The Short Answer
If you only remember one number, make it this one. Facebook popularized this ratio back when they introduced Open Graph, and everyone else followed. You could spend hours researching platform-specific dimensions, but 1200 × 630 works everywhere that matters.
Why 1200 × 630 Became the Standard
The 1.91:1 ratio wasn't chosen arbitrarily. It's close to the 16:9 video standard (1.78:1) but slightly wider, making it feel cinematic while fitting well in social feed layouts that are optimized for vertical scrolling.
At 1200 pixels wide, your image stays sharp even on high-density displays. Drop below 600 × 315 and most platforms switch to a small thumbnail layout instead of the large preview card you want.
Platform Quirks Worth Knowing
Every platform has its own OG image fetcher, cache, and display logic. After generating thousands of OG images, here's what actually matters:
Facebook caches aggressively. If you update your OG image and don't see it change, use the Sharing Debugger to force a re-scrape. Their crawler has an 8MB limit but times out much earlier on slow servers—aim for images under 300KB.
Twitter/X
Twitter supports two card types: summary (square thumbnail) and summary_large_image (the big preview you want). Without the twitter:card meta tag, you might get the small thumbnail even with a properly sized image.
LinkedIn's crawler is the pickiest of the bunch. It requires images to be exactly the right ratio or it crops unpredictably—sometimes cutting off text in ways that look broken. Their Post Inspector is essential for testing.
Messaging Apps
Slack, Discord, iMessage, and WhatsApp all fetch OG images for link previews. They're generally forgiving about dimensions but have tight timeouts. If your image takes more than a few seconds to load, they'll show a blank preview or fall back to a generic icon.
JPG vs PNG: A Practical Take
Skip the format comparison tables. Here's the rule of thumb: if your OG image is mostly photography or gradients, use JPG at 80-85% quality. If it has text, logos, or flat colors with hard edges, PNG will look sharper.
Stick to JPG and PNG only. Many social media platforms don't support SVG, GIF, or WebP for OG images. Even though WebP produces smaller files, the compatibility risk isn't worth it—your preview might not show up at all.
Whatever format you choose, compress it. A 2MB PNG that looks identical to a 150KB optimized version just means slower previews and potential timeouts. Tools like our Image Compressor, ImageOptim, or Squoosh can cut file sizes by 60-80% without visible quality loss. If your image isn't the right aspect ratio, crop it to 1200 × 630 before compressing.
Designing for the Feed
OG images display at roughly 500 pixels wide in most feeds. That means your carefully designed 1200-pixel-wide image gets scaled down to less than half its size. Design with this in mind:
- Text needs to be big. Anything under 40-50px at the source resolution becomes hard to read. Headlines work; paragraphs don't.
- Keep the edges clear. Platforms crop differently—some shave a few pixels off each side, others center-crop on mobile. The center 80% of your image is the safe zone.
- Test on mobile. Most link clicks come from phones. Your desktop preview might look great while the mobile version cuts off important text.
Retina Displays: Do You Need 2x?
Some guides recommend 2400 × 1260 pixels to look sharp on retina screens. In practice, 1200 × 630 is fine—social feeds are busy environments where pixel-perfect sharpness doesn't move the needle.
The exception: if your brand is built around premium aesthetics and your audience skews toward new Apple devices, the extra resolution might matter. For most sites, it's over-engineering.
The Meta Tags
The basic tags you need in your <head>:
<meta
property="og:image"
content="https://example.com/og.jpg"
/>
<meta
property="og:image:width"
content="1200"
/>
<meta
property="og:image:height"
content="630"
/>
<!-- For Twitter's large card format -->
<meta
name="twitter:card"
content="summary_large_image"
/>The width and height tags aren't strictly required, but they help platforms render previews faster by knowing the dimensions before downloading. Worth the two extra lines.
Debugging Checklist
When your OG image isn't showing up or looks wrong:
- Check the URL is absolute. Relative paths like
/images/og.jpgdon't work—use the full URL. - Verify the image loads. Paste the og:image URL directly in your browser. If it 404s or redirects, platforms can't fetch it either.
- Clear platform caches. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all have debugger tools that force a re-fetch. Old cached versions can persist for days.
- Check your server's response time. If your image takes more than 3-4 seconds to load, crawlers may give up.
- Look for CORS or auth issues. Some CDNs or protected routes block crawler user agents.
Quick Answers
What size should an OG image be?
1200 × 630 pixels. This works on every major platform. Go smaller than 600 × 315 and you risk getting a thumbnail instead of a full preview card.
What file format works best?
JPG for photos and complex images. PNG for graphics with text or logos. Avoid SVG, GIF, and WebP—many platforms don't support them. Keep files under 300KB for fast loading.
Why isn't my OG image updating?
Platform caching. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all cache OG images—sometimes for days. Use their debugger tools to force a refresh after making changes.
Related Resources
- What are OG Images? — Learn the basics of Open Graph images
- OG Image Generator — Create correctly sized OG images
- OG Preview Tool — Test how your images appear on different platforms
- Image Cropper — Crop images to the exact OG image dimensions
Need OG images automatically sized?
MyOG.social generates perfectly sized OG images for every page — no manual work required.
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