How to Add a Background Image to Your LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn background image sits behind your profile photo at the top of your profile.

It is a small part of the page, but it can help create a stronger first impression. For executive leaders, subject-matter experts and client-facing professionals, it can reinforce the context of your role, your organisation and the work you are known for.

For communications and marketing teams, it is also an opportunity to create a more consistent visual presence across senior leaders’ profiles, particularly where LinkedIn is part of a wider executive visibility, employer brand or thought leadership strategy.

A background image should not try to tell the whole story. Its role is to create a clear visual cue that supports the profile, rather than distracting from it.

Why background images matter

A LinkedIn profile is often viewed before a meeting, during a recruitment process, after a conference, or when someone is deciding whether to connect. The background image can help signal:

• the organisation, sector or purpose connected to your work
• the professional context in which you operate
• a current campaign, priority or area of expertise
• the tone and quality of your professional presence.

For an executive leader, this might be a simple image that reflects the organisation’s brand, location, industry or strategic focus.

For an organisation, it may form part of a coordinated approach across senior leaders and visible subject-matter experts. Done well, it helps create familiarity without making every profile look identical.

How to add a background image to your LinkedIn profile

It is generally easiest to update your background image from a desktop or laptop.

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Select View Profile.
3. Click the camera icon in the upper-right corner of your introduction section.
4. Choose to upload an image or select one from LinkedIn’s available options.
5. Adjust the image placement if needed.
6. Click Apply.

LinkedIn may update the labels or placement of these options from time to time, but the background image is managed through the introduction section at the top of your profile.

A note for communications and marketing teams

Where an organisation is encouraging executives or senior leaders to build visibility on LinkedIn, it can be helpful to provide a small set of background image options. This gives leaders an easy starting point while allowing enough flexibility for each profile to remain personal and credible.

A good approach is to create two or three options that:

• align with current brand guidelines
• reflect the organisation’s visual identity without becoming overly promotional
• leave enough clear space around the profile photo and headline area
• work across desktop and mobile views
• support current strategic priorities, campaigns or areas of focus.

Avoid treating the background image as a miniature advertisement. Heavy text, too many logos and complex campaign messages are often difficult to read once LinkedIn crops the image across different devices.

The best options are usually simple, considered and recognisable.

Consider the wider LinkedIn presence

For organisations, the background image should sit comfortably alongside the Company Page, website, employer brand and broader communications activity. It does not need to match every element exactly. But it should feel part of the same visual world.

This is particularly useful where several executives are visible on LinkedIn. A shared visual approach can create a sense of coherence across leadership profiles, while each person’s headline, About section, activity and Featured section continue to communicate their individual role and perspective.

For leaders, the background image should support the profile rather than compete with it.

Keep the design simple

The strongest LinkedIn background images are usually restrained. Consider:

• using one clear visual idea rather than several competing elements
• keeping text to a minimum
• avoiding important details in the lower-left area, where the profile photo sits
• checking how the image appears on both desktop and mobile
• choosing visuals that still make sense if LinkedIn crops the edges.

A background image may look polished in a design file but lose impact once it is viewed across different screen sizes. Test it before rolling it out more broadly.

LinkedIn’s image requirements

LinkedIn recommends the following for profile background images:

• file type: JPG, GIF or PNG
• maximum file size: 4MB
• recommended dimensions: 1584 x 396 pixels.

Where possible, use a high-resolution image close to LinkedIn’s recommended dimensions. Larger file sizes often display more clearly than compressed or low-resolution files.

Premium background image options

Some LinkedIn Premium subscriptions offer an enhanced cover image option, including the ability to use multiple images in a rotating slideshow.

This can be useful in limited circumstances, particularly for leaders or business owners whose work spans several distinct areas.

For most executives and corporate professionals, however, one strong image is enough. A single background image is usually clearer, easier to maintain and more aligned with a thoughtful executive presence. A slideshow can quickly become busy, particularly where several messages or visual themes compete for attention.

Review it as priorities change

Background images should be reviewed alongside the rest of a LinkedIn profile. An outdated campaign visual, old brand treatment or image linked to a past role can make an otherwise current profile feel neglected.

For organisations, consider reviewing executive profile backgrounds when:

• brand guidelines are refreshed
• a major campaign or strategic priority changes
• a leadership team is preparing for increased LinkedIn visibility
• the Company Page is updated
• a broader thought leadership or employer brand program is introduced.

The background image may be a small detail, but small details shape the overall impression.

Used thoughtfully, it can help executive leaders and organisations create a more considered, credible and connected LinkedIn presence.