LinkedIn profile picture size and specs
LinkedIn profile picture specs
| What | Spec | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum size | 400 × 400 px | Smaller photos look soft on today’s screens |
| Good upload size | A square of about 800 to 1,000 px | Sharp everywhere, little cropping needed |
| Maximum | 7680 × 4320 px, 8 MB | Larger files are refused |
| File type | JPG or PNG | Some guides list GIF too; a still JPG or PNG is the safe choice |
| Shape | Circle | Upload a square; the corners never show |
| Banner behind it | 1584 × 396 px | Hootsuite’s figure; Sprout Social lists 4200 × 700 px |
From Hootsuite (1 October 2026), contentin (updated 22 July 2026), zeliq (1 July 2026) and linkedinpreview (20 June 2026).
The banner and the photo work together: your photo sits over the banner’s lower left. Make the banner in the free LinkedIn banner maker, which shows the part the photo covers.
What LinkedIn allows as a profile picture
LinkedIn’s profile photo guidelines are short: your photo must reflect your likeness. An illustration, a caricature or another artistic rendering of yourself is fine. LinkedIn may remove photos that consist only of:
- company logos, emojis, words or phrases, or flags;
- landscapes or animals;
- childhood or baby photos;
- other people’s likenesses, including stock photos, celebrities and fictional characters.
Company logos belong on a Company Page, which has its own square logo slot; see how to create a LinkedIn Company Page.
What makes a good LinkedIn profile picture
- Your face fills the circle. Head and shoulders, with your face taking up about 60% of the frame. Next to a comment the picture is tiny, and a full-body shot turns into a dot.
- Eyes a little above the middle. The circle cuts the corners, so keep your head centred with a little room above it.
- Look at the camera. Eye contact reads as open, even at small size.
- Soft, even light. Face a window. Harsh light from above leaves shadows under your eyes.
- Recent and real. People should recognise you on a video call. Update it when your look changes.
- Light editing only. Fix brightness and crop; skip heavy filters and skin smoothing.
- The same photo everywhere. One photo across LinkedIn, your CV, your other apps and the photo on your carousel slides makes you easier to recognise.
No good photo yet? Our guide on how to take a headshot for LinkedIn covers light, framing and what to wear, at home or with a photographer. The rest of your profile is in our other LinkedIn guides.
Which background works best for a LinkedIn photo?
Neutral grey: works in light and dark mode
Soft colour: friendly, and stands out
Soft gradient: calm, with some depth
Pure white: clean, but melts into a light page
Blurred office: context, if it stays blurred
Blurred outdoors: warm, a little busier
A plain background that is a little darker or more colourful than the page works best: a pure white one disappears in LinkedIn’s light mode, and a near-black one in dark mode. A blurred room or park can work too, as long as nothing behind you is sharper than your face. The profile picture tester can cut you out of your photo and put a colour, a gradient or a blur behind you, right in your browser.
How to change your LinkedIn profile picture
- Open your profile On a computer, click Me, then View profile. In the app, tap your photo.
- Click your photo Click your current photo (or the camera icon on it) and choose the option to change or update it. The label differs a little between versions.
- Upload and crop Choose the new photo, then zoom and drag until your face fills most of the circle.
- Save and set who sees it Save the photo. You can also choose who sees it, from only your connections up to everyone, including people who aren’t signed in.
Test your profile picture before you upload it
- Open the free profile picture tester and add your photo, or up to four to compare.
- Fix the crop in the circle, and remove or change the background if you like.
- Look at it on LinkedIn and the other apps, from the profile down to the smallest comment size, in light and dark mode.
- Download it and upload it to LinkedIn. Nothing leaves your device.
Want a ring with your own words, like LinkedIn’s green #OpenToWork frame but in any colour? The LinkedIn profile picture frame generator makes one. To see the photo with your banner and headline, use the LinkedIn profile preview.
