make one request to ScreenshotNeo. This example saves a WebP capture of the sample article page; replace the URL with your page. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.

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

ScreenshotNeo accepts consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks and CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and response headers report the page verdict and whether the shot was billed. Its MCP server gives AI agents tools to take screenshots, get page information, and capture PDFs. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for free and try ScreenshotNeo.

FAQ

Should I use PNG, JPEG, or WebP?

The cited size guidance does not establish one format as universally preferred across platforms. Use a format that your target services accept and that keeps the image clear at a practical file size; validate the resulting preview.

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Does adding Twitter Card tags mean I can omit Open Graph tags?

No. Open Graph remains the broad metadata baseline for many crawlers, while X can use Twitter Card tags and fall back to Open Graph fields. Including both makes the page’s intent clearer across sharing services.

Can a screenshot confirm that my link preview is correct?

Not by itself. A screenshot shows a browser-rendered page, while a social preview depends on the platform crawler, metadata parser, and its cache. Check the platform inspector or share card as well.

Will every service display my description and image?

No. Platforms choose their own card layout and may omit, truncate, crop, or cache fields differently. Metadata makes the intended values available; it does not force every client to present them identically.

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