What size is an X profile photo?
400 by 400 pixels, square. That is the size X recommends in its help centre, and X caps a profile photo file at 2MB. JPG, PNG and GIF are all accepted, and an animated GIF is not: X does not support animation for a profile photo or a header, so the file has to be a still image.
X does not publish a minimum pixel size for a profile photo, and this page will not pretend otherwise. What it does instead is tell you whether your file clears the recommended 400 by 400, because that is the size below which X has to stretch your picture to fill the space it renders.
Why 400 by 400 is the number that matters
Your profile photo is one of the smallest images on X and one of the most seen. It appears next to every reply you write, in every notification someone gets from you, and in the search results where a stranger decides whether to click your name. At those sizes a face fills the frame and reads instantly, while a logo with small type turns into a smudge. That is a design consequence of the display size, not a rule about logos.
Square is the shape because a square file is the only one that cannot be wasted: X renders the photo in a fixed frame, and a rectangle that is not square loses its long edges to the crop. Crop to square first, then choose the subject.
The circle, and where to put the subject
On a profile the photo is displayed inside a circle, so the four corners of a square file sit outside the visible area. Anything in a corner, a logo's tail, a watermark, the edge of a shoulder, is gone. X does not describe the shape in its help centre, so treat this as what you can see rather than as a spec. The practical rule: keep the face or the mark inside the middle of the square with margin around it, and the crop question stops mattering.
If you want the circle itself, tick the box above. The export comes back as a PNG with transparent corners, so it can be dropped straight onto a dark or light background without a white ring around it.
Check a file before you upload it
Choosing a file above reports the real pixel dimensions, which is the one number a file manager usually hides. That answers the common question directly: a photo that looks fine on a phone can be 200 by 200, and nothing about the phone's preview tells you so. The checker also tells you which edges the crop removed: a portrait photo loses the top and the bottom, a landscape photo loses the left and the right.
The export is a fresh 400 by 400 file. For a large source that usually means a much smaller download than the original, which is handy when the original is close to the 2MB cap or over it. A JPEG export from this tool is normally in the tens of KB.
When your only copy is too small
Sometimes the biggest version of a picture you have is smaller than 400 by 400. The tool still exports one at 400 by 400, and says plainly that it upscaled: no resizer can invent detail that was never in the file. In that case the better move is to find the original: a camera roll copy, a scan, the source file a designer sent. A crisp 400 by 400 from a real original beats a smooth 400 by 400 made from a thumbnail, and it is worth ten minutes of searching once rather than looking soft for years.
Check and fix a profile photo in four steps
- Choose the largest version of the picture you have. The checker reports what it really measures.
- Read whether it clears 400 by 400, and which edges were cropped to make it square.
- Decide on the circle. Tick the box for a PNG with transparent corners, or leave it for a square JPG.
- Download, then upload on X with Edit profile, the camera icon on the photo, then Upload photo. Apply, then save.
Profile photo mistakes worth fixing today
- A thumbnail stretched to fill the frame, which reads as a soft, out of focus face.
- A full logo lockup with small type, unreadable at the size X actually displays.
- A subject pushed into a corner, so the circle crop removes the top of the head.
- A busy background that competes with the face at 48 pixels wide.
- The default egg. It is the one profile photo that guarantees a visitor has nothing to remember you by.
Related reading
- The Twitter profile that converts covers the bio and pinned post that sit next to the photo.
- Your Twitter for business account covers the profile a buyer checks before they reply.
- X header size and resizer sizes the banner the photo sits against.
FAQ
What size should an X profile photo be?
400 by 400 pixels, square. That is the size X recommends in its help centre, and X caps a profile photo file at 2MB. A JPG, PNG or GIF all work, but an animated GIF does not.
Why does my profile photo look blurry on X?
Almost always a file smaller than 400 by 400 pixels. X has to stretch it to fill the space it renders, and stretching cannot add detail. Start from the largest version of the picture you have and crop it here at 400 by 400.
Is an X profile photo shown as a circle?
On a profile it is shown in a circle, so the four corners of a square file sit outside the visible area. X does not describe the shape in its help centre, so keep the face or mark centred with margin around it and the question stops mattering.
Can an X profile photo be an animated GIF?
No. X accepts JPG, PNG and GIF files, and it does not support animated GIFs for a profile photo or a header. The upload has to be a still image.
Does this tool upload my photo anywhere?
No. The checking, cropping and resizing all happen inside your browser. The file is never sent to a server, no account is needed, and nothing is stored between visits.