Meta Ad Image Requirements: Why Your Ads Keep Getting Rejected

Meta's ad rules are confusing on purpose — or at least it feels that way. You upload a logo, the system rejects it. You resize it, it's approved but the image looks tiny in the preview. You finally get the right size and the ad runs… but with a "low quality" warning. If this is you, you're not doing anything wrong. The platform is just genuinely hard to learn.

This guide is the version of Meta's ad image rules I wish someone had handed me on day one of running ads.

The most common reason ads get rejected

It's almost always one of two things: the wrong aspect ratio or too much text in the image. Meta used to enforce a strict "20% text" rule that automatically rejected any ad image where text covered more than a fifth of the area. They've since relaxed that, but the underlying signal is still there: ads with a lot of text get less reach. Keep text minimal and your visuals will perform better.

Meta Feed Ad specs (1080×1080 and 1200×628)

Feed ads run on both Facebook and Instagram feeds. Meta accepts two main sizes:

• 1080×1080 (1:1 square): Best for Instagram-first campaigns. Looks great on mobile, takes up more vertical space than landscape.
• 1200×628 (1.91:1 landscape): The classic Facebook ad size. Use it when you want the ad to look "native" in the Facebook feed.

If in doubt, go square. It performs better on Instagram and looks fine on Facebook.

Meta Story Ad specs (1080×1920)

Story ads use the same full-screen 9:16 vertical format as organic Stories. The dimensions are 1080×1920 pixels. Don't forget the safe zones — keep your call-to-action and the most important text inside the central 1080×1420 area so it doesn't get covered by the "Sponsored" tag at the top or the swipe-up button at the bottom.

The 20% text rule (and what replaced it)

Meta no longer auto-rejects ads with more than 20% text coverage, but the algorithm still penalizes them. If your image is mostly text, expect lower reach and higher cost per result. Treat the 20% rule as a strong guideline rather than a hard rule.

Better strategy: put your message in the ad copy (the text above and below the image) and use the image itself for visuals only.

Minimum resolution requirements

Meta recommends a minimum of 1080×1080 pixels for all feed ads. Anything smaller will trigger a "low quality" flag and may be downranked. For Story ads, the minimum is 1080×1920. Always upload at the maximum size your source image supports — Meta will downscale, but it cannot upscale.

Safe zones for Stories

Story ads have UI elements on top and bottom:

• Top 250 pixels: Covered by the "Sponsored" label and profile info.
• Bottom 250 pixels: Covered by the call-to-action button.

Keep your headline, key visuals, and faces inside the central area. Background imagery can extend to the full 1080×1920 — just nothing critical near the edges.

How to check before submitting

Before launching an ad, use Meta's Ads Manager preview tool to see exactly how your image will display in each placement. The preview will show you cropping, safe-zone overlap, and any text-coverage warnings. Fix issues before you spend.

Ready to resize? Use GitSize free — no signup, nothing uploaded, your image stays on your device.