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Your cover photo is the biggest image on your Facebook Page, and it's usually the first thing people see when they land there. It's also super easy to get wrong. A design can look great on your laptop, and then you open the Facebook app on your phone, and the edges of your headline are gone (or your profile picture is sitting right on top of an important detail).

That happens because Facebook shows the same cover photo in a different frame on desktop and mobile. So it's worth spending a few minutes on the dimensions before you upload, rather than a lot of time repositioning after.

If you want to jump right to changing your picture: The recommended Facebook cover photo size is 851 × 315 pixels, according to Meta's Help Center. Upload it as an sRGB JPG under 100 KB, and keep text and logos near the middle so nothing important gets cropped on mobile or desktop.

Below, I'll walk through how cropping works on each screen, how to design a cover that fits the rest of your Facebook marketing, and 11 brand examples to borrow ideas from.

Key takeaways

1. Upload your Facebook cover photo as an sRGB JPG under 100 KB, or as a PNG if it includes a logo or text. Meta says PNG files can give you a better result.
2. Facebook won't accept a cover photo smaller than 400 × 150 pixels.
3. Facebook fits your cover photo to a 16:9 frame on computers and a 2.4:1 frame on mobile, aligned to the left, so the same image shows differently on each screen.
4. Keep text and logos in the middle of your Facebook cover photo. Your profile picture covers part of the left side, and Facebook may crop the edges to fit different screens.
5. Facebook group covers use 1640 × 856 pixels, and event covers use 1920 × 1005 pixels.
6. The strongest Facebook cover photos do one clear job, like explaining what you do, promoting an event, or announcing a launch. The 11 brand examples below show how.

Jump to a section

What’s the ideal Facebook cover photo size?

The recommended Facebook cover photo size is 851 × 315 pixels, according to Meta's Help Center. Upload it as an sRGB JPG under 100 KB, and it'll load fastest. (sRGB is the standard color profile for screens, so it's worth checking your export settings aren't set to Adobe RGB.) Anything smaller than 400 × 150 pixels won't meet Meta's minimum requirement.

Once it's uploaded, Facebook fits your cover to each screen. On computers, it shows in a 16:9 frame, and on phones it's 2.4:1. Both are aligned to the left, and your profile picture covers part of the left-hand side (it overlaps the cover by about 40 pixels on mobile). So the middle of your cover is the safest spot for text and logos.

Spec	Facebook Page cover photo
Recommended upload	851 × 315 pixels, sRGB JPG, under 100 KB
Minimum size	400 × 150 pixels
Display on computers	16:9 aspect ratio, left-aligned
Display on mobile	2.4:1 aspect ratio, left-aligned
Profile picture overlap	About 40 pixels on mobile
Cover with a logo or text	Use a PNG for a better result
Profile picture	320 × 320 pixels, cropped to a circle
Facebook group cover	1640 × 856 pixels
Facebook event cover	1920 × 1005 pixels

⚡ Sizing ads instead? Our Facebook ad specs guide covers those, and our social media image sizes guide has every other network.

Pro tip: Facebook's reposition tool opens automatically when you upload a new cover, so you can drag the image into place before you save. It's the quickest way to nudge anything important away from the left edge.

💡 Posting to Facebook regularly? With Buffer, you can schedule posts to Facebook Pages and Groups, see how they perform, and keep on top of comments from one dashboard. Learn more →

How Facebook crops your cover photo on mobile and desktop

Facebook doesn't show your cover photo the same way on every screen. According to Meta's Help Center, covers display at a 16:9 aspect ratio on computers and 2.4:1 on mobile. In both cases, the image is aligned to the left and fills the frame edge to edge, so parts of it may be cropped or resized to fit.

Your profile picture sits on top of the cover too. It covers part of the left-hand side, and on mobile it overlaps the cover by about 40 pixels.

Here's how one cover looks on desktop:

And here's the same Page in the Facebook app:

How to make your Facebook cover photo fit

1. Design at 851 × 315 pixels, and keep text, logos, and faces in the middle, away from the left edge where your profile picture sits.
2. Upload your cover and drag it into place with the reposition tool before you save.
3. Check your Page on a computer and in the Facebook app on your phone.
4. If anything important is cropped or hidden behind your profile picture, move it in your design file and upload it again.

People see your profile picture and cover photo together, so it's worth designing them as a pair. Our guide to choosing a profile picture covers what makes one work.

How to design a Facebook cover photo that stands out

A Facebook cover photo works best when it has one clear focal point, feels like your brand, and keeps any text short enough to read on a phone. Since Facebook crops the cover and puts your profile picture over it differently on each screen, simple designs tend to hold up better than busy ones.

Start with one clear focal point

The images that get shared most on social media tend to make people feel something, and they feel relevant to whoever's scrolling. Both apply to your cover photo.

So pick one thing for people to look at: your product, your team, or a scene your audience will recognize. Burger King's cover, for example, shows a group of friends sharing a meal, which says more about the brand than a burger on a plain background would.

Color does a lot of the work too. For more on how colors shape what people feel about a brand, our piece on the science of colors in marketing is a good place to start.

If you add text, keep it to a few words in a clear, readable font. It has to work at phone size, where a short headline will do more than a full sentence.

Use visual cues to point people where you want them

People tend to look where other people in an image are looking, and arrows pull the eye in a similar way. Researchers call this the gaze-cueing effect.

