How to Change Your Cover Photo on Facebook

Changing your Facebook cover photo is a straightforward process, but getting it to look just right on every device requires a bit of know-how. This guide provides simple, step-by-step instructions for updating your cover photo on both desktop and mobile. We'll also cover the essential design tips and best practices that separate a boring banner from a powerful branding tool.

Why Your Facebook Cover Photo is More Than Just a Picture

Think of your Facebook cover photo as the giant welcome sign for your personal profile, business page, or group. Along with your profile picture, it's the very first visual element people see when they land on your page. It sets the tone, communicates your personality or brand identity, and can even drive specific actions. For a personal profile, it might showcase a favorite memory, a passion, or your family. For a business page, it's premium visual real estate - a digital billboard perfect for announcing a new product, promoting an event, or reinforcing your brand's mission.

An effective cover photo grabs attention and tells a story instantly. A neglected, poorly sized, or blurry one does the opposite, suggesting a lack of detail or professionalism. Taking a few moments to optimize this space is one of the easiest ways to level up your social media presence.

How to Change Your Facebook Cover Photo on a Desktop Computer

Updating your cover photo from a web browser on your laptop or desktop is a quick, two-minute task. Here's how to do it step-by-step:

1. Navigate to your profile or page. Log in to Facebook and go to your personal timeline, the business page you manage, or the group you administer.
2. Find the "Edit Cover Photo" button. Hover your cursor over your current cover photo. A button labeled Edit Cover Photo (often with a camera icon) will appear in the bottom-right corner for personal profiles or the top-right for business pages.
3. Choose your new photo source. After clicking the button, a dropdown menu will give you several options:
   • Select Photo: Choose an image you've already uploaded to Facebook in the past.
   • Upload Photo: Select a new image directly from your computer's hard drive. This is the most common option.
   • Create an Avatar Cover Photo: Use your Facebook Avatar to create a custom, cartoon-style banner.
   • Reposition: Adjust the positioning of your current cover photo.
   • Remove: Delete your current cover photo entirely, leaving the space blank.
4. Upload and adjust your image. If you choose Upload Photo, a file browser window will open. Find the image you want to use and click Open. Once uploaded, Facebook will place it in the cover photo slot. You can then click and drag the image up and down to position it perfectly within the frame. This part is important for making sure the focal point of your image is centered.
5. Save your changes. Once you're happy with the positioning, click the blue Save Changes button located in the top-right corner of the banner area. Your new cover photo is now live! Facebook will also generate a post on your timeline indicating that you've updated it.

How to Change Your Facebook Cover Photo on the Mobile App (iOS & Android)

Most of us manage our social media from our phones, and changing your cover photo on the Facebook app is just as easy. The steps are almost identical for both iPhone and Android users.

1. Open the Facebook app and go to your profile or page. Tap your profile picture from the main feed or navigate to your page or group using the main menu.
2. Tap on the cover photo area. Simply tap anywhere on the current cover photo. A menu will pop up from the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, on some versions, you might see a small camera icon in the bottom-right corner of the cover photo - tap that.
3. Select your command. The popup menu will give you several choices:
   • Upload Photo: Select a photo from your phone's camera roll.
   • Select Photo on Facebook: Choose an image you've previously uploaded.
   • View Profile Cover: See the current cover photo in full screen.
   • Create Avatar Cover Photo: Use your Facebook Avatar to create a banner.
4. Position your new photo. After selecting your image, you'll be taken to an editing screen. Just like on desktop, you can drag the photo with your finger to position it correctly. This step is critical on mobile, as the mobile view has a slightly different aspect ratio.
5. Save it. Tap the Save button in the top-right corner of the screen. Your new cover photo will update, and a story will be added to your timeline.

Unlock the Perfect Look: Best Practices for Your Facebook Cover Photo

Simply uploading a photo isn't enough. To make your cover photo truly effective, you need to consider dimensions, content, and design. Following these guidelines helps you avoid common pitfalls like awkwardly cropped text or a blurry final result.

