Why link previews deserve attention
When someone shares a link to your website, blog post or product, the preview image is often the largest thing in the post. Without a properly sized Open Graph image, platforms either show nothing, pick a random image from the page, or crop yours awkwardly. A 1200 × 630 image is the widely recommended size: large enough to look sharp on high-resolution screens, and in the 1.91:1 shape that Facebook, LinkedIn and others use for large link cards.
Designing a good preview image
- Keep text large and central. Some apps show previews small or crop the edges slightly, so leave a margin of 50–60 pixels.
- Use your branding. A consistent template with your logo makes your links recognisable.
- Avoid tiny details. Chat apps like WhatsApp and iMessage may show the preview as a small thumbnail.
Using the resized image
Upload the image to your site and reference it in the page head with <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/preview.jpg">, ideally with og:image:width set to 1200 and og:image:height set to 630. Many website builders and SEO plugins provide a field for the social image where you can upload it directly.
Crop or pad?
Photos usually crop well to 1.91:1. Logos, book covers, app icons and square product shots do not; use “Fit and pad” with your brand’s background colour so the whole graphic is visible inside a correctly sized frame.
One image, many platforms
Because 1.91:1 has become the de facto standard for link cards, a single 1200 × 630 image serves Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams and most messaging apps. You do not need separate versions for each, which keeps your page’s metadata simple.
How it works
The image is decoded on your device, rotated according to its EXIF orientation, cropped or padded to the 1.91:1 frame and resampled to exactly 1200 × 630 with Lanczos3. Choose JPG for photos or PNG for graphics with text. For a lighter file, follow up with compress to 200 KB.
Related sizes: 1080 × 1080 for square posts, 1500 × 500 for X headers and 1584 × 396 for LinkedIn banners.