Facebook Ad Image Sizes (2026): Every Placement Spec, Including 1200 x 628

The Facebook ad image size Meta recommends for the Feed in 2026 is 1440 x 1800 pixels at a 4:5 ratio, not the 1200 x 628 landscape you may remember. Stories and Reels want 1440 x 2560 at 9:16. Carousel cards and Marketplace want 1080 x 1080 at 1:1. Every figure in this guide was checked against Meta's Ads Guide on 20 September 2026, placement by placement, with links so you can re-check them yourself.

We run Meta campaigns for our own cohorts and teach the Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate curriculum inside the PDMA program, so we get this question weekly: "what size should the image be?" Below is the answer as a spec table, then the design rules that stop your creative getting cropped, and a note on the placements Meta has quietly changed.

Key takeaways

• Feed (Facebook and Instagram): 4:5, 1440 x 1800 px, JPG or PNG, up to 30 MB.
• Stories and Reels (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger): 9:16, 1440 x 2560 px, keep the top 14% and bottom 35% free of text.
• Carousel and Marketplace: 1:1, 1080 x 1080 px minimum.
• 1200 x 628 (1.91:1) still runs, but it is the smallest creative on the screen. Use it only when you have no vertical version.
• Upload one 4:5 and one 9:16 version of every creative and let placement customisation serve the right one.

Facebook ad image size by placement (verified September 2026)

Placement	Ratio	Recommended size	Minimum	Text guidance from Meta	Max file	Source
Facebook Feed	4:5	1440 x 1800 px	600 px wide, 750 px tall at 4:5	Primary text 50 to 150 characters, headline 27	30 MB	Meta
Facebook Video Feeds (image)	1.91:1 to 4:5	1440 x 1440 (1:1) or 1440 x 1800 (4:5)	600 px wide	Primary text 50 to 150, headline 27	30 MB	Meta
Facebook Stories	9:16	1440 x 2560 px	500 px wide	Primary text 125, headline 40	30 MB	Meta
Instagram Feed	4:5	1440 x 1800 px	500 px wide	Primary text 125, headline 40, up to 30 hashtags	30 MB	Meta
Instagram Stories	9:16	1440 x 2560 px	500 px wide	Primary text 125	30 MB	Meta
Instagram Reels (image)	9:16	1440 x 2560 px	500 px wide	Primary text 44	30 MB	Meta
Messenger Stories	9:16	1080 x 1080 px minimum resolution	500 px wide	Primary text 125, headline 40	30 MB	Meta
Facebook Marketplace	1:1	1080 x 1080 px minimum	1080 x 1080 px	Primary text 125, headline 40, description 30	30 MB	Meta
Carousel (Facebook Feed), per card	1:1	1080 x 1080 px minimum, 2 to 10 cards	1080 x 1080 px	Primary text 80, headline 20, description 18	30 MB per image	Meta

File types for every image placement above are JPG or PNG. Aspect ratio tolerance is 3% on Facebook Feed and Video Feeds and 1% on the Instagram, Stories and Reels placements, so a file that is a few pixels off will still be accepted, but a 1:1 image uploaded to a 4:5 slot will not be.

The character figures are Meta's recommended lengths before the text is truncated on that placement, not hard limits. You can write a longer primary text; it will simply be cut with a "See more".

Is 1200 x 628 still a valid Facebook ad size?

Yes, it still runs, but it is no longer what Meta recommends for the Feed. 1200 x 628 is the classic 1.91:1 link-ad format from the desktop era. Meta's Feed spec now leads with 4:5 (1440 x 1800), and its Video Feeds page lists the accepted range as 1.91:1 to 4:5, so a landscape file is inside the accepted range. It just occupies the least vertical space of any format on a phone screen, and roughly all of your reach is on phones.

Practical rule: if the only asset you have is landscape, upload it rather than stretching it. If you can re-crop, make a 4:5 version for the Feed and a 9:16 version for Stories and Reels. When you keep 1.91:1, the old 1200 x 628 clears the 600 px minimum width; exporting the same design at 1440 px wide (1440 x 754) keeps it sharp on high-density screens.

What are the safe zones for Stories and Reels ads?

Keep roughly the top 14% and the bottom 35% of a 9:16 image free of text, logos and calls to action, plus about 6% on each side. That is Meta's own guidance on the Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels spec pages linked in the table. Messenger Stories is slightly different: about 14% (250 px) at the top and 20% (340 px) at the bottom.

On a 1440 x 2560 canvas, that means: no essential content in the top 360 px, none in the bottom 900 px, and a 90 px margin on each side. The profile name sits at the top; the call-to-action button, the caption and the reply bar sit at the bottom. Anything placed there is covered, not cropped, so you will not see the problem in Ads Manager previews until you check on a real phone.

