Medium Featured Image: The Complete Guide (Size, Best Practices, Tips)

Your Medium featured image is the first thing readers see. It appears in the Medium feed, in search results, and when your article is shared on social media. Here's everything you need to know.

Medium Featured Image Size

Medium recommends images at least 1400 pixels wide. The optimal size is 1400 × 788 pixels (16:9 ratio). The minimum size is 728 × 200 pixels. Images are displayed at full width in the article, making quality critical.

Medium Image File Format

Medium accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF formats. JPEG is recommended for photos (smaller file size). PNG is recommended for illustrations and text-heavy covers (lossless quality). Maximum file size is 25MB.

Design Tips for Medium Covers

Medium's audience appreciates clean, sophisticated designs. Use minimalist layouts with strong typography. The platform's readers are highly educated—avoid flashy or clickbait-style designs. A clean headline with subtle highlighting performs very well on Medium.

How to Set a Medium Featured Image

When writing in Medium, click the camera icon at the beginning of your draft (before your title). Upload your image. Medium will use this as both the featured image and the article header. You can also add a subtitle below the main image.

Optimize Alt Text on Medium

Medium allows you to add alt text to images by clicking on an inserted image and selecting the alt text option. Use your focus keyword naturally in the alt text of your cover image for better SEO.

Conclusion

Create your Medium featured image with Instant Thumbnail. Enter your article title, choose the Straight or Rounded highlight style for Medium's clean aesthetic, and download in seconds.