LinkedIn Carousel Size and Dimensions: The Complete Guide
Getting the dimensions wrong can make your carousel look unprofessional or get rejected entirely. Here's everything you need to know about LinkedIn carousel specs.
LinkedIn carousels should be 1080×1350px (portrait) or 1080×1080px (square), uploaded as a PDF under 100MB with a maximum of 300 pages. Portrait format fills more screen on mobile and typically gets higher engagement. Zvario exports carousels in the correct PDF format automatically — no manual resizing needed.
The Quick Answer
If you're in a hurry, here are the numbers that matter:
- Recommended size: 1080 x 1080 pixels (square)
- File format: PDF (for multi-page swipeable carousels)
- Maximum file size: 100 MB (but keep it under 10 MB for fast loading)
- Maximum pages: 300 (but 5-10 is optimal for engagement)
- Color space: RGB (not CMYK — this is for screens, not print)
Now let's dig into the details.
Why Square (1080 x 1080) Is the Best Choice
LinkedIn supports several aspect ratios for document posts, but square is the clear winner for one reason: it takes up the most vertical space in the feed. The more screen real estate your post occupies, the harder it is to scroll past.
Portrait (1080 x 1350) is technically supported and takes up even more vertical space. However, it can clip awkwardly in some views and on desktop feeds. Square is the safest bet for consistent display across devices.
Landscape formats (like 1920 x 1080) are technically possible but significantly reduce your visual impact in the mobile feed, where most users are scrolling.
PDF vs. Image: Which Format to Use
To get the swipeable carousel experience, you need to upload a PDF document. If you upload individual images, you'll get a photo gallery instead — which doesn't have the same engagement-driving swipe mechanic.
How to Create a PDF Carousel
Most design tools can export to PDF. Here's the workflow:
- Design each slide at 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Export all slides as a single multi-page PDF
- Upload to LinkedIn using the document attachment (the paper clip icon)
- Add a title for the document when prompted
Font Size Guidelines
Most people browse LinkedIn on mobile, where your 1080px slide is displayed at roughly 350-400px wide. That means your text needs to be significantly larger than you'd use in a slide deck or print document.
- Headlines: 48-72px minimum. Bold weight. Your headline should be readable from across the room.
- Body text: 28-36px. Regular or medium weight. If you're squinting to read it on your phone, it's too small.
- Captions and labels: 20-24px minimum. Use these sparingly.
A good rule of thumb: if the text doesn't look almost comically large on your desktop screen, it's probably the right size for mobile.
Color and Contrast
Your carousel needs to be readable in bright sunlight on a phone screen. That means high contrast between text and background.
- Dark backgrounds with white text tend to perform well because they stand out in LinkedIn's mostly-white feed.
- Light backgrounds with dark text are cleaner and more professional-looking, but can blend into the feed if you're not careful with borders or accents.
- Avoid low-contrast combinations like light gray text on white, or dark blue text on black. These might look subtle and sophisticated on your monitor, but they become unreadable on mobile.
File Size Optimization
While LinkedIn allows PDFs up to 100 MB, loading speed matters. A 50 MB PDF will take noticeably longer to load, especially on mobile data. Most users won't wait.
Target file sizes:
- Text-only carousels: Under 1 MB
- Carousels with images/photos: 2-5 MB
- Maximum recommended: 10 MB
If your PDF is too large, try reducing image quality slightly or using image compression tools before combining into the PDF.
Common Dimension Mistakes
- Using presentation slides (16:9). Standard slide deck dimensions create tiny carousels that get lost in the feed.
- Inconsistent slide sizes. If some slides are 1080 x 1080 and others are different, the carousel will look jarring as people swipe through.
- Ignoring the safe zone. Keep important text and elements away from the very edges — LinkedIn can crop slightly on some devices.
- Forgetting the title. When you upload a PDF, LinkedIn asks for a document title. This shows above the carousel and is visible before anyone swipes. Make it count.
Quick Reference Table
Bookmark this for your next carousel:
- Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 px (square)
- Format: PDF
- Slides: 5-10 for best engagement
- Headlines: 48-72px bold
- Body text: 28-36px
- File size: Under 10 MB
- Color: RGB, high contrast
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