Design the perfect Twitter cover photo with Stencil in under 30 seconds!

Creating a Perfect Twitter Banner

With over 321 million active users per month, Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms that’s well worth building a presence on. If you want to get more engagement, leads and customers from Twitter, having a well-optimized profile is key. However, optimizing some parts of your profile, like your Twitter banner, might be tricky: even if you’re using the recommended Twitter header dimensions, you might notice that parts of your image are sometimes being cropped. If you have been struggling to create a Twitter banner for your business page, you’re not alone! In this article, we’ll show you how to get it just right.

Twitter Header Size

Twitter’s recommended dimensions for header images are 1500px x 500px. Twitter supports JPEG, GIF, and PNG file formats. However, even if you follow these guidelines, you may still find that your images don’t look right. Why? Because Twitter crops the top and bottom of your photo after you upload it. Here’s what it looks like:

To prevent any important element from being cut off, be sure to leave enough empty space at the top and bottom of your header photo.

You also need to ensure your profile photo isn’t interfering with your header. The tricky part is that the position of your profile picture in relation to the cover photo shifts depending on the screen size. This is why we recommend avoiding having any critical elements in the bottom left corner of your Twitter banner.

If figuring out that perfect Twitter header size sounds like too much work, we got you! With Stencil’s new feature, you can now turn on/off overlays on the canvas that show you exactly where it’s safe to put graphics in your header images to ensure they won’t be affected by your profile photo or different screen resolutions. This feature is also available for free plans, so you can start designing your Twitter header now!

Creating Twitter Headers: Best Practices in 2025

Choose an Image that Reflects Your Brand

Your Twitter header can be another way to connect with your customers, so make sure it’s consistent with your company’s messaging. When your banner reminds users of your brand, showcases your products or highlights your company values, it will have the most impact.

Use High-Quality Images

Your header image is like a giant billboard, so make sure you always use a high-resolution image as your cover. Twitter also compresses images, which can affect image quality. Using a high-resolution image will help you to achieve a higher-quality look despite any resizing or compression that might take place.

With Stencil, you can choose from over 5,000,000 stunning royalty-free photos to create amazing designs.

Update Your Twitter Header Regularly

Have an event coming up? Use your Twitter header to let your followers know! Your Twitter Header is a great place to promote your current events or #hashtag campaigns.

Showcase Your Products

Your Twitter header image is a valuable piece of advertising real estate, so why not use it to promote your current offerings or support product launches.

Promote the Lifestyle

Give your customers something to relate to by showcasing the type of lifestyle that your brand encompasses.