Google Business Profile Photos: Sizes, Crops and Upload Tips

A photo on your Business Profile should help someone recognize your business or decide whether it meets their needs. The useful detail may be the entrance, the seating area or an example of the service.

This guide covers ordinary profile photos, logos and cover photos shown in Google Search and Maps. Video, advertising assets and images in individual posts can have different requirements. It focuses on preparing the files, then checking what visitors see.

Google Business Profile photo sizes and formats

The following technical guidance was checked on 18 October 2026 against Google's profile photo instructions.

File size and pixel dimensions are different checks. A 4000 × 3000 photo may exceed the byte limit, while a heavily compressed 300 × 200 image may be small in bytes but too short in height.

For a square logo, 720 × 720 is a straightforward starting size. For a landscape photo, keep its proportions unless a different crop improves the picture. For example, a 16:9 image at 1280 × 720 retains 720 pixels on the shorter side. A 4:3 photo could be 960 × 720. These landscape sizes are our practical examples, not separate Google requirements.

The reason for keeping extra width is to retain the scene without stretching it or cutting it into a square. Larger copies can be useful when detail warrants them, provided they meet the file-size limit. A larger file does not guarantee a sharper result if the source is already soft.

Choose photos that answer a customer's questions

Start with the questions people have before visiting or making contact. For a café, useful images might show the street entrance, seating and a recognizable menu item. For a workshop, the entrance and an actual example of the work may be more useful than a generic close-up of tools.

Google's business-specific photo guidance distinguishes exterior, interior, product and service views. It also emphasizes realistic, well-lit images without excessive filters or AI alteration.

• Help people recognize the location. Show the approach and entrance from a useful angle. A tightly cropped sign may be clear but provide little help finding the door.
• Show the experience. Use an interior view that explains the space rather than hiding its scale. Avoid a wide-angle effect that makes a small room misleadingly large.
• Show the offer. Choose a real product, finished project or service setting. Make it clear which part of the image matters.
• Keep the set current. Replace a photograph when the entrance, branding or customer area changes. A technically sharp image of an old location is still unhelpful.

Use photos you are entitled to publish. Check identifiable people, visible documents and other private details before sharing. If a customer appears prominently, resolve permission before publishing the picture.

Prepare the logo and cover photo for different jobs

A logo needs to work at a small size

Prepare a square image from the original design file or a sufficiently large export. As a design example, a 560 × 560 symbol centered on a 720 × 720 canvas leaves 80 pixels on each side. That margin is an example of clear space, not a Google rule. A wide wordmark needs a different balance, so inspect the actual mark at a small display size.

If the current file is tightly cropped, add space in the original design app or an editor with canvas controls. A crop tool removes pixels; it cannot add room beyond the edges. If the source already has suitable clear space, Pixilo's Social Media Image Resizer can place it into a square: choose Custom size, enter 720 × 720, select Show the whole image and choose a suitable background. This makes a prepared square file; it does not configure the Business Profile itself.

View the export as a small icon as well as at full size. A long slogan may be unreadable even when the main symbol stays recognizable. Use an approved compact version of your logo where you have one, rather than inventing a new brand arrangement just for the upload.

PNG is a useful choice when preserving sharp graphic edges matters. JPG can suit an opaque image if the edges remain clean. For a transparent logo, test it on light and dark backgrounds before upload. If it needs a fixed background, prepare that deliberately rather than relying on a viewer's preview color.

Pixilo's background color tool can fill existing transparent areas and save a JPG. It does not remove the background of an ordinary photo or repair an already pixelated logo.

A cover photo should remain understandable when the crop changes

Choose one clear subject with some surrounding room. For example, keep the café entrance and sign comfortably inside the frame instead of placing either directly on an edge. Try a square and a wider temporary crop to see what would disappear.

Those test crops are a composition check, not a specification for how Google always displays the image. Leave essential information such as opening hours in the profile's text fields, where it remains available even if a picture is cropped.

Our worked example below compares a wide crop with a square crop of the same photograph. Use that kind of comparison to spot lost context before choosing the upload.

Prepare a photo with Pixilo

Keep the original and change only what the destination needs. A suitable JPG with good framing, sufficient dimensions and an acceptable file size can be uploaded as it is.

1. Make a compatible copy if needed. Use HEIC to JPG for an iPhone source that needs conversion. For other sources, use WebP to JPG or AVIF to JPG. Check that the saved copy has the expected orientation and appearance.
2. Adjust the framing only if it helps. In Crop Image, keep the entrance, product or main subject visible. Read the remaining dimensions before downloading.
3. Reduce unnecessarily large dimensions. In Resize Image, keep the aspect ratio locked and enter one dimension. Inspect the calculated other dimension rather than forcing the photo into a different shape.
4. Check file size after editing. If the export is too large, use Compress to a File Size with JPG selected. Keep dimensions unchanged initially and inspect the result.
5. Review the downloaded copy. Open it independently, read any important signage and check the subject's edges. Use that exact file for the upload.

