LinkedIn headshot size can be anything from 400 x 400 pixels to 7680 x 4320 pixels, in a JPG or PNG file of 8 MB or less, according to LinkedIn Help. Within that range, a square crop with your face large in the frame looks best in the small circle LinkedIn shows. Below are the cover image and Company Page sizes too, how to crop for the circle, background colors that suit different jobs, corporate headshot poses, and written examples by profession.
LinkedIn headshot size at a glance
As of September 2026, LinkedIn Help lists these image specs:
| Image | Size in pixels | File rules | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile photo (your headshot) | 400 x 400 minimum, 7680 x 4320 maximum | JPG or PNG, 8 MB max; GIF not supported | LinkedIn recommends a photo that won't need much cropping |
| Cover image on your profile | 1584 x 396 recommended | JPG or PNG, 8 MB max | A 4:1 rectangle (1584 divided by 396 is 4); it can display differently by browser window and screen |
| Company Page logo | 400 x 400 recommended, 268 x 268 minimum | PNG or JPEG, 3 MB max | Shown on light and dark backgrounds |
| Company Page cover | 1512 x 256 | PNG or JPEG, 3 MB max | Can be trimmed on some screens, so keep key details in the center |
The profile photo and the cover image are separate uploads. The cover sits behind your headshot in the introduction section at the top of your profile.
How to size and crop a LinkedIn headshot
The upload range is wide, but a good LinkedIn headshot is square, sharp and cropped close. LinkedIn's Talent Blog gives two framing rules: your face should fill about 60% of the photo, and the crop should take in your shoulders at the bottom edge and end just over your hair. Because the photo shows as a small round image, the corners of your square get hidden, so keep your hair and chin well inside the edges.
Three things to check before you upload:
- It's big enough to stay sharp. LinkedIn's Talent Blog warns that small, low-resolution images look blurry, and so does a photo of a photo, such as a snapshot of your ID badge. Use the original file, not a screenshot.
- It's small enough to upload. Over 8 MB, the upload fails; LinkedIn suggests compressing the photo and trying again, or switching browsers.
- It's already square. Crop on your phone first. In the iPhone Photos app, tap edit, then the crop tool, and pick the Square preset. LinkedIn's own upload screen also lets you crop, reposition, rotate and apply filters.
What happens when the size or crop is wrong
Most LinkedIn photo problems come from a file outside the rules or a crop that shrinks your face.
- Below 400 x 400 or above 7680 x 4320 pixels. The photo won't upload.
- A GIF file. LinkedIn doesn't support GIFs, so convert it to a JPG or PNG first.
- A full-body or group shot. Your face ends up tiny in the circle, and a cropped group photo can leave a stray hand or shoulder at the edge, as LinkedIn's Talent Blog points out.
- A face placed on your cover image. The cover display changes with the screen, so a face or text near the edges can get cut. Keep anything important in the middle third.
- A logo instead of your face. LinkedIn's guidelines say it may remove profile photos made up only of a logo, words or a flag.
LinkedIn headshot background by job
The best LinkedIn headshot background is plain and a few shades lighter or darker than your hair and clothes, so your outline holds up at thumbnail size. LinkedIn's Talent Blog suggests a painted wall or a spot outdoors in nature, and saving workplace scenery for the cover image. These pairings are a starting point for any professional headshot background:
| Background | Often suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Light gray wall or backdrop | Finance, law, consulting and most corporate jobs | A light gray jacket that blends into it |
| Off-white wall | Healthcare, teaching, clean corporate looks | Blond or white hair and a white shirt fading into the wall |
| Dark gray or navy | Executives, speakers, anyone with light or gray hair | Dark hair and a black jacket disappearing |
| Blurred office or window | Tech, startups, sales | Screens, shelves or people behind you |
| Soft outdoor greenery | Real estate, landscaping, coaching, outdoor trades | Direct sun and bright sky behind your head |
| A colored painted wall | Designers, marketers, creative jobs | Strong colors reflecting onto your skin |
For a corporate headshot background, ask first whether your company already uses one color on its team page, since a mismatched backdrop looks out of place there. To replace a messy background on a photo you already like, Background Swapper in Toybox AI keeps you and swaps the scene. Choose Studio ("Clean studio backdrop") under "Pick a scene", or Custom with a description such as "plain light gray wall". It currently costs 80 credits on the Free plan. The AI draws the new background, so check the edges of your hair and glasses. The background prompt ideas have more wording to try.
