# LinkedIn Photo Size Checker and Profile Picture Cropper

A free tool that checks whether your photo meets the size rules for LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Zoom, email signatures and resumes, then crops and resizes it to each one.

Cropping happens in your browser. Your photo never leaves your device.

## How to use it

1. **Upload a photo:** Drop a JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC file, or take one on your phone. The file is opened in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
2. **Read the report card:** You see the photo's pixel size, file size and aspect ratio, then a pass or fail line for LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Zoom, email signatures and resumes with the reason for each fail.
3. **Crop for a platform:** Pick a platform. The crop box locks to the right shape and centres on your face when one is detected. Drag it, zoom with the slider or keyboard, and switch on the round preview to see how a circular avatar will cut it.
4. **Download:** Save a JPG or PNG at the exact size for that platform, or download every size at once as a zip. Filenames carry the platform and pixel size so you can tell them apart later.

## LinkedIn photo size explained

LinkedIn accepts profile photos between 400 by 400 and 7680 by 4320 pixels, as PNG or JPG, up to 8 MB. Those are upload limits, not the size anyone sees. On the page the photo is shown in a circle of roughly 200 pixels on a laptop and smaller on a phone, and LinkedIn resamples whatever you upload down to that.

Upload larger than the minimum anyway. High density screens draw that 200 pixel circle with 400 or more physical pixels, so a 400 pixel file already sits at the edge of looking soft. 800 by 800 gives the resampler room to work and keeps edges crisp. Going far beyond that does not help, since the photo is scaled down either way.

## How the crop should frame a face

A profile photo works when the face is the largest thing in it. Crop to head and shoulders, with the top of the shoulders visible along the bottom edge and a little room above the hair so the head is not touching the frame.

Put the eyes on the upper third line rather than in the middle. The tool draws that line for you. Centring the eyes leaves empty space above the head and pushes the chin down, which reads as a mugshot. Keep the face centred left to right; off centre framing that looks stylish at full size becomes a half face inside a small circle.

## Circle crops and safe zones

LinkedIn, X, Zoom and Instagram all show the square you upload inside a circle. Everything in the corners disappears, which is about one fifth of the image. The round preview in the tool masks the same area so you can check that the chin, the hairline and both shoulders stay inside the circle.

Treat the middle 80 percent of the square as the safe zone. If a shoulder or the top of the head sits outside it, zoom out a step. A face that fills half the height of the square is a good starting point for every platform in the table.

## Resume photos by country

In the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada a photo on a resume is usually left off. Employers there often prefer not to see one because of anti discrimination rules, and some applicant tracking systems strip images. A LinkedIn profile carries the photo instead.

In much of continental Europe, and in many countries in Asia and the Middle East, a small head and shoulders photo on a CV is normal and sometimes expected. There the common guidance is a square around 2 by 2 inches printed at 300 dpi, which is the 600 by 600 pixel resume preset here. Check the convention for the country and the industry you are applying in before you add one.

## Profile photo sizes by platform

| Platform | Minimum | Recommended | Aspect | Max file size | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LinkedIn | 400 by 400 px | 800 by 800 px | 1:1 | 8 MB | PNG or JPG, up to 7680 by 4320 px. Shown as a circle, so keep the face central. |
| Instagram | 110 by 110 px (display) | 320 by 320 px | 1:1 | Not published | Shown as a small circle in the app. The upload figure is the widely reported stored size, not an official one. |
| X | Not published | 400 by 400 px | 1:1 | 2 MB | JPG, PNG or GIF, no animated GIF. Shown as a circle. |
| Zoom | Not published | 512 by 512 px | 1:1 | 2 MB | JPG, GIF or PNG under 2 MB is the published rule. The pixel size is our recommendation. |
| Email signature | Not published | 240 by 240 px | 1:1 | Keep under 100 KB | Shown at 80 to 120 px in most clients. A small file keeps the signature loading fast. |
| Resume | Not published | 600 by 600 px (2 by 2 in at 300 dpi) | 1:1 | Keep under 1 MB | Optional in the US, UK and Canada. Head and shoulders, plain background. |

## FAQ

### What size should a LinkedIn profile photo be?

Upload a square between 400 by 400 and 7680 by 4320 pixels, as a JPG or PNG under 8 MB. We recommend 800 by 800 so it stays sharp on high density screens, since LinkedIn scales the image down to a circle of roughly 200 pixels on the page.

### What is the LinkedIn profile picture size in pixels?

The minimum is 400 by 400 pixels and the maximum is 7680 by 4320 pixels. The file must be a PNG or JPG of 8 MB or less. The tool on this page exports an 800 by 800 pixel square, which sits comfortably inside those limits.

### Should I put a headshot on my resume?

In the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, usually not. Employers there tend to avoid photos because of anti discrimination rules, and some applicant tracking systems remove images. In much of continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East a small head and shoulders photo is normal. Follow the convention for the country and industry you are applying in.

### Is my photo uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is opened, checked and cropped by your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to Smart Headshots AI or to any other server, and closing the page discards it.

### Does it work with HEIC photos from an iPhone?

Yes. HEIC and HEIF files are converted to JPG in the browser before the check runs, so you can drop a photo straight from an iPhone or iPad. JPG, PNG and WebP are accepted as they are.

### Why does a photo that passes the size check still look soft?

The check only compares pixel dimensions. If the face fills a small part of a large photo, cropping to head and shoulders keeps only a fraction of those pixels, and the tool then has to enlarge them to reach the target size. The workspace warns you when that happens. A photo taken closer, or a larger original, fixes it.

### Is a headshot the same thing as a profile photo?

Not quite. A headshot is the photo itself, a head and shoulders portrait taken for professional use. A profile photo is that headshot cropped and sized for a particular place, such as a LinkedIn circle or a resume square. One good headshot can become every profile photo you need, which is what this tool does.

### Which file format should I download, JPG or PNG?

JPG for almost everything. It is smaller, every platform accepts it, and at profile sizes the quality difference is invisible. Choose PNG only if the platform asks for it or the image has flat graphic areas, such as a logo background, where JPG artefacts would show.

## Related headshot packs

- [LinkedIn Headshots](https://www.smartheadshots.ai/linkedin-headshots): A LinkedIn headshot is a head and shoulders portrait, framed for the circle crop LinkedIn applies, that represents you on your profile, in recruiter search results and beside every message and comment you post.
- [Professional Headshots](https://www.smartheadshots.ai/professional-headshots): A professional headshot is a head and shoulders portrait, evenly lit against a plain or softly blurred background, used to represent you on company websites, staff directories, email signatures, conference programs and press coverage.

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- [Create your headshots](https://www.smartheadshots.ai/start)
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