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Open Graph Image Requirements

A guide to Open Graph image requirements: dimensions, size, format, and URL.

•Dmytro Krasun
Open Graph

Open Graph images control how your links look when shared on social platforms. Get the size, format, or URL wrong, and your preview breaks, gets cropped, or doesn’t show at all. This guide covers everything that actually matters.

Recommended Open Graph Image Size (The Short Answer)

  • Recommended size: 1200 × 630 px
  • Aspect ratio: 1.91:1
  • Minimum size: 600 × 315 px
  • File size: Under 5 MB (smaller is better)

The 1200×630 image works across almost all platforms and is still the safest default.

Platform-Specific Open Graph Image Sizes

| Platform | Recommended Size | Minimum Size | Notes | | --------------- | ---------------- | ------------ | ----------------------------------------- | | Facebook | 1200×630 | 600×315 | Crops aggressively if aspect ratio is off | | Twitter (X) | 1200×628 | 600×335 | Large summary cards need correct meta tag | | LinkedIn | 1200×627 | 600×315 | Smaller text performs better | | WhatsApp | 1200×630 | 300×200 | Pulls from Open Graph directly | | Discord | 1200×630 | 400×300 | Caches aggressively | | Slack | 1200×630 | 400×400 | Square images get cropped |

If you want one image that works everywhere: 1200×630, centered content, no edge text.

Use our Open Graph debugger to validate your Open Graph image and preview how social platforms will render it.

Supported Open Graph Image Formats

Use these formats only:

  • JPG – best default (small size, universal support)
  • PNG – use only if you need transparency
  • WebP – probably supported by most platforms, but not all crawlers behave consistently

Avoid: SVG, GIF, AVIF, or anything experimental.

Open Graph Image URL Rules (Non-Negotiable)

Your image URL must be:

  • Absolute https://example.com/og-image.png ❌ /og-image.png

  • Publicly accessible No auth, no IP restrictions, no robots blocking

  • Stable Don’t rotate images on the same URL unless you want cache pain

Required Open Graph Image Tags

Minimum setup:

<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.png" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630" />

Strongly recommended:

<meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" />

Explicit width and height reduce guessing and bad crops.

Why Your Open Graph Image Isn’t Showing

Here’s what breaks most previews:

  1. Wrong image size Too small or wrong aspect ratio

  2. Relative image URL Platforms won’t resolve it

  3. Image blocked by robots or auth Crawlers don’t log in

  4. Caching Platforms aggressively cache previews

  5. Image served too slowly Timeouts silently fail

How to Fix It (Fast)

  1. Verify your image URL opens directly in a browser
  2. Check dimensions and file size
  3. Clear platform cache using their debugger
  4. Change the image URL if cache won’t refresh
  5. Re-test the final URL, not localhost

Open Graph Image Best Practices (Checklist)

Technical

  • 1200×630 px
  • JPG or PNG
  • Absolute HTTPS URL
  • <5MB
  • Width and height specified

Design

  • Center important content
  • Avoid edge text
  • High contrast
  • Minimal text (mobile previews are small)

Workflow

  • Generate images dynamically if content changes
  • Test on every major platform
  • Never reuse the same URL for different visuals unless intentional

Final Recommendation

If you do nothing else, remember this:

1200×630 JPG, absolute URL, stable path, explicit dimensions.

That combination still wins in 2025.

If previews still break after that, the issue isn’t design. It’s caching or delivery.