What size should a headshot be?
Short answer: at least 400×400 px for online profiles, around 3.5×4.5 cm for a resume or ID photo, and a high-resolution square for print. Here are the exact sizes by where the photo will live.
There’s no single “headshot size” — the right dimensions depend entirely on where the photo will appear. Online profiles are measured in pixels, resume and ID photos in centimetres or inches, and print in resolution (DPI). The safe rule is to keep one high-resolution square original and crop down from it. Here are the numbers that matter.
Online profile sizes (pixels)
For LinkedIn, upload a square of at least 400×400 px — larger is better, since LinkedIn downsizes a big image cleanly but can’t add detail to a small one (the maximum file size is 8 MB). A company About or team page typically uses a 600×600 px square, and email or chat avatars display around 128×128 px, so keep your face filling the frame to stay recognisable when it’s shrunk. Most social networks crop a profile photo to a circle, so centre your head with a little headroom.
Because every one of these is square or circular, a single square original works everywhere — shoot or crop to a square, keep it high-resolution, and let each platform resize it. You can preview how a style sits in LinkedIn’s round frame and at avatar size in the LinkedIn headshot explorer.
Resume, ID and print sizes (cm / inches)
Where a resume photo is expected (much of Europe, the Middle East and Asia), the standard is a passport-style portrait around 3.5 × 4.5 cm — roughly 350 × 450 px on screen. ID and passport photos are stricter and country-specific: a Schengen visa photo is 35 × 45 mm and a US passport is 2 × 2 inches, always on a plain white background. For those formal formats and the rules around them, see the ID & passport photo guide.
For anything printed — a brochure, a conference badge, a press kit — aim for 300 DPI at the final print size. A 2 × 2 inch print at 300 DPI needs a 600 × 600 px image, which is another reason to keep your original as large and sharp as possible.
Resolution, format and file size
Save headshots as a JPG for photos (smaller files, fine for profiles) or a PNG if you need a transparent or perfectly crisp version, in the sRGB colour space so the colours look right on every screen. Keep the file under each platform’s limit — LinkedIn’s is 8 MB — but otherwise upload the highest quality you have rather than a pre-shrunk copy.
The single most useful habit: keep one high-resolution square master image and export sized copies from it for each use, rather than repeatedly resizing a small file, which softens it. When upload-and-generate opens here, the plan is to deliver your headshots at a high resolution you can crop for every platform — preview free first, before any paid download.
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Frequently asked questions
What size should a LinkedIn headshot be?
At least 400×400 pixels, uploaded as a square up to 8 MB — larger is better. LinkedIn displays it as a circle, so centre your head with a little headroom so the corners aren’t cropped awkwardly.
What size is a resume or CV photo?
Where a resume photo is used, the standard is a passport-style portrait around 3.5 × 4.5 cm (roughly 350 × 450 px) placed in the header. In the US, UK and Canada a photo is usually left off the resume entirely.
What resolution should a professional headshot be?
For online use, a sharp square of at least 400×400 px (more is better). For print, aim for 300 DPI at the final size — for example, 600×600 px for a 2×2 inch print. Keep one high-resolution master and crop copies from it.
What file format and size is best for a headshot?
A JPG in the sRGB colour space suits most profiles; use PNG if you need a transparent or perfectly crisp version. Stay under the platform’s file-size limit (LinkedIn’s is 8 MB) but otherwise upload the highest-quality image you have.