Corporate headshot poses
A corporate headshot pose starts with level shoulders and your face toward the lens, then small changes set the tone. Six to try:
- The classic. Shoulders turned slightly off-center, face turned back to the camera, closed-mouth smile. It suits almost any profile.
- Square to the camera. Shoulders and face straight on, a slight smile. It reads formal, which suits law, government and finance.
- The open smile. Same angle as the classic, with a smile that shows teeth. LinkedIn's Talent Blog cites a study in which a smile in a profile photo made the person seem more likable, competent and influential to viewers.
- The seated lean. Sit on a stool, lean a few inches toward the camera from the hips, forearms out of frame. It relaxes the shoulders.
- Arms folded, cropped at the chest. Only the top of the folded arms shows. It works better in a wider website crop than in LinkedIn's circle.
- The glance back. Body turned away, face turned over the shoulder toward the lens. Keep it for creative jobs.
For the camera setup behind these, see how to take a professional headshot at home.
LinkedIn headshot examples by job
These written LinkedIn headshot examples are starting points, not rules. Each works as a corporate headshot example or a more relaxed professional headshot example depending on the clothes:
| Job | Clothing | Background | Crop and expression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountant or financial adviser | Charcoal or navy jacket, plain shirt | Light gray | Square, closed-mouth smile |
| Nurse or physician | Scrubs or a white coat, no ID badge in frame | Off-white or pale blue-gray | Square, warm smile |
| Real estate agent | Blazer or a smart knit | Blurred porch or street in soft daylight | Square, open smile |
| Software engineer | Plain crew-neck or button-down | Blurred office or dark gray | Square, relaxed smile |
| Teacher | Cardigan or collared shirt | Off-white or a soft classroom blur | Square, open smile |
| Lawyer | Dark suit | Dark gray or navy | Square, straight on, slight smile |
| Graphic designer | A colored top or one signature piece | Painted colored wall | Square, looser framing |
| Sales representative | Blazer, open collar | Blurred office window | Square, open smile |
To turn one of these rows into an AI headshot from your own photo, paste a line like this into "Details" in Portrait Pro, with the LinkedIn look selected:
Burgundy cardigan over a cream blouse, plain off-white wall, bright daylight from a window on my right, framed from mid-chest up, warm open smile. Keep my face, hairstyle, skin tone and any glasses the same as in my photo.The LinkedIn headshot prompts page has versions for more jobs.
How to make a headshot at the right size
Crop and size the photo before it reaches LinkedIn, whatever made it.
- Start from the original file, not a screenshot, in JPG or PNG.
- Crop it square with your face at about 60% of the frame, in your phone's photo editor or on LinkedIn's upload screen.
- For an AI version, open Portrait Pro, upload the photo under "Your photo", choose the LinkedIn look, then under "More options" pick Square (1:1, "Profile pic") and HD. Each run currently costs 85 credits in HD or 100 in 4K, and Portrait Pro is open to Free plan accounts.
- Portrait Pro's Banner shape is 16:9, while a LinkedIn cover is 4:1. Cropping a 16:9 image to 4:1 keeps only about 44% of its height, so leave your face out of the cover and use the banner for a scene instead.
- Check the downloaded file against LinkedIn's limits (400 x 400 to 7680 x 4320 pixels, 8 MB), then upload it through Me and the camera icon in the introduction section of your profile.
- Look at it at thumbnail size on your phone. If your face isn't recognizable at that size, crop tighter.
Whether an AI headshot belongs on your profile at all is a separate question; the guide to whether AI headshots are acceptable covers LinkedIn's likeness rule. Prices for credits and plans are on the pricing page.
Common mistakes with LinkedIn headshots
- An old photo. LinkedIn's Talent Blog wants a picture from within the past few years that looks like you do on an ordinary workday, with your usual glasses and facial hair.
- Sunglasses, hats or a phone in hand. Anything that covers your eyes or face makes you harder to recognize in the circle.
- Heavy filters. LinkedIn's upload screen offers six filters plus brightness, contrast, saturation and vignette controls. Keep any change small, so the photo still matches the face people see on a video call.
- A mirrored selfie. With a mirror setting on, such as Mirror Front Camera on an iPhone, the front camera saves a reversed image that flips lettering on your clothes. Turn that setting off, or use Flip in the iPhone Photos crop tool.
- The same photo in both slots. Your headshot already sits on top of the cover image, so the cover works better for your workplace, your city or your work.
- A cropped group photo. A shoulder or hand at the edge gives it away, so use a solo photo.