LinkedIn Profile Picture Size and Specs (2026)

Pixels, file size, format, banner size and visibility, each checked against LinkedIn's own help pages.

By Cavefish · Specs checked on linkedin.com on 27 September 2026

What size should a LinkedIn profile picture be?

A LinkedIn profile picture must be at least 400 x 400 pixels and no larger than 7680 x 4320 pixels, saved as a JPG or PNG under 8MB. Those are the limits on LinkedIn's own help page; LinkedIn does not publish a single recommended size for the profile photo, so the common claim that 400 x 400 is "recommended" overstates it - 400 x 400 is the minimum. In practice, export a square image of around 1,000 x 1,000 pixels. Square matters because LinkedIn shows your photo as a circle, and a square source crops predictably: your face stays centred and nothing important falls outside the circle. A larger source than the minimum keeps the photo sharp when someone opens your full profile photo, while 1,000 pixels is still far below the 8MB limit as a JPG. LinkedIn also asks for a photo that won't need much cropping, so frame the shot as head and shoulders before you upload rather than zooming in afterwards.

LinkedIn photo specs at a glance

Spec	Value	Source
Minimum size	400 x 400 pixels	LinkedIn Help
Maximum size	7680 x 4320 pixels	LinkedIn Help
Maximum file size	8MB	LinkedIn Help
File types	JPG or PNG (GIFs not supported)	LinkedIn Help
Background (banner) photo	1584 x 396 pixels recommended, JPG or PNG, under 8MB	LinkedIn Help
Default visibility	Anyone / Everyone	LinkedIn Help

LinkedIn publishes limits for the profile photo, not a recommended size; the banner is the only image with a recommended size.

How to export a photo that fits

Start from the original file, not a screenshot or a copy saved from another site.
Crop to a square yourself, head and shoulders, with your face filling roughly 60% of the frame - the proportion LinkedIn's own Talent Blog suggests.
Export at about 1,000 x 1,000 pixels as JPG (or PNG). That clears the 400-pixel minimum comfortably and stays well under 8MB.
Upload, then nudge the circle only slightly. Heavy zooming in LinkedIn's editor is the most common cause of a soft photo.
Check it at thumbnail size on your phone, where most people will first see it.

Why does my LinkedIn photo look blurry?

A blurry LinkedIn photo is almost always a source problem rather than a LinkedIn problem. The usual causes are uploading a small image that was cropped out of a larger group or event photo, so only a few hundred pixels are left around your face; zooming in heavily inside LinkedIn's photo editor, which enlarges a small area of the image; or re-uploading a screenshot or a copy downloaded from another site, which has already been compressed once. Start from the original file from your phone or camera, crop it to a square yourself so your head and shoulders fill the frame, and export at roughly 1,000 x 1,000 pixels as a JPG or PNG. Then upload it and adjust the circle only slightly. If the original itself is soft - taken in dim light, or with a front camera at arm's length - no export setting will fix it; retake it facing a window in daylight.

Who can see my LinkedIn profile picture?

By default, anyone can see your LinkedIn profile picture: LinkedIn's help page states that the default photo setting is Anyone (Everyone in the app). You can narrow it. On desktop the options are 1st-degree connections only, your network, all LinkedIn members, or anyone; the mobile app offers everyone, connections, network, and all LinkedIn members. For a job search, leave it on Anyone or all LinkedIn members. A recruiter who finds you through search is usually not connected to you, so a photo limited to connections or your network shows them an empty placeholder instead. LinkedIn's own help page says members with a profile photo receive up to 2X more profile views and 3X more connection requests, so restricting visibility gives most of that benefit away. You change the setting from the photo editor on your profile by clicking your photo and choosing the visibility option.

What LinkedIn allows in a profile photo

LinkedIn's rules say your profile photo must reflect your likeness. Illustrations of you are allowed; logos, animals and landscapes are not.

The #OpenToWork and #Hiring frames are added from the photo editor under Frames, and choosing "Original" removes them (LinkedIn Help). The green #OpenToWork frame only appears if you share that you're open to work with all LinkedIn members, not when you share it with recruiters only.

Right size - but is it a good photo?

Check your LinkedIn profile picture free: a score out of 100 on six dimensions, with what to fix. No sign-up, about 10 seconds.

Check My LinkedIn Photo