Blog · 20 October 2026

SoundCloud image sizes: track art, profile picture and header

SoundCloud asks for four different images, and each has its own size. Track artwork is a square JPG or PNG of at least 800 by 800 pixels, under 2MB. Your profile picture is the same size but shown as a circle. The header is a wide strip of at least 2480 by 520 pixels, with the same 2MB limit. And if you distribute to other stores through SoundCloud, the release art must be at least 3000 by 3000. Checked against SoundCloud's help pages on 20 October 2026.

Track and playlist artwork

From SoundCloud's track editing guide, with the same figures on its playlist guide:

• Format: JPG or PNG.
• Size: at least 800 by 800 pixels. SoundCloud shows it square, and its playlist guide says square images look best.
• File size: under 2MB.

The 2MB limit is the one that catches people. A 3000 by 3000 release file saved at high quality is often larger than 2MB, so SoundCloud refuses the same file you gave your distributor. Export a smaller copy for SoundCloud: 1080 to 1400 pixels square at good JPG quality lands comfortably under the limit and still looks sharp in the player and the visual embed. At 2000 pixels, check the file size before you upload.

SoundCloud's own style tip is that high contrast, simple designs stand out best in a crowded feed. Your art shows small in the feed and large in the visual embedded player that blogs and sites use, so it has the same two jobs as a streaming cover.

Profile picture

From Update your profile image and header:

• Format: JPG or PNG, 2MB or less.
• Size: square, at least 800 by 800 pixels.
• Shape on screen: a circle. SoundCloud makes avatars round so they look different from track art.
• Upload: SoundCloud says image uploads only work on the main website, not the mobile site or app, although the same page lists steps for the iOS and Android apps. If the app will not take the image, use a computer.

Because the circle cuts the corners, keep the face or symbol in the middle two thirds of the square. A cover with important detail in a corner makes a poor avatar.

Header

From the same page:

• Format: JPG or PNG, 2MB or less.
• Size: at least 2480 by 520 pixels.
• Text: SoundCloud says to avoid text in the header, because it is cropped on smaller screens.
• Fit: after upload you can drag the image up and down and zoom. If you cannot zoom, the image is smaller than 1240 by 260.

Delete the header and SoundCloud fills it with a gradient taken from your profile picture's colours. Artists on SoundCloud's Artist and Artist Pro plans can also make the header clickable, sending fans to a site or store, which SoundCloud describes in its profile customization guide.

A square cover does not crop well to a strip almost five times as wide as it is tall. Use a wider scene from the same world instead: the room around the subject, the street the song walks down, the sky over the car. If you only have the square, place it to one side on a background that continues its colour.

Distributing through SoundCloud

SoundCloud can also send your music to other stores. For that, the artwork follows the stores' rules, which are stricter. From SoundCloud's artwork guidelines for digital distribution:

• Size: at least 3000 by 3000 pixels, 300 dpi, a perfect square, PNG or JPEG.
• Text: artist name and title must match your release information exactly, including version titles. Featured artists and producers go in the metadata, not only on the art. No side by side translations of titles.
• Parental Advisory: no sticker unless the release is marked explicit. More on that in Parental Advisory on cover art.
• Rights: you must own all rights to every image. SoundCloud says original AI-generated images are allowed but must come with valid license documentation, and it may flag art that looks like existing copyrighted material; you can appeal with proof such as original files, screenshots of your process or a signed rights declaration.
• Rejected: blurry or stretched images, plain single colour squares, artwork reused across releases, stock images found on other artists' releases, barcodes, CD or vinyl references, stickers like "Out Now", social handles, phone numbers, web addresses, QR codes and brand logos.

Note the 3000 pixel minimum. TuneCore and CD Baby accept nothing larger than 3000, so a 3000 by 3000 file is the one size that works for SoundCloud distribution and for them. Our sizes guide has each store's limits.

One cover, four files

1. Release file: 3000 by 3000 JPG for distribution.
2. SoundCloud track art: the same picture at 1080 to 1400 pixels square, under 2MB.
3. Profile picture: a square with the subject centred, at least 800 by 800, checked inside a circle.
4. Header: a wide scene at 2480 by 520 or larger, no text.

If you keep a cover in Soundae, Download all sizes gives you a 3000 by 3000 release file made from the original and a 1080 by 1080 square that fits under SoundCloud's 2MB limit for track art, along with vertical and wide files for stories and video.