LinkedIn specs
LinkedIn Photo Size and Specs (2026)
LinkedIn still decides who gets the click before anyone reads your headline. The platform’s official guidance is simple; the way your photo actually renders in feeds, search, and InMail is messier. This guide covers the real specs, what fails at thumbnail size, and how to get a clean upload without a studio day.
The numbers LinkedIn publishes
LinkedIn Help says a profile photo must be between 400×400 and 7680×4320 pixels, PNG or JPG, and no larger than 8 MB. GIFs are not supported. The published maximum is 7680 pixels wide by 4320 pixels tall. A square file is still the practical upload because the profile photo is shown in a circle: 1024×1024 or 2000×2000 stays inside the cap and gives compression something to work with. On desktop the circle is roughly 400×400; mobile search is smaller.
How the crop actually behaves
LinkedIn circles your face and may trim edges differently across surfaces. Put your eyes in the upper third, leave breathing room above the hair, and avoid framing that cuts at the chin or ear. Busy backgrounds and off-center poses lose detail when the circle crops in. If your shoulders are cut asymmetrically or a logo sits behind your ear, the thumbnail will look accidental even if the full square looked fine on your laptop.
What recruiters actually see
Most first impressions happen at thumbnail size in search or “People also viewed.” High-contrast clothing against a soft neutral background wins; navy, charcoal, and soft white usually beat loud patterns. Soft, even light on the face beats dramatic side light that vanishes into a 40-pixel circle. A slight, closed-mouth smile with relaxed eyes outperforms a hard grin or a frozen passport stare for most industries.
A one-selfie workflow that meets the specs
Take a front-facing selfie in daylight, phone at eye level, shoulders square to the camera. Run it through HeadshotCam, pick a LinkedIn-friendly style such as Polished & Pro or Clean Modern, and download the full-resolution file. Confirm the export is square (or crop square before upload), then upload on LinkedIn’s profile editor and preview the circle crop on both desktop and mobile. Refresh every 12–18 months so the photo still matches how you show up in meetings.
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