Facebook cover photos allow users to customize the banner image that appears at the top of their profile. This large horizontal photo acts as a cover image, sitting above your profile picture and information. Cover photos are a great way to express your personality, interests, or causes you care about.
Facebook displays cover photos differently depending on whether you are viewing a profile from desktop or from a mobile device. On desktop, the cover photo appears in its full size glory, while on mobile it is cropped and resized to fit the smaller screen. So what are the exact dimensions for Facebook cover photos on desktop versus mobile?
Facebook Cover Photo Size for Desktop
On desktop computer browsers, Facebook displays cover photos at 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall. This means the maximum size for a cover photo uploaded for desktop is:
- Width: 851 pixels
- Height: 315 pixels
If you upload an image that is less than 851×315 pixels, Facebook will stretch it to fill the available cover photo area without cropping. Uploading a larger image will result in Facebook cropping and resizing it down to the maximum 851×315 pixel size.
Recommended Size for Desktop
While you can technically upload a cover photo as small as 160×160 pixels on desktop, Facebook recommends uploading images that are:
- At least 1640 pixels wide (twice the width of 851px)
- At least 630 pixels tall (twice the height of 315px)
This allows high resolution photos to display crisply on high pixel density screens, like Retina displays, without getting distorted or blurry from over-stretching a small image.
Facebook Cover Photo Size for Mobile
On mobile devices like smartphones, Facebook crops and resizes cover photos to fit the smaller screen. The mobile cover photo size is:
- Width: 640 pixels
- Height: 360 pixels
So a desktop cover photo that is 851×315 pixels will be shrunk and centered to fit the 640×360 pixel space when viewed on mobile.
Recommended Size for Mobile
To optimize cover photos for both desktop and mobile, Facebook recommends uploading an image that is:
- At least 1280 pixels wide (twice the 640px width)
- At least 720 pixels tall (twice the 360px height)
This will allow the image to display well on mobile screens without becoming distorted, pixelated or blurry when resized down from the larger desktop size.
Comparing Desktop and Mobile Cover Photo Sizes
To summarize and compare the size differences:
| Platform | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | 851px | 315px |
| Mobile | 640px | 360px |
As you can see, the desktop cover photo is quite a bit larger, with an aspect ratio of roughly 2.7:1. The mobile cover photo is more square-shaped with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Key Takeaways
- Desktop cover photos can be 851px wide by 315px tall.
- Mobile cover photos are cropped to 640px wide by 360px tall.
- For best results, upload high resolution images at least 1280px x 720px.
- The desktop cover image is wider while mobile is more square-shaped.
How the Mobile Cover Photo is Cropped
When Facebook resizes a wider desktop cover photo down to fit the 640×360 pixel mobile size, the image gets cropped inward from the sides:
- The photo will be cropped equally from the left and right edges.
- The center section will be kept and resized to 640px width.
- The top 360px height of the desktop image will be preserved.
In other words, the central portion from the original desktop cover photo is kept while the left and right edges are cropped out equally. The top part of the image stays the same on mobile.
Positioning Subjects for Mobile Cropping
Knowing how Facebook crops cover photos on mobile can help guide how you design the image composition:
- Place the main subject in the center to ensure it shows up on mobile.
- Avoid putting critical information at the far left or right edges that may get cut off.
- The top area will appear on both desktop and mobile, so you can safely position subjects there.
Uploading Cover Photos
Uploading a Facebook cover photo is easy to do:
- Visit your profile page
- Click the camera icon to bring up photo uploading
- Select the “Upload Photo” button
- Choose a high resolution image file from your computer
- Click “Open”
- Position and adjust the cropping area
- Click “Save Changes”
You can upload JPEGs, PNGs, GIFs, and other common image file formats as your Facebook cover photo.
Tips for Picking Cover Photos
Some tips for selecting a great Facebook cover photo:
- Choose an image that represents your personality or brand
- Use high resolution photos for best quality
- Pick images with bright, vibrant colors
- Experiment with abstract patterns or textures
- Photos with subtle animations can be eye-catching
Change up your cover photo periodically to keep your profile looking fresh. Have fun designing cover photos optimized for desktop and mobile!
Conclusion
Facebook displays cover photos at 851×315 pixels on desktop, and crops them to 640×360 pixels for mobile. For best results, upload images that are at least 1280×720 pixels to provide high resolution on both platforms. Position key subjects in the center to avoid cropping issues when images are resized for mobile. Upload customized cover photos to showcase your personality while following the recommended sizes for desktop and mobile.