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There is no single pixel size that works for every website header. For a full-width hero, start with 1920 × 1080 px (16:9); for a shorter website banner, start with 1200 × 400 px (3:1). These are source-image starting points, not guaranteed display sizes: your theme, section height, viewport and crop settings determine what visitors actually see. Use your platform’s specifications first, then preview the header at desktop and mobile widths.
Recommended website header image dimensions
Choose dimensions by the job the image does. A shallow banner and a large hero have different shapes, so a single “header size” would be misleading.
| Header use | Starting dimensions | Aspect ratio | What the guidance means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-width hero | 1920 × 1080 px | 16:9 | The U.S. National Science Foundation recommends this as its preferred full-size hero for high quality on large monitors. NSF guidance. |
| Desktop hero in Shopify’s guide | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9 | Shopify’s 2026 image-size guide lists this desktop hero size and gives a different mobile rendition. Shopify guide. |
| Website banner | 1200 × 400 px | 3:1 | A shorter banner shape listed in Shopify’s 2026 guide; it is not the same component as a full-screen hero. Shopify guide. |
| Desktop hero in Squarespace guidance | 1600 × 500 px or 1920 × 1080 px | Varies | Squarespace offers both as starting points and emphasizes responsive display. Squarespace background-image guidance. |
| Mobile hero example in Squarespace guidance | 800 × 1200 px | 2:3 | A portrait shape that can fill a phone screen more naturally; separate mobile images depend on the site setup. Squarespace guidance. |
These figures describe different platforms and components, not competing universal standards. If your theme or platform documents a required size, use that as the first constraint. Otherwise, select the closest starting shape above, then judge the rendered result rather than assuming the uploaded dimensions will be displayed unchanged.
Banner or hero: identify the component first
Short banner
A banner is relatively shallow compared with its width. The 3:1 starting ratio, such as 1200 × 400 px, suits a strip across a page better than a tall, immersive opening section. If you use a hero image in a banner slot, the site may crop away much of its height.
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A hero usually occupies a larger portion of the initial page view and may sit behind a headline, navigation or call to action. A 16:9 image is a useful landscape starting point, but the visible section can still be much shorter than the source image. The NSF describes a hero as a wide format, for which a wide aspect ratio is better. NSF author guidance.
Do not substitute advertising specifications for website-header guidance: ad placements have their own platform rules and may use different shapes.
Why the header gets cropped, especially on mobile
Responsive pages often fit an image into a container whose shape changes with the viewport. If the image fills that container, some edges may be cropped; the browser does not necessarily shrink the entire source image until every pixel fits. A desktop composition can therefore lose its focal point on a narrow screen.
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Shopify’s developer documentation notes that a mobile crop may have a different aspect ratio from the desktop crop. It also warns that omitting dimensions on a responsive source can cause the browser to reserve the wrong ratio while the mobile image loads. Shopify responsive-image performance guidance. Where the theme supports it, a separate mobile crop can preserve the composition. Squarespace says its system resizes images for device widths, so there is no exact upload size that applies to every Squarespace layout. Squarespace guidance.
Protect the focal point
- Keep faces, products and other essential subjects away from the outer edges, where responsive cropping is most likely to cut them off.
- Leave breathing room around any area where the theme places a headline, navigation or button.
- Do not assume a centered subject is always safe: the image focal point or crop position may change by theme or device.
- Preview the actual page at representative desktop and mobile widths, and adjust the crop or supply a mobile-specific image if your setup allows it.
How to choose and check your header image
- Find the theme’s image guidance. Check your theme or platform documentation for the relevant section’s recommended dimensions, crop behavior and support for separate mobile images.
- Name the component. Decide whether you are filling a shallow banner or a large hero, rather than searching for one generic header measurement.
- Prepare an appropriately shaped source. Use the documented dimensions if available. As a general starting point, use 1920 × 1080 px for a full-width hero or 1200 × 400 px for a banner.
- Compose for cropping. Keep the focal point and any important visual detail inside a central safe area. Put headlines and calls to action in live page text whenever possible.
- Preview the live layout. Check desktop and phone-sized views, including how the image behaves behind text and navigation. Change the crop, section height or mobile asset if needed.
- Optimize the file and inspect the page. Compress it while keeping the visible result acceptable, then check how the real page loads and looks on the devices you support.
File format, weight, quality and accessibility
Make the source large enough for its largest intended display, but do not treat pixel dimensions as the only performance concern. Shopify’s 2026 guide says smaller files—often around 500 KB and up to 2 MB in many cases—are better, while Squarespace’s hero article gives a 10–20 MB starting range. Those recommendations differ, so neither is a universal target. Keep the file as light as practical without visible damage and test the actual page. Shopify image-size guide; Squarespace hero guidance.
WebP is a popular option for web images, and Shopify favors it for many hero images. Shopify’s hero guidance advises a fallback when using AVIF because browser support is not universal. Choose a format that your platform and audience support, and confirm any fallback behavior rather than assuming every browser handles it identically. Shopify guide.
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- Keep essential text live. Avoid baking a headline or call to action into a decorative image when it can be rendered as page text; live text is easier to resize and access.
- Use appropriate alternative text. Give a meaningful image alt text that conveys its relevant content. A purely decorative background should not be announced as meaningful content.
- Check contrast and visibility. Make sure the page’s headline and controls remain readable against the image across screen sizes.
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Troubleshooting common header-image problems
The subject disappears on a phone
The mobile container is cropping a different portion or ratio than desktop. Move the focal point inward, adjust the crop or section settings, or use a separate mobile image if the theme supports one. Recheck at the actual mobile layout rather than relying only on the source file’s proportions.
The image looks soft on a large display
The source may not have enough resolution for the rendered size or a high-density display. Start with a source appropriate for the largest intended display, and verify the platform has not resized or recompressed it in a way that affects visible quality.
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Responsive image markup that omits dimensions can lead the browser to reserve the wrong ratio while a mobile image loads. Check the theme’s responsive image implementation and ensure the correct dimensions or aspect ratio are supplied for its sources, following the platform’s guidance. Shopify performance guidance.
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The headline is hard to read over the image
Change the crop or image composition, or adjust the page’s text treatment and placement. Keep the headline and call to action as live text where possible, and verify contrast on both wide and narrow layouts.
The uploaded image is slow to load
Reduce file weight while checking that compression does not visibly damage the header. Consider a supported modern format such as WebP, and test the rendered page rather than applying a single file-size limit to every site.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently asked questions
Should I use the same header image on desktop and mobile?
Not necessarily. A single source may be cropped differently across viewports; where your theme supports it, a separate mobile crop can keep the subject and text-safe composition intact.
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Should the header headline be part of the image file?
Usually not. Render important headlines and calls to action as live text so they remain easier to resize and access.
Does a 16:9 image guarantee a full-width hero will look right?
No. The source ratio is only a starting point; the section’s height, viewport and crop behavior determine the visible result.
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