WordPress Featured Image Size: 1200×630px Is the 2026 Default

The recommended featured image size for WordPress is 1200×630 pixels (about 1.91:1 aspect ratio). It is the safe default that fits every major theme, matches the Open Graph image size used by Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and looks sharp on Retina displays.

That said, real-world WordPress sites run into edge cases: themes recommend different sizes, iPhone photos are too large, and social platforms crop images in unexpected ways. This guide covers the right featured image size by theme, social-share dimensions, file-size targets, and how to prepare iPhone photos before uploading.

The Recommended WordPress Featured Image Size Is 1200×630px

If you only remember one number, make it 1200×630 pixels (≈1.91:1). As of 2026, this is the most broadly compatible featured image size for WordPress.

Why 1200×630px?

This is also the recommended Open Graph Protocol (OGP) image size for Facebook, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn. A WordPress featured image is not just the article thumbnail — it is reused as the OGP image when your post is shared. Building at 1200×630px once means the same asset works as a thumbnail, an OGP image, and a hero.

Always Aim for at Least 1200px Wide

Retina and other 2× pixel-density displays are the default on phones and modern laptops. An 800px-wide image will look soft when rendered at 400px on a Retina screen. For featured images that may also appear as in-content heroes, target a minimum of 1200px wide and ideally 1920px.

WordPress Image Sizes by Use Case

Featured images are only one of several image sizes you will end up using. Here is a quick reference for the most common WordPress image use cases.

Use case	Recommended size	Aspect ratio	Notes
Featured image (also used as OGP)	1200×630px	≈1.91:1	Best for social sharing
Featured image (large in-content hero)	1920×1080px	16:9	Good for wide blog layouts
In-post image	1200×800px	3:2	Same ratio as iPhone photos
Archive thumbnail	400×300px	4:3	WordPress auto-generates this
Header image	1920×600px	≈3.2:1	Varies by theme
Logo	~250×100px	Variable	SVG preferred

Featured Image Sizes by Theme (Cocoon, SWELL, JIN:R, Astra)

Themes apply different crop rules and have their own recommended dimensions. Here is what the most common WordPress themes expect.

Cocoon (Free)

Cocoon, one of the most popular free WordPress themes in Japan, renders featured images at roughly 1280px wide by default and outputs OGP images at 1200×630px automatically. Source images of at least 1280×720px work cleanly.

SWELL (Premium)

SWELL recommends 1600×900px (16:9) for featured images. Its card layouts and sliders are designed around a wide aspect ratio, so 3:2 or 4:3 sources will show visible top/bottom padding.

JIN:R / SANGO

JIN:R and SANGO are tuned for 1200×675px (16:9). Hero blocks and post cards fit that ratio without cropping.

Astra / GeneratePress / Kadence

Lightweight international themes (Astra, GeneratePress, Kadence) are flexible about size. 1200×630px fits virtually all of their stock layouts.

How to Check Your Theme's Recommended Size

To find the exact featured image size your theme expects:

• Check the theme's official documentation
• Open Appearance → Customize and look for sizes shown next to image upload fields
• Right-click an image on the theme's demo site and inspect its rendered dimensions

For broader rules about how WordPress itself stores and serves images, see our complete WordPress Media Library guide.

Fixing Featured Images That Get Cropped on Social

If your image looks fine on the post but gets sliced when shared on Facebook or X, the cause is almost always an aspect-ratio mismatch between your image and the platform's display window.

Display Sizes by Social Platform

Platform	Recommended size	Display ratio
Facebook	1200×630px	1.91:1
X (Twitter) large image card	1200×628px	1.91:1
LinkedIn	1200×627px	1.91:1
Hatena Bookmark	1200×630px	1.91:1
LINE	1200×630px	1.91:1

Keep Important Elements Centered

Some platforms crop a few pixels off the edges in thumbnail previews. Place text, logos, and faces within the central 60–70% of the frame to stay safe everywhere.

Override the OGP Image per Post

If you want to ship a different image to social than to the post itself, SEO plugins like All in One SEO, Yoast SEO, and SEO SIMPLE PACK let you set a per-post OGP image. That way the featured image can be a vertical brand graphic while the OGP image stays horizontal and promotional.

File Format and File Size Optimization

Pixel dimensions matter, but so do format and file size. Sloppy compression slows your site down and hurts SEO — Core Web Vitals in particular.

Recommended Formats: WebP > JPEG > PNG

WebP is the strongest default in 2026: roughly 70% of the size of an equivalent JPEG and 50% of a PNG at the same visual quality. All major browsers support it, and WordPress 5.8+ handles WebP natively.

