LinkedIn profile photo requirements
LinkedIn displays profile photos as circles at various sizes across the platform — 400×400 pixels on your profile page, smaller in search results, comments, and messaging. The recommended upload size is 400×400 pixels minimum, with 800×800 recommended for retina displays.
The aspect ratio must be 1:1 (square). LinkedIn crops non-square images to fit the circle, which means your carefully composed landscape photo loses the top and bottom — or worse, cuts off part of your face.
Maximum file size is 8 MB, but there's no benefit to uploading an 8 MB photo. A well-compressed 100–200 KB JPG at 800×800 looks identical on screen and loads faster.
- Recommended size: 800×800 pixels
- Minimum size: 400×400 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square)
- Format: JPG or PNG
- Max file size: 8 MB (aim for under 500 KB)
Step-by-step: prepare your LinkedIn photo
Start with a recent, well-lit headshot. Face the camera directly, use a plain or uncluttered background, and dress appropriately for your industry. Natural light from a window works better than overhead fluorescent lighting.
Crop to 1:1 using the Image Cropper. Center your face in the frame with space above your head and below your shoulders. Remember that LinkedIn displays the photo as a circle — keep your face in the center third so nothing important gets clipped by the circular crop.
Resize to 800×800 pixels using the Image Resizer. Set both width and height to 800 with aspect ratio locked. This gives you retina-quality resolution without wasting pixels.
Compress with the Image Compressor at 85% quality. Your 800×800 photo should land around 100–200 KB — well under LinkedIn's 8 MB limit and sharp enough for professional use.
Common LinkedIn photo mistakes
Using a group photo and cropping one person out. The cropped version almost always looks awkward. Take or use a dedicated headshot instead.
Uploading a non-square image and letting LinkedIn crop it. You lose control over framing. Always crop to 1:1 yourself before uploading.
Using a photo that's too small. Below 400×400, LinkedIn stretches the image and it looks pixelated. Upload at 800×800 for best results.
Busy backgrounds that distract from your face. A plain wall, office setting, or blurred background works best. Use the Background Remover if you want to replace the background entirely.
LinkedIn banner vs profile photo
Don't confuse the profile photo with the background banner. The profile photo is the square headshot (800×800). The background banner is a wide rectangle — 1584×396 pixels — displayed behind your profile.
These are separate uploads with separate dimension requirements. Prepare each one independently using the Image Cropper (1:1 for profile, roughly 4:1 for banner) and Image Resizer.
The banner is optional but recommended for personal branding. Keep text and logos away from the bottom-left corner where your profile photo overlaps the banner.