What this does
LinkedIn displays a round profile photo and a wide banner. Feeding it a random phone photo lets their cropper decide what to keep. This page is about resizing to the dimensions LinkedIn actually shows, then compressing so the upload is snappy.
This is a crop-and-display problem, not a 20KB government cap. You want enough pixels for a sharp avatar on a retina laptop, not the smallest possible file.
Anyone whose LinkedIn photo looks zoomed-in, off-center, or fuzzy after upload.
Social networks crop aggressively because they have to fill a circle and a banner from whatever you upload. If you upload a 3:2 vacation photo as an avatar, the algorithm picks a crop. Doing the square yourself is the whole job.
LinkedIn is viewed on large monitors. A 200px source looks cheap. Overshoot pixels slightly, keep JPEG quality high, and let their CDN do the last step.
When to use it
- The banner cuts off a logo or text.
- The profile circle crops out half your head.
- The upload looks softer than the original file.
How to
- Crop to square or banner off-site if needed. Center the face for an avatar.
- Resize here. Avatar: ~800×800. Banner: width 1584 if you follow LinkedIn’s current recommended width — confirm in their help center.
- Compress lightly. You have KB budget; keep quality high.
- Upload to LinkedIn. Replace the photo in settings.
Features
- Exact or max width. Square avatars and wide banners need different modes.
- JPEG/PNG. Photos as JPEG; logos with text may prefer PNG.
- Local. Your headshot is not stored on our servers.
Why it helps
- You control the crop. Resize a pre-cropped square instead of hoping LinkedIn guesses.
- Sharp on laptop screens. Upload 2× the CSS size, not a tiny thumbnail.
Use cases
- New role headshot. Studio photo → square → 800px JPEG.
- Personal brand banner. Wide graphic with the subject in the safe center.
Examples
- Soft avatar after upload. The source was 180px. Recreate at 800×800 JPEG 85% and replace.
Common mistakes
- Using a 200px avatar. LinkedIn will upscale and it looks soft.
- Putting important banner text in the far corners — UI chrome covers them on some devices.
Tips
- Profile photos look best when the face is centered in a square. Use exact size around 400–800px.
- Banners are wide. Keep the subject near the center third.
FAQ
- Do you log into LinkedIn for me?
- No. This only prepares a file.
- Will LinkedIn change recommended sizes?
- Yes. Check LinkedIn’s own help article if a layout looks wrong. The compressor still does the resize you type in.