What size should Facebook video ads be?

Use the same ratios as images: 4:5 for Feed, 9:16 for Stories and Reels. Meta's Facebook Feed video spec lists MP4, MOV or GIF, 4:5 ratio, 1440 x 1800 minimum resolution, H.264 compression, AAC audio at 128 kbps or higher, a length from one second to 241 minutes and a 4 GB file size cap. Captions and sound are listed as optional but recommended; most feed viewing is muted, so burn in captions.

If you are producing video for the first time, our UGC video ad script formula covers the 20-second structure that performs in the region, in Arabic and English.

How do you design one creative for every placement?

Make two master files per concept, a 4:5 and a 9:16, and let Ads Manager's placement customisation serve each to the right placement. This is the workflow we teach, and it removes the "which size" question entirely:

1. Design the 9:16 first, because it has the strictest safe zones. Keep the message in the central 50% of the height.
2. Re-crop to 4:5 for Feed. The central content survives; only the top and bottom breathing room changes.
3. Export a 1:1 only if you are running Carousel or Marketplace.
4. In the ad, use "Customise by placement" (in Advantage+ creative or manually) to assign the 9:16 to Stories and Reels and the 4:5 to Feeds.
5. Check the preview on an actual phone before publishing.

Meta's automated creative options can also crop and enhance for you. Our breakdown of Advantage+ and Advantage+ creative explains which of those enhancements to leave on and which to switch off.

Facebook ad design rules that still matter in 2026

Text in the image is allowed, but it is not free. Meta dropped its 20% text rule in 2020, so ads with heavier text are no longer restricted. Delivery still favours creatives people stop for, and a wall of text rarely is. Put the promise in the image in six words or fewer and the details in the primary text.

Export at the recommended size, not the minimum. A 600 px file meets the minimum but looks soft on a modern phone. 1440 px wide is the target for every placement in the table.

Keep the file under 30 MB and use JPG for photos, PNG for flat graphics with text. Both are accepted everywhere; PNG keeps type edges crisp.

Design for the thumb, not the desktop. Right Column ads still exist on desktop, but Meta's current placement list is built around the mobile Feed, Stories and Reels. Design for the small screen first.

Write the copy to the placement's length. A 27-character headline on Facebook Feed is nine or ten words in Arabic and about four in English. Our eight copywriting directions for Meta ads give you variations that fit.

A note for advertisers in Lebanon and the Gulf

Most campaigns we see from Beirut, Riyadh and Dubai are click-to-WhatsApp or lead-form ads rather than website conversions, and the creative specs are identical: the WhatsApp button is a call to action on a normal Feed, Stories or Reels ad, so use the same 4:5 and 9:16 masters. Two regional habits pay off. First, produce Arabic and English versions of the same layout rather than a bilingual image; Arabic script is more compact, so the Arabic version usually has room for a larger headline, and you can target each language to the audience that speaks it. Second, keep the WhatsApp number or the offer out of the bottom 35% of vertical creatives, where the call-to-action bar will cover it. If the ad is running but not performing, the fault is rarely the pixel dimensions; our guide to diagnosing Meta ads by frequency, CTR and CPA walks through what to check next.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Facebook ad image size in 2026?

1440 x 1800 pixels (4:5) for Feed placements and 1440 x 2560 pixels (9:16) for Stories and Reels, in JPG or PNG under 30 MB, according to Meta's Ads Guide as of September 2026.

What is the Facebook ad size 1200 x 628 used for?

It is the 1.91:1 landscape format used for link ads and link previews. It still runs in Feed placements but takes up less screen than a 4:5 image, so Meta no longer recommends it as the primary Feed size.

What are the Facebook ad dimensions for Stories?

9:16, recommended 1440 x 2560 pixels, minimum 500 pixels wide. Leave about 14% at the top and 35% at the bottom free of text or logos.

What size are Facebook carousel ad images?

1:1, at least 1080 x 1080 pixels per card, with 2 to 10 cards. Each image can be up to 30 MB; carousel video cards can be up to 4 GB.

Does the 20% text rule still apply to Facebook ads?

No. Meta removed the rule in 2020. Ads with more image text are no longer limited, though less text usually performs better.

Where do I check the latest Facebook ad specs?

Meta's Ads Guide at facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update, filtered by format and placement. Meta changes it without announcement, which is why every row in our table links to the placement page it came from. If you want to go beyond sizes and learn the whole Meta stack, the Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate exam is included in our PDMA program.