Social Media Carousel Size Guide for All Platforms

Introduction to Carousel Post Sizes for Social Media

Choosing the right carousel post size is essential for creating visually appealing, professional, and high-performing content across social media platforms. Whether you are posting on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, correct dimensions help prevent cropping issues, blurry images, and inconsistent branding. This guide will walk you through optimal carousel sizes, aspect ratios, and best practices so your audience enjoys a seamless viewing experience.

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What is a Carousel Post?

A carousel post is a multi-image or multi-slide format used across several social media platforms, allowing you to add multiple visuals, videos, or documents within one post. Viewers can swipe or click through the slides, making it an interactive way to tell a story, showcase products, or share educational content.

The concept is widely used on:

• Instagram – up to 10 slides in one post, mixing photos and videos.
• Facebook – carousels for ads and regular posts, allowing multiple clickable panels.
• LinkedIn – carousel-style document sharing (PDFs) and image posts for professional storytelling.

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Why Carousel Size Matters

The carousel size determines how clearly your images display and how effective they are in attracting engagement. Using incorrect dimensions can cause:

• Cropped or distorted images
• Pixelation or blurry quality
• Unprofessional appearance
• Reduced engagement due to poor user experience

Consistent sizing not only maintains visual quality but also enhances branding, ensuring your message is delivered crisply on both mobile and desktop.

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Instagram Carousel Image Sizes

Instagram is a highly visual platform, and the right dimensions are critical to ensure flawless display. Instagram allows posting in square, portrait, or landscape formats within a carousel.

Here are the standard recommendations:

Notes:

• If your carousel mix contains both portrait and square images, Instagram will crop them to uniform height based on the first image uploaded.
• For best engagement, portrait (4:5) often takes up more screen real estate on mobile feeds, attracting more attention.

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Facebook Carousel Dimensions

Facebook carousels are mostly used for advertising, but can also be applied to organic posts. They are designed to give each card clickable potential, linking to different URLs if desired.

Optimal dimensions for Facebook carousel images:

• Recommended Size: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio)
• Minimum Size: 600 x 600 px
• File Types: JPG or PNG for images, MP4 for videos

For Facebook carousel ads:

• Up to 10 cards per carousel
• Keep text minimal (Facebook’s 20% text rule is relaxed, but less text generally performs better)

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LinkedIn Carousel Size Guidelines

On LinkedIn, “carousels” often refer to:

1. Carousel documents – PDFs that users swipe through
2. Image carousels – multiple image posts

LinkedIn Document Carousel (PDF):

• Recommended: 1080 x 1080 px per page for square layouts
• Aspect Ratios: Stick to 1:1 for versatile display
• Max File Size: 100 MB, up to 300 pages

LinkedIn Image Carousels:

• Recommended image size: 1200 x 1200 px for square
• Images can also be portrait (1080 x 1350 px)

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Mobile vs. Desktop Display Ratios

Different devices render carousel images differently.

• Mobile: Portrait and square formats shine because they take up more vertical scroll space, grabbing attention.
• Desktop: Landscape sometimes works better for presentations and wide visuals.

Tip: Always preview your carousel across devices before publishing.

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Maintaining Visual Consistency in Carousels

A well-designed carousel is consistent in:

• Color scheme and branding
• Typography – Use the same font sizes and styles
• Alignment – Text and imagery aligned uniformly
• Image processing – Similar filters, lighting, and contrast

Consider batching your design process so all carousel slides feel cohesive.

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Compressing Images Without Losing Quality

High-resolution images can slow down loading on certain connections, especially on mobile. Use lossless compression to maintain sharpness.

Recommended tools:

• TinyPNG/TinyJPG – Drag-and-drop bulk image compression
• Squoosh – Browser-based image optimizations
• Photoshop Export for Web – Fine-tuned control over file size

Pro Tip: Always save a master copy of your images before compression in case you need to re-edit.

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Common Mistakes in Carousel Sizing (and Fixes)

Here are the most frequent errors and how to avoid them:

1. Mixing aspect ratios within one carousel – Choose one and stick to it for all slides.
2. Uploading low-res images – Aim for at least 1080 px width to avoid blur.
3. Forgetting safe zones – Keep text within the central area to avoid cropping.
4. Neglecting previews – Always test on different devices.

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Tools to Design Perfect-Size Carousels

• Canva – Pre-made templates for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn.
• Adobe Photoshop – Professional control over resolution and compression.
• Figma – Ideal for collaborative carousel design with precise sizing grids.
• Crello (VistaCreate) – Budget-friendly online design tool.

These tools allow exporting in exact pixel dimensions required for each platform.

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Testing and Previewing Carousels

Before hitting publish:

1. Export your carousel slides into the proper format.
2. Upload as an unlisted or hidden post (where possible) to preview.
3. View on both mobile and desktop to ensure no cropping issues.
4. Adjust and re-export if necessary.

Some scheduling tools like Later, Buffer, and Hootsuite include preview options that show how your carousel will look once live.

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Summary Carousel Size Checklist

Here’s a quick reference to keep your carousels looking sharp:

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Conclusion

Perfecting your social media carousel post size will elevate your brand’s visual impact and user engagement. By sticking to platform-specific recommendations, maintaining aspect ratio consistency, and previewing across devices, you’ll avoid common pitfalls and deliver content that looks sharp everywhere.

Ready to boost your carousel performance? Apply these image sizing tips to your next Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn carousel and watch your engagement climb.