X's help page recommends 1500 × 500 pixels for the Twitter header size, a 3:1 strip across the top of a profile, as a JPG, GIF or PNG (an animated GIF is not taken). Almost no photo starts out that shape, so a header made without care tends to lose heads, horizons or the words you wanted people to read.
This page opens Resize image on the X / Twitter header tile, so this preset makes a 1500 × 500 picture, a 3:1 banner. Here is how to resize an image for a Twitter header, how to choose which strip of a photo to keep, and when to fit the whole picture on a colour instead. It all runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
How to resize an image for a Twitter header
- Press Select images, or drop your picture onto the page.
- Under Size, X / Twitter header is already picked. It makes 1500 × 500.
- Under When the shape is different, pick Fill to cover the strip, or Fit to keep the whole picture.
- With Fit, pick a Background colour for the space at the sides.
- Press Resize and save. The file name ends in _1500x500.
The X header size this tool makes, 1500 pixels wide and 500 tall, is the one X's help page recommends, and the Twitter banner size is the same thing under its other name. X may change its guidance; the help page we checked, and the day, are listed under this article.
Why a 3:1 banner is hard, and what Fill keeps
Fill covers the whole strip and keeps the middle of the picture, cutting from the top and bottom. Because a 3:1 banner is so wide, it cuts a lot from most photos.
| Your picture | Fill keeps | Fit shows |
|---|---|---|
| Square, 1:1 | About the middle third of the height | The whole square, with wide bands at the sides |
| Landscape photo, 4:3 | About the middle 44 % of the height | The whole photo, with bands at the sides |
| Wide photo, 16:9 | About the middle 59 % of the height | The whole photo, with narrower bands |
| Panorama wider than 3:1 | The full height; the far left and right are cut | The whole panorama, with bands above and below |
So a wide landscape or a panorama makes the easiest Twitter banner. A portrait of a person usually does not work with Fill: the strip would run through the middle of the face.
Choose the strip yourself
Fill always keeps the centre. When the part you want is higher or lower, a sky over a skyline, say, crop the strip yourself first in Crop image. Its Shape chips do not include 3:1, so use Free and type the numbers:
- Open your picture in Crop image and leave the Shape on Free.
- Type a Width and a Height in a 3 to 1 ratio, such as 3000 and 1000, or 1500 and 500, that fits inside your picture.
- Drag the box up or down over the strip you want, or set Left and Top.
- Press Crop, then bring the cropped picture back to this page.
| Picture | Width to type | Height to type |
|---|---|---|
| 4000 × 3000 camera photo | 4000 | 1333 |
| 3024 × 4032 upright phone photo | 3024 | 1008 |
| 1920 × 1080 screenshot | 1920 | 640 |
A smaller strip than the largest works too, as long as its width is three times its height; it simply keeps less of the picture. The crop is already 3:1, so Fill changes only its size and cuts nothing more. If your crop is exactly 1500 by 500 to begin with, there is nothing left to resize.
Fit: the whole picture on a colour
Fit keeps the whole picture and fills the rest of the strip with the Background colour. For a photo that is far from 3:1, that leaves wide bands at the sides, which rarely suits a photo but works well for a logo or a short line of text on a plain banner.
- Pick White, Ink, Black or Grey, or any colour from the + swatch, such as your brand colour.
- Transparent is offered too, and saves as PNG or WebP; a header is usually shown on its own, so a solid colour is safer.
- To design a banner from scratch, make a plain strip here and add words with Add text to image.
Stretch is the third choice. It pulls the picture into a 3:1 strip, which makes everything in it look flattened, so it suits only patterns and textures.
Format, quality and privacy
Save as Original keeps a JPG as a JPG and a PNG as a PNG; an iPhone HEIC photo becomes a JPG. JPG suits photos, and PNG suits sharp logos and text. If your picture is narrower than 1500 pixels, it has to be made bigger, and the panel warns that this makes it softer.
Making headers for several accounts, or trying a few photos? Select up to 100 pictures in one go. Each comes out at the Twitter header size, 1500 × 500, with the same choice, the button counts them (Resize 4 pictures), and Save all as ZIP saves them together. The done screen shows a small preview of each banner, so you can pick the best before you upload. For any other size, the full Resize image tool takes exact pixels or a percent.
- The picture is resized in your browser. It is never uploaded, and our server does no picture work.
- It is free, with no account and no watermark. Image tools are not counted in the daily limit, which applies to document conversions only.
- The saved banner is drawn fresh, with no location, camera or date details.
- It works in current Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Need a banner for another profile? See resize image for LinkedIn banner, or plan a grid of Instagram posts with the Instagram grid maker.
Make your header now
To resize an image for a Twitter header, keep the X / Twitter header tile for 1500 × 500, pick Fill for a full strip or Fit to keep the whole picture, and press Resize. Crop a 3:1 strip first when you want to choose which part stays.
It is free and private. Select your picture above to start.
Source: X Help Center: How to customize your profile, checked 22 October 2026.