• Photographs: WebP or JPEG (quality 80–85%)
• Illustrations, screenshots, transparent graphics: WebP or PNG
• Animations: animated WebP (preferred) or GIF

Target File Size: Under 200KB

Keep featured images under 200KB; aim for around 100KB. Anything heavier slows mobile load times and inflates LCP in Core Web Vitals.

Use a WordPress Optimization Plugin

For automatic compression at upload time, these are the standard picks:

• EWWW Image Optimizer — free, with WebP conversion
• Smush — strong bulk compression
• ShortPixel — paid, excellent compression/quality balance
• Converter for Media — focused on WebP and AVIF conversion

How to Use iPhone Photos as Featured Images

Many WordPress publishers want to use iPhone photos directly as featured images. iPhone photos are large and use HEIC, so they need a few steps before upload. For the HEIC format specifically, see our guide to HEIC photos and WordPress.

Typical iPhone Photo Dimensions

iPhone 14/15/16 photos are 4032×3024px (~12MP, 3:2) by default. They are saved as HEIC (a more efficient version of HEIF), about 2–4MB per file.

Three Things to Do Before Uploading

1. Convert HEIC to JPEG or WebP. Some themes and plugins still do not handle HEIC well. JPEG or WebP is the safe choice for portability.
2. Resize. 4032×3024px is overkill. Downscale to around 1200×800px or 1920×1280px.
3. Compress. Export at quality 80–85% to keep the file under 200KB.

Resize Inside the iPhone Photos App

Since iOS 17, the Photos share sheet exposes a "Choose HEIC or JPEG" option that makes format conversion painless. The Shortcuts app's "Resize Image" action also handles batch resizing.

Automatic Resizing and HEIC Conversion with SnapPress

If you would rather not do this by hand on every upload, SnapPress is built for exactly this case. It batch-uploads iPhone photos straight to WordPress with the following steps automated. For multi-photo workflows specifically, see our guide to bulk uploading images from your phone.

• HEIC → JPEG conversion happens automatically before upload
• Three quality presets — Original, Medium, Small — with Medium tuned for web display
• Up to 20 photos per batch with a single tap
• Photos land directly in the Media Library, ready to assign as featured images

This is especially useful for bloggers who shoot on the phone and for WooCommerce store owners who need to publish product photos quickly after a shoot. For an end-to-end photo-to-post flow, see our WordPress photography workflow.

Common Featured Image Mistakes

Mistake 1: Text Too Small for Thumbnails

When you add text to a featured image, size the largest characters at 10% of the image height or more. On 1200×630px that means at least 60px tall. The result has to be readable when scaled down to thumbnail size (around 400×210px).

Mistake 2: Uploading Vertical Photos As-Is

Portrait-oriented photos (3:4, 9:16) end up cropped at the top and bottom in horizontal featured-image slots. Crop to a landscape ratio before uploading.

Mistake 3: Using Low-Resolution Images

Low-resolution images from the web (around 500px wide) look soft when scaled up. Keep your source at 1200px wide minimum, and respect image copyright.

Mistake 4: Leaving File Names as "IMG_1234.jpg"

Rename files to describe their contents before uploading — for example, tokyo-cafe-interior.jpg. Descriptive file names help with image search and Media Library lookup. Stick to lowercase ASCII letters, numbers, and hyphens; non-ASCII filenames can be URL-encoded by some servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should featured image sizes be consistent across posts?

Yes. Use the same dimensions for every post. Inconsistent sizes break archive layouts and produce uneven cards. Build a template at one fixed size — 1200×630px is the easiest choice — and reuse it.

Is it OK to upload iPhone photos directly?

A 4032×3024px file is too heavy for the web. Resize to 1200–1920px wide, or use an app like SnapPress that handles resizing and HEIC conversion automatically during upload.

Do the sizes in Settings → Media change the featured image?

The Thumbnail, Medium, and Large values in Settings → Media control the auto-generated sizes WordPress derives from your original. They do not change the size of the original. Themes can also register their own image sizes on top of these, so check your theme.

Do I need to design for Retina displays?

Yes. To render sharply on 2× displays, supply images at twice the rendered size. A 600px display slot wants a 1200px source. 1200×630px is large enough to look crisp on most Retina layouts.

Does WebP work in every browser?

As of 2026, all major browsers — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge — support WebP. Legacy browsers like IE11 do not, but their traffic share is negligible. If you want extra safety, use a plugin that falls back to JPEG for non-WebP browsers automatically.

Can I use square featured images?

Square images (such as 1080×1080px) work if Instagram sharing is your priority. Facebook, X, and LinkedIn display landscape more efficiently, though. A common pattern is to set the main featured image at 1200×630px and ship a square variant via an OGP plugin for Instagram-specific shares.

Related: WordPress image size not changing? Here are the nine causes and fixes — and if you want to display multiple images in a row, see how to put images side by side in WordPress.