Resize for Facebook Cover Photo

Facebook cover photos use an unusual 2.63:1 ultra-wide aspect ratio at 820x312 pixels on desktop, but the same image is cropped and displayed at 640x360 pixels (16:9) on mobile devices. This dual-display behavior is the single most important consideration when designing a cover photo — the mobile crop takes a taller center portion of the desktop image, cutting the sides. You must design for both views simultaneously, placing essential content in the overlapping safe zone that is visible in both crops.

The safe zone where content is visible on both desktop and mobile is approximately 640x312 pixels centered horizontally within the 820px-wide canvas. The left and right 90 pixels of the desktop view are cropped on mobile. On desktop, the profile picture overlaps the lower-left portion of the cover photo — a circular area roughly 176x176 pixels positioned 16 pixels from the left and extending about 30 pixels above the bottom of the cover. On mobile, the profile picture is centered below the cover and does not overlap.

Facebook compresses cover photos more aggressively than regular post images, which makes fine text and thin lines especially vulnerable to artifacts. The platform recommends uploading at exactly 820x312 pixels to avoid any resizing. For images with text or logos, Facebook specifically suggests using PNG format, which produces better results for sharp-edged graphics even though it is still re-encoded. The minimum upload size is 400x150 pixels, but anything below the recommended resolution will appear noticeably blurred on retina displays.

A widespread mistake is designing a visually stunning desktop cover without previewing the mobile crop, which most of your audience will see. Over 75% of Facebook usage occurs on mobile devices, meaning the mobile-cropped version is the primary experience. Another error is placing important text in the lower-left quadrant where the profile picture overlaps on desktop. Always check both desktop and mobile previews before publishing, and consider creating a design template with both crop zones marked.