X (Twitter) profile picture size
X recommends a square photo of 400 × 400 px and shows it as a circle everywhere: on your profile, next to your posts and replies, in search results and in messages.
| What | X asks for |
|---|---|
| Shape | Square, 1:1. X shows it as a circle |
| Recommended size | 400 × 400 px |
| File weight | Up to 2 MB |
| Format | JPG, PNG or GIF (not animated) |
Why 400 px is the size to upload
Next to a post your picture is small; on your profile it is a few times larger. A file of 400 × 400 px covers both, also on phone screens that pack two or three pixels into the space of one. What makes a picture look soft on X is a file smaller than that, or a small part of a photo blown up.
What the circle cuts off
The circle keeps the middle of the square and hides its four corners, about a fifth of the picture. Anything that matters has to sit inside the circle: your face in the middle, a little room above the hair, shoulders running out at the bottom.
Square pictures for organisations
Accounts of organisations with a gold checkmark get a square picture instead of a circle. Switch the shape to Square in the tool to see a logo the way X shows it there: only the tips of the corners are rounded off.
If X will not take your picture
X accepts JPG, PNG and GIF files of up to 2 MB, and no animated GIFs. A photo straight from a phone is often heavier than that. The file from this tool weighs a small fraction of the limit.
When the photo itself is the problem
A resizer cannot fix a photo that is too small, too dark or cropped at the forehead. If you have no better picture, a professional headshot made from a few selfies gives you one that fits the circle from the start.