Getting your WordPress banner to look right is deceptively tricky. Upload a banner that's too small and it stretches into a blurry mess. Upload one that's too wide and your theme crops the sides without warning. Here are the exact dimensions you need for each banner type in WordPress.

WordPress header banner sizes (theme default)

Most WordPress themes define a header image size in their stylesheet. The most common standard is 1920 × 1080 px at 72 DPI — wide enough to fill a full-HD monitor without stretching. For retina or high-DPI screens, upload at 3840 × 2160 px so the image stays sharp when scaled down by CSS.

Popular themes like Astra, OceanWP, and GeneratePress all accept the 1920 × 1080 standard. Check your theme's documentation under "Header Image" to confirm — some themes crop to specific aspect ratios such as 16:9 or 21:9.

Featured image (post thumbnail) sizes

WordPress featured images appear on blog listing pages and inside individual posts. The safe minimum is 1200 × 628 px, which is also the recommended OpenGraph size for social sharing. A 16:9 ratio at 1280 × 720 px is a solid all-rounder for posts displayed in a grid layout.

Avoid featured images under 800 px wide — they look blurry in full-width layouts, and Google prefers images at least 1200 px wide for rich snippet eligibility.

Hero section banner sizes

Hero sections (the full-width banner at the top of the homepage) typically use a 16:9 or wider aspect ratio. Recommended sizes:

1920 × 600 px — panoramic hero, common in business themes.
1920 × 1080 px — full-screen hero, used when the image fills the viewport.
2560 × 1440 px — 2K hero for sites targeting designers or photographers.

Keep all text and focal points inside the center 1200 px horizontal zone. On mobile, most themes crop the left and right edges, so faces, logos, and key messages placed near the edges disappear.

Sidebar widget banner sizes

Sidebar banners are narrower and usually portrait-oriented. Common widths:

300 × 250 px — the "medium rectangle," matches Google AdSense's most common slot.
300 × 600 px — half-page banner, taller and more prominent.
250 × 250 px — square, used when sidebar is narrow.

WooCommerce store banner

WooCommerce product category banners default to 1940 × 620 px. This is a roughly 3:1 ratio, wider than a standard banner. Shop header images in Storefront theme work best at 1200 × 400 px minimum.

File format and compression

WordPress accepts JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF banners. For photographic headers, use JPEG or WebP. For banners with text, sharp lines, or transparent backgrounds, use PNG or WebP.

Compress your banner before uploading. WordPress's built-in compression is conservative, and an uncompressed 4K header can weigh over 5 MB — hurting page speed scores. Use our Image Compressor to reduce file size before uploading, or use our Image Resizer to hit the exact pixel dimensions your theme requires.

Checking your theme's registered image sizes

Every WordPress theme registers custom image sizes that WordPress automatically generates when you upload a photo. To see what your active theme has registered, add this snippet to a test page and view source:

<?php print_r(wp_get_registered_image_subsizes()); ?>

This shows every size name, width, height, and whether cropping is applied. Matching your source images to these registered sizes prevents WordPress from stretching or distorting your banners.

Quick reference

Header banner: 1920 × 1080 px
Featured image: 1200 × 628 px minimum
Full-screen hero: 1920 × 1080 px (or 2560 × 1440 px for high DPI)
Panoramic hero: 1920 × 600 px
Sidebar banner: 300 × 250 px or 300 × 600 px
WooCommerce category: 1940 × 620 px