Resize a LinkedIn Cover or Background Image

Before you start

LinkedIn cover or background images are displayed at a wide landscape aspect ratio. To reduce unwanted cropping, prepare your image so the important subject sits near the center and keep enough space around it for different screen sizes. Image editing can be done locally in a photo or graphics editor, or in a browser-based image tool. This procedure uses the original image file on your device and does not require sharing it with LinkedIn before you are ready to upload.

Have the source image ready at the highest quality you have. It helps if it is already wider than it is tall, because a portrait or square image will need more cropping or padding.

Step-by-step instructions

The following steps describe resizing an image for a LinkedIn cover or background using a local image editor. Browser-based image tools follow a similar workflow, usually under a crop, resize or canvas option.

1) Open the image in your editor and duplicate it so you keep an unedited copy.

2) Select the crop tool and choose a wide aspect ratio that matches the intended LinkedIn background shape. In many editors this is entered as a ratio such as 1128 by 191 or a wider display shape. If you do not need an exact crop, drag the crop frame to make the image wider than it is tall and position the key subject away from the edges.

3) Set the pixel dimensions to fit the target area. LinkedIn currently recommends a background image around 1584 by 396 pixels, but the tool may display a different suggested size. Set the width first and let the editor maintain the aspect ratio to avoid stretching or squashing the image.

4) Check the resulting look at its actual size. Text, logos and faces should remain sharp and should not be pushed into areas that may be covered by the profile photo or other interface elements near the bottom left.

5) Export a copy as a common web format such as JPEG or PNG. Use JPEG for photographs and complex artwork. Use PNG when you need transparency or clean edges, if the platform supports the format when you upload.

6) If the file is large, apply moderate compression while checking the image for visible artifacts or banding. Strong compression can make gradients and dark areas look blocky on a wide cover image.

7) Save the resized file with a clear name that includes the intended use, but do not rely on the filename to preserve quality or format.

Check the output

Open the exported file and view it at the same area where a LinkedIn cover appears, if possible. Confirm that the main subject is visible and not awkwardly cut, and that the image does not look distorted when compared with the original.

Check the file properties or image details to confirm the final pixel dimensions and file format. If transparency was required, open the image over a patterned or colored background and make sure the transparent areas are still transparent rather than filled with white or black.

Inspect edges and fine details for compression artifacts. A wide background image may be re-compressed by LinkedIn after upload, so start from a clean export rather than a heavily compressed copy.

Common problems and next steps

If the published cover is cropped differently on a phone than on a desktop screen, the platform is likely adapting the image to the viewport. To reduce the chance of important details being lost, place logos, faces and text closer to the center and avoid relying on the outermost edges.

If the image looks stretched, check whether the editor changed the aspect ratio separately from the pixel dimensions. Return to the original and crop or resize with the aspect ratio locked.

If the file is rejected, confirm the format and size accepted by LinkedIn at the time of upload. The platform may accept common formats such as PNG, JPEG or GIF, but file-size limits can change between accounts and regions.

If the uploaded background appears blurry, avoid resizing a small image upward by a large amount. Use the highest-resolution original available, then export at the intended pixel dimensions with moderate compression.

If unwanted white or black edges appear where transparency was expected, confirm that the file format preserves the alpha channel. Export as PNG if transparency is required, and re-check the image details after export.

After correcting the image, replace the current cover with the new file using the same edit or upload control in LinkedIn. Keep the original edited file in case the platform crop causes a different problem on another device.