Your profile photo is among the first things people see on LinkedIn. A good one makes your profile look more trustworthy and approachable. It doesn't need a big budget; attention to framing, light and background is enough.
Size
LinkedIn uses a square slot and displays the photo as a circle. According to LinkedIn's help pages the photo should be at least 400×400 pixels and under 8 MB; an 800×800 pixel square is comfortably enough. Because it's cropped round, keep your face in the centre and nothing important in the corners.
Seven tips
- Let the face fill about 60% of the frame — not too far, not too close.
- Keep it sharp: blurry or pixelated photos reduce trust.
- A natural smile makes you look approachable.
- Plain background: light grey or light blue keeps attention on your face.
- Professional but personal clothing: appropriate for your industry and simple.
- Only you: don't crop a group photo.
- Current: look like you do today; an old photo surprises people at interviews.
Preparing it
- Shoot in window light in front of a plain wall: Fix the phone at eye level and use the rear camera.
- Choose “LinkedIn profile (800×800)” in AI Photo Studio: The face is found, centred and cropped to the right proportion.
- Pick a background: Light blue or light grey gives a corporate look; you can also apply a blurred background.
- Download and upload to LinkedIn: Save as JPG; the size limit is rarely an issue.
LinkedIn's rules and size recommendations can change; check the current help page before uploading.