LinkedIn Paid Ad Specs: Sizes, Formats & Guidelines

Decoding LinkedIn Paid Ad Specs: The Blueprint for B2B Creative Success

Running paid campaigns on LinkedIn requires more than just compelling messaging and a solid target audience. If your creative assets don’t hit the platform’s exact technical constraints, your ads will either get rejected in review, look pixelated on high-DPI screens, or get aggressively cropped by the mobile feed layout.

Whether you are launching broad brand-awareness initiatives or hyper-targeted account-based marketing (ABM) sequences, getting the technical specifications right is half the battle. This guide breaks down the core specs, dimensions, and limits for LinkedIn’s most popular ad formats.

1. Single Image Ads

Single image ads remain a B2B staple for driving website traffic, content downloads, and lead generation. Because LinkedIn feeds display differently across desktop and mobile devices, choosing the right aspect ratio is critical.

• Square (1:1) — Recommended Default:
  • Dimensions: 1200 × 1200 px
  • Why use it: It provides the best balance, occupying ample screen space on mobile without looking distorted on desktop.
• Vertical (4:5):
  • Dimensions: 720 × 900 px (or up to 1200 × 1500 px)
  • Why use it: Mobile-only delivery. It captures the maximum mobile real estate in the feed, making it ideal for high-impact graphic design or data callouts.
• Landscape (1.91:1):
  • Dimensions: 1200 × 627 px (or 1200 × 628 px)
  • Why use it: Traditional desktop presentation, though it takes up significantly less vertical space on mobile feeds.

Technical Limits:

• File Types: JPG, PNG, or GIF (non-animated)
• Max File Size: 5 MB
• Intro Text: 150 characters recommended (though truncation occurs around 220 characters)
• Headline: 70 characters max

2. Carousel Ads

Carousels let you tell a sequential story, display multiple product features, or break down a multi-step framework across interactive cards.

• Card Dimensions: Exactly 1080 × 1080 px (1:1 aspect ratio). LinkedIn does not support mixed-ratio or rectangular carousel cards.
• Card Count: 2 to 10 cards per ad (some formats stretch up to 20).

Technical Limits:

• File Types: JPG or PNG
• Max File Size: 10 MB per card
• Card Headline: 45 characters max
• Intro Text: 255 characters max

3. Video Ads

Video is essential for B2B product walkthroughs, customer testimonials, and thought leadership snippets. Because a large percentage of users watch LinkedIn videos on mute, burnt-in captions are practically mandatory.

• Landscape (16:9): 1920 × 1080 px
• Square (1:1): 1080 × 1080 px
• Vertical (4:5): 1080 × 1350 px (Recommended for mobile feeds)
• Vertical (9:16): 1080 × 1920 px

Technical Limits:

• File Format: MP4
• File Size: 75 KB to 5 GB (depending on length)
• Duration: 3 seconds to 30 minutes (shorter, punchier clips under 30 seconds typically yield higher completion rates).
• Thumbnail: JPG or PNG matching the exact aspect ratio of the video, capped at 2 MB.

4. Text and Dynamic Ads (Spotlight & Follower Ads)

Found on the right-hand rail of the desktop experience, these native units are economical for brand awareness and follower growth.

• Logo / Brand Image: 100 × 100 px (JPG or PNG, max 2 MB)
• Spotlight Background Image (Optional): 300 × 250 px (JPG or PNG, max 2 MB)
• Copy Caps:
  • Text Ad Headline: 25 characters
  • Text Ad Description: 75 characters
  • Spotlight Headline: 50 characters

Quick Reference: Core Specs at a Glance

| Ad Format | Recommended Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Max File Size | File Formats |
| :— | :— | :— | :— | :— |
| Single Image (Square) | 1200 × 1200 px | 1:1 | 5 MB | JPG, PNG, GIF |
| Single Image (Vertical) | 1200 × 1500 px | 4:5 | 5 MB | JPG, PNG, GIF |
| Carousel Card | 1080 × 1080 px | 1:1 | 10 MB | JPG, PNG |
| Video (Vertical) | 1080 × 1350 px | 4:5 | 5 GB | MP4, MOV |
| Text / Spotlight Logo | 100 × 100 px | 1:1 | 2 MB | JPG, PNG |

Best Practices Before You Export

1. Design for Safe Zones: Keep critical branding, text, and data points away from the very edges of your creative to prevent UI overlays (like timestamps or profile icons) from cutting them off.
2. Watch the Compression: Even if a file is technically under the maximum size limit (