Pixilo's input limit is 25 MB per file, separate from Google's 5 MB upload allowance. The cropper and resizer accept JPG, PNG and WebP; convert a HEIC original before using them.

Each lossy JPG export can change detail, so avoid passing the same picture through every tool by default. If both cropping and resizing are necessary, a PNG working copy between edits avoids an extra intermediate JPG export. It can be larger, so make the final compatible file and recheck its size.

Measured example: crop and resize a coffee photo

We used a coffee photograph supplied from Pexels as an editing sample; see the Pexels license. It lets us compare the same subject in two crops. For a live Business Profile, use photographs that accurately show your own business and what customers can expect.

On 18 October 2026, in Microsoft Edge 155.0.4283.62, we made two versions through Pixilo's actual tools:

1. Open the original in Crop Image. Choose the 16:9 preset and keep the initial centered selection. Download the crop as a PNG working copy.
2. Open that copy in Resize Image, keep the aspect ratio locked and set the width to 1280. The saved result is 1280 × 720.
3. Convert the resized PNG through PNG to JPG at quality 85 and check the downloaded file.
4. Start again from the original. This time use the 1:1 crop preset, resize the PNG working copy to a width of 720 and make the final JPG at the same setting.

Both exports fit the published file-size and minimum-dimension ranges. The square file is smaller partly because it has fewer pixels and a different crop; this is not a format-efficiency comparison. Here, 1 kB means 1,000 bytes. These measurements describe the saved files, not approval or appearance in a live Business Profile.

The centered wide crop meets the technical rules but cuts into the cup. Adjust its position or return to a less tightly framed source before using it. The square version retains more of the cup vertically, but its handle needs room for any later display crop. A preset is a starting point: inspect the subject before accepting the result.

Upload the file and inspect the live profile

From the account that manages the verified business, open the profile in Google Search or Maps. Use its Photos controls to add the file, or the dedicated logo and cover controls for those images. Follow Google's current upload steps if the interface differs.

After processing, inspect the public view as well as the management view. Check whether a visitor can recognize the subject, whether the displayed crop is useful and whether the photo is current. Compare a phone and a computer rather than assuming one management preview covers every placement.

A natural filename can help you manage your copies, such as cafe-main-entrance.jpg. Do not treat filenames or added location metadata as a shortcut to higher local rankings. This guide's goal is clear, accurate images that meet the destination's requirements.

If the photo is missing or looks wrong

The file cannot be selected

Check that the copy really is a JPG or PNG and that you are browsing the folder containing the export. Renaming a HEIC file does not change its format. If Google reports a size or dimension problem, check that particular requirement against the selected file before trying another export.

The upload starts, but fails or stalls

Once the file checks pass, investigate the upload process. Confirm that you are signed into an account that can manage the business, check the connection and try one file at a time. If it still stalls, retry from an up-to-date browser or another stable connection. Recompressing a suitable image will not fix a session or account-access problem.

The photo is pending

Google distinguishes Pending, Not approved and Live media, and notes that photos can take 24–48 hours to appear. Confirm profile verification and check the management view for a requested action. If the pending state persists beyond that guidance, use Google's Business Profile help options with the status and upload time, rather than repeatedly submitting duplicates.

The photo is not approved

If Google provides a reason, address it. If it does not, review the photo against Google's Business Profile media policy: check that it represents the actual business, is relevant to the location and has not been misleadingly altered. A file can meet the technical size rules and still have a content issue. If you cannot identify the cause, use the profile's help options; changing a few pixels is not a reliable remedy.

The picture looks softer after publication

Compare the original, your saved copy and the published version. If the saved copy is already soft, return to the original and use less compression or a better crop. If only the profile view looks soft, inspect it at its normal size before changing the source. Google's processing and the display size are outside Pixilo's control.

A different image appears first

Google explains that selecting a cover does not guarantee the first position. Check whether the chosen image is Live and appears elsewhere in the public photo set. If it is present, the issue is ordering rather than a failed upload; repeatedly uploading it will not guarantee the preferred placement.

Frequently asked questions

Should I convert the photos to WebP for a smaller upload?

Use the formats listed for this destination: JPG or PNG. A smaller file in an unsupported format is not a useful replacement. WebP can still be appropriate for a separate copy used on your own website.

Can I upload my SVG logo?

Prepare a PNG or JPG copy for this destination. Export at the required pixel dimensions from the original design app, or use SVG to PNG. Starting with the vector source can produce cleaner edges than enlarging a tiny old screenshot of the logo.

Can I use the same image on my website?

Yes, if you have the right to use it and the framing suits the page. Prepare a separate website copy where necessary. The website image selection guide explains how to choose for different placements.

Will better photos guarantee a higher position in Maps?

No. Clear photos help people assess the business, but this preparation workflow is not a ranking guarantee. Keep the wider profile accurate and use photos to explain what customers can actually expect.