TikTok was designed mobile-first, so almost every image asset uses 1080×1920 portrait dimensions. The exceptions are profile photos (square) and the photo-mode carousel — which is portrait but with text safe-area considerations.
Photo-mode is the most under-used TikTok format. Each slide is a 1080×1920 image; carousels of 3–10 slides drive strong engagement for tutorials and storytelling formats.
Every size below links to a resize preset or the social media cropper.
TikTok sizes — quick reference
Every image type TikTok renders in its native UI, with the recommended dimensions, aspect ratio and format.
Video
Video cover image
1080×1920 · 9:16 · JPG
- The cover frame is what shows on your profile grid. Choose a frame with clear focal interest — abstract or motion-blurred frames hurt thumbnail CTR.
- Add a text overlay (TikTok's native text tool is fine) for video discovery — videos with text overlays perform measurably better.
Photo posts
Photo-mode slide
1080×1920 · 9:16 · JPG
- Each slide is uploaded individually but TikTok auto-crops to 9:16 — start with the right aspect ratio to avoid surprises.
- Keep important text and faces inside the centre 1080×1420 area; top and bottom 250px have UI overlays.
Profile & branding
Profile photo
200×200 · 1:1 · JPG
- Square, displayed circularly. Logos and faces work best at the small render size.
- Upload at 400×400 for retina crispness.
TikTok — general tips
- TikTok strips EXIF metadata on upload — but if you'd rather not store GPS data anywhere, strip it before uploading.
- Photo-mode carousels reach a wider audience than video for the same effort if your content fits the format (tutorials, before/after, storytelling, tip lists).
- TikTok's algorithm doesn't see image content directly — it scores covers based on viewer behaviour. Good covers = more first-second retention = more reach.
Frequently asked questions
- What size is a TikTok video cover?
- 1080×1920 (9:16) — portrait, full-screen. The cover is what shows on your profile grid, so pick a frame with clear focal interest.
- What are the TikTok photo-mode dimensions?
- 1080×1920 (9:16) per slide. TikTok crops anything else to 9:16, so start with the correct aspect ratio. Use the social media cropper to crop precisely.
- What's the maximum video upload size?
- TikTok video uploads are limited to 4 GB and 10 minutes (web upload) or 287 MB / 3 minutes (mobile in-app). Cover images are tiny by comparison — well under the cap.
- Does TikTok strip EXIF data?
- Yes, on upload. Camera and GPS metadata are removed during TikTok's re-encoding pass.
- Can I post landscape video on TikTok?
- Yes, but the in-feed display still crops to 9:16 portrait. Landscape video gets letterboxed with black bars — almost always worse than starting from a 9:16 source.