Nail the Dimensions: Desktop vs. Mobile

This is where most people get tripped up. A photo that looks perfect on a desktop browser can get its sides cut off on a mobile phone. Understanding the dimensions is the fix.

• Desktop Display: Facebook cover photos display at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall.
• Mobile Display: On smartphones, they display at 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall.

See the problem? The shape is wider and shorter on desktop, but narrower and taller on mobile. To solve this, always design for a "mobile-first" or "safe zone" approach. The best practice is to create an image that is 820 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall. Keep all your essential elements - like text, logos, or faces - within the central area that is visible on both devices. The extra space on the top and bottom will be visible on mobile, while the sides will be visible on desktop.

Choose the Right Content: What to Feature in Your Cover Photo

Your cover photo's content should be intentional. What do you want people to know or feel when they visit your page?

• For Personal Profiles: Showcase something that reflects your personality. This could be a picture with friends and family, a stunning landscape from a recent trip, a snapshot of your favorite hobby, or artwork you've created.
• For Businesses &, Brands: This space is your marketing playground.
  • Showcase Your Product: Feature your bestselling product, a new collection, or your services in action.
  • Highlight Your Team or Culture: A great photo of your team can humanize your brand and build trust.
  • Announce an Event or Promo: Use text overlays to advertise a sale, webinar, or upcoming event.
  • Drive Clicks with a CTA: Design your image to point toward your page's call-to-action (CTA) button below (e.g., an arrow pointing to "Sign Up" or "Shop Now").
• For Groups: Create a banner that clearly states the group's purpose. Include the group's name and a visual that represents the community's theme or interest.

Quick Design Tips for a Professional Finish

You don't need to be a graphic designer to create a beautiful cover photo.

• Use a High-Quality Image: This is non-negotiable. A blurry, pixelated image looks unprofessional. Use a high-resolution photo and save it as a PNG file for the best quality on Facebook.
• Keep it Simple: A cluttered image is confusing. Focus on a single subject and use negative space to let the image breathe. Your profile picture will partially cover the bottom-left corner, so keep that area clear of any important information.
• Stay On-Brand: For businesses, your cover photo should feel like a natural extension of your brand. Use your brand colors, fonts, and logo consistently.
• Update it Seasonally: Keep your page fresh by updating your cover photo for holidays, seasons, or special campaigns. An up-to-date banner signals that your page is active and relevant.

Thinking Beyond a Static Image: Using a Cover Video

For Business Pages, Facebook also offers the option to use a video instead of a static image. A cover video can be far more dynamic and engaging, showing off your product in action or telling a quick brand story. Cover videos must be between 20 and 90 seconds long and should have a minimum resolution of 820 x 312 pixels (with 820 x 462 recommended).

Common Cover Photo Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Here are some of the most frequent missteps. Dodge these to keep your profile looking sharp.

• Ignoring the Mobile View: The number one mistake. Always design with the "safe zone" in mind so that nothing important gets cropped on different devices.
• Too Much Text: Your cover photo is primarily a visual medium. If you use text, keep it concise, large, and easy to read. A paragraph of text on a banner will be ignored.
• The Wrong Tone: Your cover photo should match the purpose of your page. A goofy meme might be fine for a personal profile but would likely look out of place on a corporate page for a law firm.
• Forgetting About the Profile Picture: Remember, your profile picture will overlap on the left side. Don't place a logo, face, or important text in that spot, or it will be obscured.

Final Thoughts

Changing your Facebook cover photo is easy, but making it a valuable asset for your brand or personal profile takes a little planning. By using the right dimensions, choosing engaging visuals, and aligning the content with your goals, you can transform that banner space from a placeholder into a powerful communication tool.

Just as your cover photo sets the tone for your page, a consistent content plan is what keeps your audience hooked. At Postbase, we designed our visual content calendar specifically to help you map out your entire social media strategy at a glance. You can plan and schedule weeks of content across all your platforms, ensuring every single post reinforces the bigger story you're telling - a story that starts right at the top of your page with that perfectly designed cover photo.