Checked against the source
X (Twitter) header image size
Short answer
X recommends a header of 1500 × 500 pixels (3:1) next to a 400 × 400 profile photo. A normal photo is far from 3:1, so most of it is cropped.
Key takeaways
- 3:1 is much wider than a camera photo: a 3:2 photo keeps 50% of its area, a 4:3 photo keeps 44% and a 16:9 photo keeps 59% (computed).
- X's help page gives the two recommended sizes and no safe area, so keep important content away from the edges.
- The frame is 0.75 megapixels; our test results at 1500 × 500 are in the table below.
- Across our six test pictures the 1500 × 500 result was 120 KB to 215 KB as a JPG at quality 0.92.
The size
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 1500 px |
| Height | 500 px |
| Aspect ratio | 3:1 |
What the platform publishes
| What | Published value |
|---|---|
| Header ("banner") | 1500 × 500 px recommended (3:1) |
| Profile photo | 400 × 400 px recommended |
| Bio | Up to 160 characters |
X does not publish a safe area for the header.
Source: X Help: How to customize your profile (checked 2026-10-05)
Resize it now
Scales and center-crops any image to exactly 1500 x 500 px, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, there is no file size cap and no daily limit.
Batch is unlimited and free - every image is processed on your device, so there is no queue and no daily cap.
What a 1500 × 500 frame does to common photo shapes
The frame is 3:1. A photo of another shape is scaled until it covers the frame and the excess is cut from the center, which is what the resizer on this page does. This is computed from the shapes.
| Photo shape | Share of the photo kept | What is cut |
|---|---|---|
| 16:9 (1920 × 1080) | 59% | The top and bottom |
| 3:2 (3000 × 2000) | 50% | The top and bottom |
| 4:3 (4000 × 3000) | 44% | The top and bottom |
| 1:1 (2000 × 2000) | 33% | The top and bottom |
| 4:5 (1080 × 1350) | 27% | The top and bottom |
| 9:16 (1080 × 1920) | 19% | The top and bottom |
Computed.
Measured: six pictures through the resizer
The resizer on this page was run in headless Chromium on six test pictures (public domain NASA scans, a PNG graphic and two small pictures made from them): each is scaled to cover 1500 × 500, drawn on a white background and saved as a JPG at quality 0.92. SSIM compares each result with a Lanczos crop of the same picture made by ffmpeg (1.0 would be identical); it is blank when the frame has an odd side, which ffmpeg's check cannot compare. Other browsers use their own encoders, so sizes can differ.
| Picture | Pixels | Scale | Result | Time | SSIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo, nearly square | 3840 × 3877 | 0.39× | 215 KB | 12 ms | 0.80 |
| Portrait | 2122 × 2644 | 0.71× | 151 KB | 11 ms | 0.94 |
| Wide document scan | 3827 × 1588 | 0.39× | 208 KB | 12 ms | 0.95 |
| Square PNG graphic | 5380 × 5432 | 0.28× | 165 KB | 11 ms | 0.93 |
| Small portrait (1060 px) | 1060 × 1320 | 1.42× (enlarged) | 120 KB | 12 ms | 0.98 |
| Small landscape (640 px) | 640 × 480 | 2.34× (enlarged) | 132 KB | 10 ms | 0.96 |
A scale above 1 enlarges the picture to fill the frame; enlarging adds no detail, so start from a file at least as large as the frame.
Detail decides the file size (measured)
The same frame holds 0.75 megapixels whatever the picture, but the JPG size follows the detail in it. Bits per pixel is the file size in bits divided by the number of pixels in the frame.
| Picture | Result | Bits per pixel |
|---|---|---|
| Photo, nearly square | 215 KB | 2.30 |
| Portrait | 151 KB | 1.61 |
| Wide document scan | 208 KB | 2.21 |
| Square PNG graphic | 165 KB | 1.76 |
| Small portrait (1060 px) | 120 KB | 1.27 |
| Small landscape (640 px) | 132 KB | 1.40 |
Smooth areas and flat color compress to a fraction of what fine detail needs; a photograph full of texture is the expensive case. If a size limit matters, check your own picture, not an average.
Using the X (Twitter) header image size
- Start from a file at least 1500 × 500 pixels so nothing is enlarged.
- Keep faces, logos and text away from the edges; every crop above cuts the edges.
- Check the platform's own page before you rely on a figure; sizes change.
- The resizer above does the crop and the JPG in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an X header?
1500 × 500 px, per X's help center.
Why does my header look cropped?
The frame is 3:1. A photo of another shape is scaled to cover it and the excess is cut.
How much of a 16:9 photo is kept in 1500 × 500?
59% of its area (computed).
What is the aspect ratio of 1500 × 500?
3:1, 0.75 megapixels.
How big will the file be?
Our six test pictures came out between 120 KB and 215 KB as JPGs at quality 0.92; detailed photographs are the large end.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. The resizer runs in your browser.
Other X (Twitter) sizes
Sources
- X Help: How to customize your profile (checked 2026-10-05)
- Wikimedia Commons: Buzz salutes the U.S. Flag (NASA, public domain), one of the test pictures (checked 2026-10-10)
- MDN: HTMLCanvasElement.toBlob() (JPEG quality) (checked 2026-10-10)
