(Updated March 2026)
Your Facebook cover photo is the first thing people see when they land on your page. Get it right and it instantly builds trust. Get it wrong and it looks pixelated, cropped in the wrong place, or stretched on mobile.
Here's everything you need to know to get it right in 2026.
As you can see in the image above, you can see just how heavy of an image compression Facebook uses around texts and graphics. The logo contrasts poorly against the background and looks unprofessional.
The Right Dimensions
Facebook displays your cover photo at different sizes depending on the device:
Desktop: 820px wide x 312px tall
Mobile: 640px wide x 360px tall
Because of this, the recommended upload size is 820px x 360px. This single size accounts for both desktop and mobile without cropping your image awkwardly on either.
The Safe Zone
On mobile, Facebook crops approximately 90px from each side of your cover photo. If you place your logo, text, or any important element too close to the left or right edges, mobile users simply won't see it.
Keep all critical content within the 640px x 312px centre area of your design. Think of everything outside that as bleed space only.
Account for Your Profile Picture
On desktop, your profile picture sits in the bottom left corner and overlaps your cover photo. Leave enough breathing room in that area so your cover design doesn't look cluttered or have text running behind the profile image.
File Format
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Use JPG for photos and lifestyle images
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Use PNG for designs that include text, logos, or graphics with sharp edges
PNG preserves the crispness of text and icons. JPG is better for photography where file size matters more than edge sharpness.
File Size and Compression
Keep your file under 100KB where possible. Facebook runs all uploaded images through its compression algorithm and the heavier the file, the more aggressively it compresses it, which leads to blurry text and muddy colours.
To keep file size down without sacrificing quality:
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In Photoshop use Export As (previously called Save for Web) and dial down quality until you hit under 100KB while the preview still looks sharp
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In Canva, download as PNG and use a free compression tool like TinyPNG to bring the file size down before uploading
Quick Checklist
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Upload size: 820px x 360px
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Safe zone for important content: 640px x 312px centre
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Format: PNG for graphics and text, JPG for photos
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File size: under 100KB
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Leave space in the bottom left for your profile picture on desktop
Need a Cover Photo Designed?
At Nightly we design Facebook covers as part of our branding and marketing packages, or as a standalone job. Get in touch and we'll have something ready for you within 24 hours.
What changed from the original article: The upload dimensions updated from 851x315 to 820x360, the safe zone concept was added (the biggest practical change for 2026), PNG is now recommended for graphic designs not just JPEG, and the Photoshop workflow reflects the current Export As naming rather than the old Save for Web dialog.