So if you want people to notice a particular spot on your cover, like a call to action, you could add an arrow, a circle, or a person looking toward it.

Pick a tool to make it

• Canva is the quickest route if you don't design. It recommends 851 × 315 pixels for Facebook covers (the same as Meta), and its Facebook cover templates give you a starting point to swap your own photo, colors, and text into.
• Photoshop, or any design tool you already use, gives you pixel-level control. Set your canvas to 851 × 315 pixels and export as an sRGB JPG, or a PNG if your cover has text.
• Your own photos often work best, especially of your team or space. If you don't have any, try a free stock photo site and check that the license allows editing.
• AI image generators like Midjourney or Canva's AI image generator can fill the gap when you need something specific. AI images can come out with odd details, so look closely before you use one. Our guide to AI image generators has more options.

11 Facebook cover photo ideas and examples

So what should yours actually look like? Here are 11 ideas, each with a real brand's cover photo, so you can see how they work in practice.

11 examples and ideas for your Facebook cover photo

So what should your cover photo actually look like? Here are 11 ideas, each with a real brand's cover photo, so you can see how they work in practice.

1. Sum up what you do

If someone lands on your Page without knowing who you are, your cover can tell them in one line. Motion, a task management app, puts a product screenshot and a short description right in its cover photo. is a task management app that automatically schedules your tasks. They describe this right in their cover photo, so there's no question about what they do.

It's a simple move, but it means nobody has to scroll to figure out what Motion does.

2. Share your mission or values

Your Facebook cover photo is an excellent opportunity to showcase your brand values and encourage people to join and support your cause. The Rainforest Alliance works to protect forests and the people who depend on them, and its cover says that plainly.

3. Show off your product

Sometimes the product is enough. Ferrari's cover is just two of its cars, without a single word of text.

This luxurious image speaks for itself!

4. Introduce your team

Putting your team in your cover photo is one of the quickest ways to make a Page feel human. It works especially well for service businesses, where customers meet your team in person. Physical therapy clinic Helix Sport and Spine uses its cover to show patients who they'll be working with.

5. Reinforce your brand identity

If your brand has a look, a tagline, or a phrase people already know, your cover is the place for it. Nike uses "Just do it," which anyone visiting its Page will recognize straight away.

6. Announce something new

Launching a product or feature? Your cover photo is prime space to tease or announce it. When we launched Buffer's API, we updated our own Facebook cover accordingly.

7. Promote an event

Your cover can work like a billboard for something coming up. UFC uses its cover to show who's fighting and when to tune in.

8. Change it with the seasons

A lot of brands swap their cover photo for holidays and seasons, which also gives returning visitors something new to see. For fall, Starbucks went with pumpkin-shaped disco balls.

9. Promote a social media campaign or hashtag

If you're running a campaign, putting the hashtag in your cover photo helps people find it. Lego did this with #SuperpowerOfPlay.

10. Make a statement

Your cover can carry a message as well as a picture. Skillshare's cover reads "The world is full of surprises. But so are you," which is a nice nudge for anyone who follows the Page to go and make something.

11. Have some fun

It doesn't always have to be serious. The Chicken & Rice Guys recreated The Beatles' Abbey Road album cover with their staff in costume, which tells you a lot about the brand before you've read a word.

Start creating

Once your cover photo is sorted, it's worth giving your posts the same attention. Our social media image sizes guide has the right sizes for Facebook posts and the other major networks, and our guide to the Facebook algorithm explains what helps those posts get seen.

And if you're posting to Facebook regularly, Buffer can help you schedule your posts, see how they perform, and keep up with comments in one place.

Frequently asked questions about Facebook cover photo sizes

Is a Facebook cover photo 16:9?

On computers, yes. According to Meta's Help Center, Facebook Page cover photos display at a 16:9 aspect ratio on computers and a 2.4:1 aspect ratio on mobile. The recommended upload size is still 851 × 315 pixels.

What size is a Facebook cover photo without cropping?

There isn't one size that avoids cropping completely, because Facebook shows covers in a 16:9 frame on computers and a 2.4:1 frame on mobile. Upload at 851 × 315 pixels, keep important content in the middle, and check your Page on both screens after you upload.

What's the minimum size for a Facebook cover photo?

A Facebook cover photo must be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall, according to Meta.

What file type should I use for a Facebook cover photo?

Meta says Facebook cover photos load fastest as an sRGB JPG under 100 KB. If your cover includes a logo or text, a PNG file may give you a better result.

What size is a Facebook event cover photo?

Facebook event cover photos use 1920 × 1005 pixels, a 1.91:1 aspect ratio.

What size is a Facebook group cover photo?

Facebook group cover photos use 1640 × 856 pixels.

How do I make my Facebook cover photo fit?

Upload your cover at 851 × 315 pixels, then use the reposition tool that opens on upload to drag the image into place. Keep text and logos away from the left edge, where your profile picture overlaps the cover, and check the result on both a computer and your phone.

More Facebook resources

Looking to grow your audience on Facebook? Here's our latest guidance:

📚 How to Get More Followers on Facebook: 13 Tried-and-true Tactics

📚 How to Create a Facebook Group That Your Audience Loves: The Ultimate Guide

📚 Decoding the Facebook Algorithm in 2024: Everything You Need to Know

📚 The Best Time to Post on Facebook: A Complete Guide