How to resize an image for an X header
An X header is a wide 3:1 strip with your profile photo sitting on its bottom-left corner. Most images are the wrong shape, and anything in that corner gets covered. This page crops your image to 1500×500, optionally adds a headline in the clear area, and shows the result on desktop and phone layouts before you download.
- Drop an image. A sample header is already made from an original 2400×1600 illustration, so you can see the result first.
- Crop: zoom and slide until the 3:1 strip shows what you want, or fit the whole image with blurred sides. Type a headline if you want one.
- Check the Desktop and Phone previews. Keep text out of the green box (where the profile photo sits) and the red 60 px bands.
- Download the 1500×500 file, then on X: Edit profile, the camera icon on the header, Upload photo, and save.
What X says about header images (read October 24, 2026)
| What | What X says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Header size | “Header photo, also known as a “banner” (recommended dimensions are 1500x500 pixels)” · “Recommended dimensions for header images are 1500x500 pixels.” | X Help Center, “How to customize your profile”; X Help Center, “Help with uploading a profile photo” |
| Profile photo size | “Profile photo (recommended dimensions are 400x400 pixels)” | X Help Center, “How to customize your profile” |
| Formats | “Photos can be in any of the following formats: JPG, GIF, or PNG.” X adds that it “does not support animated GIFs for profile or header/banner images.” | X Help Center, “How to customize your profile” |
| File size | “Maximum file size for profile photos is 2MB.” No limit is given for header images. | X Help Center, “Help with uploading a profile photo” |
| Cropping | “If you are using a header image with the recommended dimensions and notice that parts of it are being cropped, it is most likely because of the way these images are displayed on different monitor sizes and in different browsers (60 pixels on the top and bottom could be cropped).” | X Help Center, “Help with uploading a profile photo” |
| How to change it | “Click or tap the Edit profile button” · “When changing a profile or header photo, click or tap the camera icon and select Upload photo or Remove.” · “Click or tap Save.” | X Help Center, “How to customize your profile” |
| Upload trouble | “To upload a profile photo you must be on the web or using an official application.” · “Try either upgrading your browser so it is up to date, or try using a different browser.” · “Make sure you click 'Apply.' Your image won't save until you do.” | X Help Center, “Help with uploading a profile photo” |
| Sizes X serves | For profile_banner_url: “By adding a final path element of the URL, it is possible to obtain different image sizes optimized for specific displays.” The page it links to for the list of sizes now redirects to the docs home page. | X developer docs, “Data dictionary: Enterprise” |
Both help articles were read in a browser on October 24, 2026. Gridloom is not affiliated with X Corp.
X header size: 1500×500, a 3:1 strip
X recommends 1500×500 pixels for the header, which is exactly 3:1. It doesn’t publish an aspect ratio in words, a minimum size or a file-size limit for headers. The only file limit in its help is for profile photos (“Maximum file size for profile photos is 2MB”). This page makes a 1500×500 JPEG at 92% quality; the sample comes out at 68,739 bytes, well under 2 MB, so even if the same limit applied to headers you would be fine. If a JPEG would ever go over 2,000,000 bytes, the tool lowers the quality until it doesn’t. That margin is our choice, not an X rule.
Most photos are 4:3 or 3:2, so a 3:1 header keeps only a strip of them: from a 3:2 photo you keep half its height. Use the “Top ↕ bottom” slider to choose which strip, or switch to “Fit the whole image” to keep everything and fill the sides with a blurred copy or a plain colour.
Where your profile photo covers the header
X’s help doesn’t say where the profile photo sits. So we measured it: on October 24, 2026 we opened three public profiles (@XDevelopers, @NASA and @jack) in Chrome, signed out, at seven window widths, and read where the header and the photo were drawn. In every case the header was shown at exactly 3:1, uncropped (it uses object-fit: cover, so a 3:1 file fills it with nothing cut off), and the page loaded the /1500x500 version of the file. In pixels of a 1500×500 file:
| Window width | Header shown at | Profile photo (with its ring) covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1366, 1920 and 768 px (desktop, tablet) | 600×200 | x 40–380, from y 330 to the bottom edge and beyond |
| 1024 px | 555×185 | x 43–397, from y 323 down |
| 430 px (large phone) | 430×143 | x 56–403, from y 326 down |
| 390 px (phone) | 390×130 | x 62–406, from y 328 down |
| 360 px (small phone) | 360×120 | x 67–408, from y 329 down |
The pattern holds at every width: the photo is about 23% as wide as the header, starts a little in from the left edge, and is centred on the header’s bottom edge, so it covers the bottom-left corner: roughly the left 27% of the lower 35%. The practical rule: keep text and faces out of x 0–410, y 320–500 of a 1500×500 header. That’s the green box in the preview and the template. @jack had a round photo; @XDevelopers and @NASA had a rounded square in the same box. We measured the signed-out web view; the X apps and the signed-in view may differ slightly.
The 60 px bands at the top and bottom
X’s help says that if parts of a 1500×500 header get cut off, it’s “most likely because of the way these images are displayed on different monitor sizes and in different browsers (60 pixels on the top and bottom could be cropped).” It doesn’t say on which screens, or whether that means 60 pixels of the file or of the screen. In our seven measured views nothing was cropped at all. Still, it costs little to be careful: keep anything important between y 60 and y 440, the middle 380 px. The red bands in the preview show that strip. The headline positions in the tool (“Right, upper” and “Right, middle”) stay inside it at the default text size, and the tool tells you if your text runs into a band or into the photo area.
