Clearer upload
Recommended1400×1400 1:1
Practical square master. Survives compression better when the library list shrinks the tile to a few dozen pixels.
Use in toolSpotify · Image size
Spotify Playlist Cover Size
A playlist cover is the square stamp in Your Library, not album delivery art. Export a bold 1400×1400 (640×640 still works), keep the idea in the center, then download in your browser.
Browser crop · stays on your device
Crop your Spotify playlist cover
1400 × 1400
Add a photo to crop
Upload a graphic or photo—or try the sample—then keep one bold idea in the center. Tiny library thumbs punish fine type.
Size specs
Design for a stamp in a list, not a poster on a wall. Center a bold mark—Your Library often shows this square around 40–60px tall.
Publish
Export this for Spotify upload.
| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer upload Recommended | 1400×1400 | 1:1 | Practical square master. Survives compression better when the library list shrinks the tile to a few dozen pixels. | Use in tool |
What Spotify shows
Reference sizes and crops—not always separate upload files.
Minimum useful
640×640 1:1
Still a usable square when the source is simple. Prefer 1400×1400 if the mark has fine detail.
Use in tool| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum useful | 640×640 | 1:1 | Still a usable square when the source is simple. Prefer 1400×1400 if the mark has fine detail. | Use in tool |
Your Library sees a stamp, not a poster
Open Your Library on a phone and the playlist row is a stack of tiny squares—often about 40–60 pixels tall beside the title. That is the real audience for this file. A cinematic photo with a thin serif subtitle looks thoughtful in Figma and turns into noise in the list. One shape, one high-contrast mark, or two short words in heavy type will still parse while you scroll for a commute mix.
Upload a true square. 1400×1400 is a clearer master for 2026 screens; 640×640 remains a useful floor when the artwork is already simple. Spotify has long accepted smaller files—300×300 is a common documented minimum—but those look soft once the app compresses them and the list shrinks them again. Start larger when the source allows it, then keep the idea inside the center guide so rounded corners on some clients do not nibble the only logo.
This slot is not album artwork from a distributor. DistroKid, TuneCore, and label decks ship 3000×3000 packages for stores and DSP delivery. A playlist cover is packaging for a container you curate: mood, era, collab, or a private dump. Reusing a single album sleeve for every mix makes the library feel like a discography, not a set of lists. Reusing an artist header is worse—that file is a wide 2660×1140 stage, and stretching it into a square warps faces.
Canvas looping video is a different product. Canvas sits on a track in Now Playing; it is vertical motion, not a library tile. Do not export this square as a Canvas clip, and do not expect a Canvas loop to replace the playlist image in Your Library. Crop a still here, then handle Canvas on its own timeline if you need motion on a song.
Good vs weak crop
Same feed frame—keep the subject inside the margin phones actually show.
Reads in a 50px row
- One bold mark in the center
- High contrast on a dark list
- True square, not a stretched banner
Turns to noise in the list
- Thin type that vanishes at library size
- Album-delivery 3000px art reused as a mix label
- Wide artist header squashed into 1:1
Before you upload
Tick these off against your crop preview—nothing is saved.
Related surfaces compared
Similar-looking slots often use different ratios—do not reuse one export for all of them.
Playlist cover
1400 × 1400 (try)
This page. Square stamp in Your Library and on the playlist page.
Artist profile photo
750 × 750 min
Rounded identity in Spotify for Artists—not a mix tile.
Artist header
2660 × 1140
Wide artist-page stage with Play UI—do not squash it here.
Podcast show art
3000 × 3000
Catalog artwork for a show—same square habit, different job.
| Surface | Typical size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Playlist cover | 1400 × 1400 (try) | This page. Square stamp in Your Library and on the playlist page. |
| Artist profile photo | 750 × 750 min | Rounded identity in Spotify for Artists—not a mix tile. |
| Artist header | 2660 × 1140 | Wide artist-page stage with Play UI—do not squash it here. |
| Podcast show art | 3000 × 3000 | Catalog artwork for a show—same square habit, different job. |
Design for a 40–60px library thumb
The playlist page shows a larger square, but most decisions happen in Your Library, search, and Add-to-playlist sheets. Those tiles are small. Treat the cover like an app icon: fill, contrast, and a single silhouette beat a collage of eight album covers.
