Facebook Post Sizes, Algorithm & Content Guide (2026)
The exact dimensions for every Facebook format, plus an honest read on what the algorithm actually rewards this year — no guessing, no outdated screenshots.
Most "Facebook size cheat sheets" online are copy-pasted from years ago. Some of the numbers below haven't changed in a while; a few have. This page is checked against Meta's current published guidance, and we'll date-stamp updates when specs shift.
If you came here for strategy — audience targeting, growth tactics, how often to post — this isn't that page. Go to our Facebook Marketing Strategy guide for the full playbook. This page is the reference: sizes first, algorithm second, a short content-approach note, then where to go next.
Facebook creative specs for 2026
Every format Facebook supports, with the size that renders cleanly without Facebook cropping or stretching it for you.
| Format | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feed post image | 1200 × 630px (1.91:1) | Displays widest in-feed; square (1080×1080) also works but crops on some placements. |
| Page cover photo — desktop | 820 × 312px | The top ~150px can be obscured by your profile photo and name on some screens — keep key text and faces centred. |
| Page cover photo — mobile | 640 × 360px | Facebook crops the same uploaded image differently for mobile, so design for the tighter mobile crop first. |
| Event cover photo | 1200 × 628px | Near-identical ratio to a feed image; avoid heavy text near the edges, which gets clipped in some layouts. |
| Facebook Stories | 1080 × 1920px (9:16) | Keep key content out of the top ~14% and bottom ~20% — that's where the profile tag and reply bar sit. |
| Feed video | 16:9 landscape or 1:1 square | Square performs better on mobile feed real estate; keep it under 2–3 minutes for feed unless it's genuinely long-form. |
| Reels / vertical video | 1080 × 1920px (9:16) | Meta is actively pushing Reels-format video into more surfaces — shoot vertical natively, don't pad a horizontal clip. |
| Ad images | 1:1 or 4:5 recommended | Ad specs branch by placement and objective — see Facebook Ads for the full spec breakdown by campaign type. |
How the Facebook algorithm works in 2026
Facebook doesn't publish its ranking formula, and anyone claiming to have "cracked" it is overselling. What's known — from Meta's own public statements and consistent, observable patterns — is a set of signals the system weighs, not a fixed recipe.
- Meaningful interactions win over passive ones. Comments and shares — especially between people who interact with each other often — appear to carry more weight than a like or a view. A post that starts a conversation tends to travel further than one that just gets scrolled past and liked.
- Video watch time and completion matter, not just views. A short video that people watch to the end signals quality more clearly than a long one people drop off early. This is consistent with what most platforms optimise for now, Facebook included.
- Group and community content gets weighted differently from Page content. Posts inside Groups a person has joined tend to surface more reliably than Page posts from brands they haven't recently interacted with — one reason many businesses now run an active Group alongside their Page.
- Recency and relationship history still count. People who've engaged with your Page before are more likely to see your next post than people who've never interacted with it.
- Negative feedback suppresses reach. Hides, reports, and "see fewer posts like this" clicks work against a post — and against future posts from the same source, to a degree.
Hedge this appropriately: Meta adjusts these weightings continuously, and it doesn't announce most changes. Anything you read — including this page — is a snapshot, not a guarantee. The safest long-term approach is to make content people would engage with even if there were no algorithm at all.
A practical content approach for a Facebook Page
Instead of chasing algorithm hacks, most Pages that actually grow settle on a small set of repeatable content pillars. A few that consistently hold up:
- Practical, useful tips in your category — the kind of short, specific advice someone would screenshot or send to a friend.
- Behind-the-scenes and process content — how something gets made, who's on the team, what a normal day looks like. This is what makes a Page feel like a business run by people, not a logo.
- Customer proof — real reviews, before/afters, or a customer explaining in their own words why they chose you. Low production value is fine here; authenticity outperforms polish.
- Direct community engagement — questions, polls, and an active Group where customers can talk to each other, not just to you.
For the complete strategy — audience targeting, growth tactics, posting cadence, and how to sequence all of this — see our Facebook Marketing Strategy guide. This page stops at the reference layer on purpose.
How to run Facebook as a paid channel
Organic reach on Facebook has been declining for years, which is why most active Pages now run paid alongside organic rather than instead of it. Facebook ads run through Meta Ads Manager — the same system behind Instagram ads — and every campaign is built around one of six objectives: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App Promotion, or Sales.
- Targeting starts with Meta's Advantage+ automated targeting, which finds the best-performing audience from your inputs; layer in Custom Audiences (retarget your own website visitors or customer list) or Lookalike audiences (find new people similar to your best customers) where you want more control.
- Creative reuses the same feed, cover and Stories sizes covered above — one asset set usually serves both organic and paid.
- Placement can stay on Advantage+ Placements (Meta chooses where the ad performs best across Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network) or be manually restricted to Facebook only.
For full campaign setup — objective selection, bidding, and step-by-step structure — see our Facebook Ads guide, or Meta Ads: The Complete Guide for the whole Facebook + Instagram ad system. For what it actually costs to run in India, see Instagram & Facebook Ads Cost in India.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a Facebook post image be in 2026?
1200×630px (a 1.91:1 ratio) is the recommended size for a standard feed post image — it displays at full width without Facebook cropping it. A square 1080×1080 image also works but gets cropped tighter on some placements, so 1200×630 is the safer default for photo posts.
What's the correct Facebook cover photo size?
820×312px for desktop and 640×360px for mobile. Facebook uses the same uploaded image for both but crops it differently on each device, so keep any important text, logos or faces centred rather than near the edges.
How does the Facebook algorithm rank posts now?
Meta doesn't publish an exact formula, but known signals include meaningful interactions like comments and shares (especially between people who interact often), video watch time and completion, engagement inside Groups, relationship history with your Page, and negative feedback like hides or reports, which suppress future reach. Meta adjusts these weightings continuously without announcing most changes, so treat any breakdown, including this one, as directional rather than exact.
Do Facebook Stories still matter?
Yes, for reach and for staying visible to people who already follow your Page — Stories sit at the top of the app and get seen even by people scrolling past your feed posts. They matter less as a primary growth format than Reels or feed video, but they're a low-effort way to stay present between bigger posts.
Should a business post video or images on Facebook?
Video, where you can produce it consistently — it tends to get more reach and deeper engagement, particularly vertical video and Reels-format clips. That said, consistency beats format: a business that posts useful images every week will usually outperform one that posts an occasional video and then goes quiet for a month.
Sizes sorted. Strategy is the harder part.
We run Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn together for Indian brands — content, community and paid, built around what your audience actually responds to.