Measured on the sample
| Setting | File | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 1500×500, crop, headline (the header above) | JPEG, quality 92 | 68,739 bytes |
| 1500×500, same, PNG | PNG | 295,763 bytes |
| 1500×500, whole image fitted, blurred sides | JPEG, quality 92 | 72,071 bytes |
| 3000×1000 (Pro) | JPEG, quality 92 | 186,673 bytes |
Sample: an original Gridloom illustration, 2400×1600. Measured in Chrome with this page’s own code. A detailed photo makes a bigger file than a flat illustration.
Why is my X header blurry?
X doesn’t explain it in its help, so this is general advice, not X’s. The usual reason is that the part of the image you use is narrower than 1500 pixels and gets stretched. A 3:1 strip cut from a phone screenshot or a small download can be only a few hundred pixels wide. Start with the largest original you have and don’t zoom in further than you need; the status line here tells you when the header is enlarged and from how many pixels. Text drawn into a JPEG can also look soft next to sharp edges; if your header is mostly flat colour and lettering, try the PNG option.
How to change your X header
On x.com or in the X app, go to your profile and click or tap Edit profile, then the camera icon on the header, and choose Upload photo. If X shows a crop step, the 1500×500 file already has the right shape. Then save. X’s two help articles name the last button differently: “Click or tap Save.” in one and “Make sure you click 'Apply.'” in the other, so press whichever you see. On the first setup X notes you “will not see the option to change your display name, until you have a profile and header photo uploaded.”
Twitter header or X header?
Same thing. Twitter is now called X, and X’s help calls the header photo “also known as a “banner””. Searches for a Twitter header size, Twitter banner size, X banner or X cover photo all mean this 1500×500 image.
What this tool doesn’t do
It doesn’t log in to X or upload anything; you download the file and add it in X. It makes still images only, which is all X takes for headers (a GIF becomes its first frame). It doesn’t make your 400×400 profile photo; for a round, centred profile picture use the profile picture resizer and pick a size of at least 400×400. The 3000×1000 size is Pro and X doesn’t document any use for it: the profile page we loaded used the 1500×500 file. It’s there for print or for sites that want a larger 3:1 image. For other banners: the LinkedIn banner resizer (1584×396), the YouTube banner resizer (2560×1440 with its safe area) and the Discord banner resizer.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an X (Twitter) header?
1500×500 pixels, which is 3:1. X’s Help Center says: “Recommended dimensions for header images are 1500x500 pixels.” Formats are JPG, GIF or PNG, and animated GIFs are not supported for headers. Read October 24, 2026.
What is the Twitter banner size in pixels?
The same as the X header: 1500×500 pixels. Banner is X’s other name for the header photo (“Header photo, also known as a “banner””).
What is the X header safe zone?
X only says “60 pixels on the top and bottom could be cropped”, so keep important things between y 60 and y 440. We also measured where the profile photo sits on x.com: it covers about x 0–410, y 320–500 of a 1500×500 header on every screen width we tried. Keep text out of that corner.
What is the X header size on mobile?
The file is the same 1500×500. On a 390 px wide phone screen x.com showed the header at 390×130 and the profile photo covered x 62–406, from y 328 down, in file pixels: the left 27% of the lower 35%.
What is the X header file size limit?
X’s help pages don’t give one for headers. The only limit stated is for profile photos: “Maximum file size for profile photos is 2MB.” A 1500×500 JPEG from this page is usually far under that; the sample is 68,739 bytes.
Why does X crop my header?
X’s help doesn’t say how it handles other shapes, so upload a 3:1 file and you decide what is kept. Even at 1500×500, X says parts can be cropped because of “different monitor sizes and in different browsers (60 pixels on the top and bottom could be cropped)”. In our own checks on x.com the 3:1 header was shown uncropped.
Why is my X header blurry?
Usually the part of the image you used is narrower than 1500 px and gets stretched. Use a bigger original and avoid heavy zoom; this tool warns you when the header is enlarged. For flat graphics with text, PNG can look crisper than JPG.
Where does the profile picture go on an X header?
Bottom left. On x.com it is about 23% as wide as the header, starts slightly in from the left edge and is centred on the header’s bottom edge, so it covers roughly x 40–410 from y 320 down in a 1500×500 file (measured October 24, 2026).
Can my X header be a GIF?
It can be a GIF file, but not an animated one: X “does not support animated GIFs for profile or header/banner images.” This tool saves a still JPG or PNG; a GIF becomes its first frame.
What size is an X profile picture?
X recommends 400×400 pixels, in JPG, GIF or PNG, and the maximum file size for profile photos is 2MB. On x.com @jack’s showed round; @XDevelopers and @NASA showed a rounded square.
How do I change my header on X?
Go to your profile, click or tap Edit profile, then the camera icon on the header and Upload photo. Crop if X asks, then save (X’s help calls the button Save in one article and Apply in another).
Is it free, and is my image uploaded?
Free for 1500×500 JPG or PNG and the template, with no watermark and no signup. Everything runs in your browser; your image isn’t uploaded. Pro ($5 for 30 days, paid in USDC) adds 3000×1000 and a ZIP of headers from several images at once.