LinkedIn Carousel Size & Dimensions: The Complete 2026 Guide

Get the dimensions wrong and your carousel looks blurry, cropped, or broken before anyone reads a word. Here are the exact numbers — for every format, every platform, every use case.

The Quick Answer

LinkedIn carousels are uploaded as PDF documents. LinkedIn renders each page of the PDF as a slide. The platform supports multiple aspect ratios, but 1:1 square (1080 × 1080px) is the safest default — it looks good on desktop and mobile without cropping.

LinkedIn Carousel File Requirements

LinkedIn carousels are posted as document uploads — not as native image carousels. That distinction matters for how you create and export them.

Which Aspect Ratio Should You Use?

1:1 Square — Best Default

Square carousels (1080 × 1080px) are the safest choice for most creators. They display consistently across desktop and mobile without cropping, look clean in the feed, and match the mental model most people have for carousels. If you're not sure which format to use, start here.

4:5 Portrait — Best for Mobile

Portrait format (1080 × 1350px) takes up more vertical space in the feed, which means more screen real estate and potentially higher stop-scroll rate. LinkedIn does display this format, though it may crop slightly on desktop depending on the viewer's screen size. Good choice if your audience skews mobile.

16:9 Landscape — Best for Presentations

Landscape format (1920 × 1080px) mimics a traditional slide deck. It works well for detailed charts, data tables, and step-by-step processes — anything that benefits from a wider canvas. Less effective for short punchy content since the text tends to feel small on mobile.

Instagram Carousel Dimensions (For Comparison)

If you're cross-posting to Instagram, the specs are different — Instagram uses native image carousels, not PDF documents.

The key difference: Instagram crops all slides in a carousel to the dimensions of the first slide. If slide 1 is square, all subsequent slides will be cropped square. Design accordingly — don't put important content near the edges.

Text Size and Readability Guidelines

Getting dimensions right is only half the equation. Text that's too small is the most common mistake in carousel design, especially since most viewers are on mobile.

These sizes assume a 1080 × 1080px canvas at 72–150 DPI. If you're designing at a different resolution, scale proportionally. The goal: any text on your slide should be readable on a 375px wide phone screen without zooming.

Safe Zones and Padding

LinkedIn adds a thin border and rounded corners to carousel slides in the feed. Content too close to the edges can feel cramped or get clipped visually. Follow these safe zone guidelines:

• Outer padding: minimum 60px on all sides at 1080px canvas
• Text margins: keep all text at least 80px from any edge
• Logo/branding: place in a corner with at least 50px clearance from edges
• Cover slide: center your key message — it's the thumbnail LinkedIn shows in the feed

How to Export the Right Size

The easiest way to get correct dimensions is to use a tool that handles the sizing for you. If you're building slides manually in design software:

• Figma: Set frame to 1080 × 1080px, export as PDF at 150 DPI
• Canva: Use the "LinkedIn Carousel" template (1080 × 1080px), download as PDF Standard
• PowerPoint: Set slide size to 30.48cm × 30.48cm (equivalent to 1080px square at 90 DPI), export as PDF
• Carouselli: Pick your format (1:1, 4:5, or 16:9), design your slides, export directly as PDF — dimensions are set automatically

Whichever tool you use, always preview the exported PDF before uploading. Zoom to 100% and check that text is sharp, images aren't pixelated, and nothing is cropped.

Common Dimension Mistakes

Mixing slide sizes within one carousel

All slides in a LinkedIn carousel should be the same dimensions. If pages in your PDF have different sizes, LinkedIn may display them inconsistently — some cropped, some with white bars. Lock your canvas size before you start designing.

Using 72 DPI for text-heavy slides

72 DPI is technically sufficient for screens, but text-heavy slides often look blurry at this resolution when LinkedIn compresses the PDF on upload. Export at 150 DPI minimum — the file size increase is minor and the quality difference is noticeable.

Designing for desktop, forgetting mobile

Over 60% of LinkedIn traffic is mobile. Small body text, thin lines, and low-contrast color combinations that look fine on a 27-inch monitor become unreadable on a phone. Design at 1:1 or 4:5, test on your phone before posting.

Not using the full canvas

Leaving large amounts of white (or dark) space with a tiny centered headline wastes the format. Carousels reward bold, full-canvas design. Use large type, strong backgrounds, and clear hierarchy — every pixel should be earning its place.

Summary: LinkedIn Carousel Dimensions Cheat Sheet