If you need the playlist name on the image, use a short word in heavy sans type fully inside the center guide. Dates, track counts, and “updated weekly” lines go stale and disappear at thumb size anyway.
- Squint at the preview until it is stamp-sized—then decide if it still has a shape.
- Avoid photo mosaics; they become gray texture in the list.
- Dark-on-dark marks disappear on Spotify’s dark UI—add a light edge or a flat field.
- A color system across your own mixes (one hue per mood) helps scanning more than unique photos.
Playlist cover vs album art vs artist header
Album artwork is a commercial delivery asset. Playlist covers are labels for lists you (or Spotify editorial) assemble. They can quote a mood from a record, but they should not pretend to be the store package.
The artist header is a wide photograph behind Play and Follow. Forcing that 7:3 frame into this square crops out the atmosphere you paid for and usually bisects a face. Export each surface on purpose.
- Artist header size — 2660 × 1140 wide stage
- Artist profile size — 750 × 750 rounded photo
- Podcast cover size — show art, not a mix tile
File requirements
JPG suits photographs. PNG suits flat shapes and hard type. Prefer sRGB. A clean 1400×1400 file usually looks sharper in the list than a noisy 300×300 upscale. Spotify may still recompress after upload—bold geometry survives that better than film grain.
- Clearer upload
- 1400 × 1400 px square
- Minimum useful
- 640 × 640 px
- Documented floor (often cited)
- 300 × 300 px — use it only as a floor, not a target
- Formats
- JPG or PNG (sRGB stills)
- Not this slot
- Canvas video, album distributor packages, artist headers
- Design for
- Your Library thumbs ~40–60px tall
Common mistakes
- Putting the only title on a thin line at the rim the rounded tile softens.
- Uploading a 300×300 file and wondering why phones look muddy.
- Stretching a 2660×1140 artist header until the face is a pancake.
- Using the official album package so every mix looks like the same release.
- Exporting a vertical Canvas still and letterboxing it in the square.
- Screenshots of the Spotify UI, complete with the progress bar, as “art.”
How to use the crop tool
Upload a graphic, choose Clearer upload (1400×1400), drag until the mark sits inside the center guide, then download. Switch to 640×640 only when the source is already a simple icon. Cropping stays in the browser.
- Zoom until one shape fills most of the guide.
- Prefer PNG for a flat logo; JPG for a photo field.
- After you publish, judge the cover in Your Library—not only on the playlist hero.
After you download
From this download to a live upload in a few minutes.
- 1
Download the square JPG (photos) or PNG (flat graphics) from the tool.
- 2
In Spotify, open the playlist → Edit details (three dots on many clients) → change the cover image.
- 3
Save, then jump to Your Library and find the row without reading the title.
- 4
If you cannot tell mixes apart at list size, re-crop with a simpler mark and upload again.
- 5
Collaborative playlists: confirm collaborators still recognize the tile after the swap.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Spotify playlist cover in 2026?
Use a square. 1400×1400 is a clearer upload; 640×640 is still useful for simple marks. Design as if the tile will shrink to a library row.
Is 300×300 enough?
Some Spotify docs cite 300×300 as a minimum. It may upload, but it looks soft after compression and in tiny library thumbs. Prefer 1400×1400, or at least 640×640.
JPG or PNG for a playlist cover?
JPG for photographs, PNG for flat shapes and hard type. Export sRGB stills either way—not a video file.
Can I use Canvas video as the playlist cover?
No. Canvas is looping vertical video on a track. The playlist cover is a square still in Your Library. Crop a still here.
Is this the same as album artwork from a distributor?
No. Distributor album art is store/DSP delivery—often a 3000×3000 package. This page is the square label for a playlist you curate.
Can I reuse my artist header as a playlist cover?
Not without a fresh square crop, and even then it is usually the wrong picture. The header is a wide 2660×1140 stage with Play UI on the lower band.
Should the playlist name be on the image?
Only if it is huge and short. Most mixes scan better with a color and a symbol; the title already sits beside the row in Your Library.
Why does my cover look muddy on the phone?
Usually a tiny source was upscaled, or the idea was too detailed for a 40–60px thumb. Re-export a bolder 1400×1400 with the mark in the center.