LinkedIn photo size and crop: the actual specs

The specification

From LinkedIn's help centre:

LinkedIn also recommends uploading an image that will not require much cropping.

The 400×400 figure is a minimum, not a target

A very common mistake is uploading an image resized to exactly 400×400 because that is the number people remember. That is the floor, not the recommendation.

Uploading a larger image — as close to square as you can — gives LinkedIn more to work with and survives the circle crop better. A 1024×1024 or larger source is a reasonable choice.

The circle crop is the real constraint

Your profile photo is displayed inside a circle. Anything in the corners of a square image is lost.

This has two practical consequences. First, keep your face centred horizontally — a face pushed to one side loses an ear. Second, leave headroom: if your head touches the top edge of the image, the circle will clip it.

Our prompt asks for a headshot with the face in focus, but the exact framing is decided by the model per image. Check each photo in LinkedIn's circle preview before saving, and nudge the crop if an ear or the top of your head falls outside.

Choosing the right image

LinkedIn's own guidance is that the photo must reflect your likeness, and they permit illustrations and artistic renderings as well as photographs.

In practice, the photo needs to be recognisable at roughly thumbnail size, which favours a tight head-and-shoulders crop over a full-body or wide environmental shot.

Uploading from our export

Our paid export is full resolution and unwatermarked, well above LinkedIn's 400×400 minimum and inside the 8 MB limit.

Centre crops are the ones that survive the circle. If you are picking from your 12 photos, the LinkedIn and professional styles are framed for exactly this.