Etsy Listing Photo Requirements & Best Sizes

In Etsy search your listing is a single 4:3 thumbnail, and on the listing page buyers zoom in to check stitching, grain or finish. Etsy's technical rules are simple, but two of them trip up most new sellers: the thumbnail is cropped to 4:3 whatever shape you upload, and zoom only works properly when the photo is at least 2000 px on its shortest side. This guide covers every size Etsy uses, from listing photos to the shop banner and icon, plus a repeatable workflow for consistent photos. All the tools linked here run in your browser, and your photos are never uploaded to our servers.

Etsy photo requirements at a glance

| Item | Size or rule | | --- | --- | | Listing photos | At least 2000 px on the shortest side; 3000 px recommended | | Thumbnail crop | 4:3 landscape, applied automatically | | Photos per listing | Up to 10 | | File size | Up to 20 MB each | | Formats | JPG, PNG or GIF | | Colour profile | sRGB | | Shop banner | 1200 × 300 px (small) or 1600 × 400 px (big) | | Shop icon | 500 × 500 px | | Profile photo | 400 × 400 px |

Etsy also supports a short listing video and an optional shop cover photo; those sizes change occasionally, so as of 2026, verify on the official Etsy listing photo help page. Our presets for every Etsy size are listed on the Etsy hub page.

The 4:3 thumbnail crop explained

Etsy shows listing thumbnails everywhere at a 4:3 landscape ratio. You can drag the crop window to choose which part of the photo shows, but you cannot change the ratio. The consequences:

• A square 2000 × 2000 photo becomes 2000 × 1500 in the thumbnail, hiding about 12% at the top and 12% at the bottom.
• A portrait 1500 × 2000 photo loses more than 40% of its height.
• Text, prices or product edges near the top or bottom of the frame disappear.

The reliable fix is to shoot or crop the first photo at 4:3 from the start, keeping the product inside the central 80% of the frame. Image Cropper has a fixed 4:3 mode and batch-crops a whole folder to the same ratio. Our two main Etsy presets, 2000 × 1500 and 3000 × 2250, are both exactly 4:3.

The 2000 px zoom rule

Etsy scales the listing image to the visitor's screen, often 1500 px wide on a laptop before any zoom. An image that is 1000 px on its shortest side is stretched by the browser and looks soft; at 2000 px it is crisp, and at 3000 px zoom stays sharp on high-density displays. Because the rule is measured on the shortest side, a 4:3 photo needs to be at least 2667 × 2000 px to qualify, and the 3000 × 2250 preset gives comfortable headroom. Upscaling a small phone photo does not remove the softness; a reshoot does.

Shop banner, icon and profile photo

The small banner is 1200 × 300 px and the big banner 1600 × 400 px; both are 4:1, and phones crop the sides, so keep the shop name and text in the central half. The shop icon is 500 × 500 px and is displayed as a circle in many places, so nothing important should sit in the corners. The profile photo is 400 × 400 px; Round / Circle Crop previews the circular crop.

Step-by-step workflow with free browser tools

1. Convert iPhone HEIC files to JPG in bulk with Image Format Converter; Etsy does not accept HEIC.
2. Batch-fix exposure and colour with Photo Enhancer: auto levels, white balance and light sharpening applied to the whole shoot.
3. Crop every hero shot to 4:3 with Image Cropper, keeping the product centred.
4. Resize the batch with Marketplace Preset Resizer using the Etsy 3000 × 2250 preset, or 2000 × 1500 if your originals are smaller.
5. For a cut-out look, run the hero image through Background Remover with a white or cream output; Etsy has no white-background rule.
6. Add a small, low-opacity corner mark to secondary photos with Watermark Tool if copying is a problem. Keep the first photo clean.
7. Build a what-is-included or size-comparison image with Product Collage / Grid Maker.
8. Strip location data with EXIF / Metadata Remover. Home-studio photos carry GPS coordinates.
9. Compress with Bulk Image Compressor; a 3000 × 2250 JPG at quality 88 is usually about 1 MB, far under the 20 MB limit.
10. Confirm every file passes in Image Dimension and Size Checker set to the Etsy rules, then upload.

Using all 10 photo slots

| Slot | What to show | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Hero shot, cropped 4:3, product centred | Becomes the thumbnail in search | | 2 | Close-up of texture, material or detail | Answers the quality question | | 3 | Scale reference (hand, coin, ruler) | Reduces returns for wrong size | | 4 | Product in use or worn | Helps buyers picture ownership | | 5 | Colour or style variations | Shows the full range in one place | | 6 | Packaging and what is included | Sets gift expectations | | 7 | Size chart or infographic | Cuts pre-sale questions | | 8 | Process or workshop shot | Reinforces handmade value | | 9 | Alternative angle or back view | Removes remaining uncertainty | | 10 | Care instructions or custom options | Useful for personalised items |

Using all ten slots in the same order makes every listing in your shop look like part of one collection.

Common mistakes

• Uploading square photos and letting Etsy crop the thumbnail, which cuts off the top of a vase or the bottom of a dress.
• Putting text or a price on the first photo; it gets cropped and it distracts.
• Heavy watermarks across the product. A faint corner mark on secondary photos is enough.
• Using photos under 2000 px because they look fine on a phone. Zoom exposes them.
• Uploading PNG photographs. A 3000 px PNG can exceed 20 MB; JPG at quality 85 to 90 looks identical at a tenth of the size.

Frequently asked questions

Do Etsy photos have to be square?

No. Etsy accepts any ratio, but the thumbnail is always shown at 4:3, so a square upload is cropped in search. Shoot or crop the first photo at 4:3; square or portrait shots are fine in slots 2 to 10, where the full image is shown.

Should I watermark my Etsy photos?

Etsy allows watermarks but does not require them, and a large watermark on the thumbnail lowers click-through. If copying is a real concern, add a small, semi-transparent mark near a corner of the secondary photos only.

Why do my photos look blurry after uploading?

Usually because the shortest side was under 2000 px, so the listing page enlarged it. Occasionally it is over-compression: a JPG saved at quality 60 shows blocky edges when zoomed. Export at 3000 × 2250 with quality 85 or higher and the softness disappears.

What DPI or PPI should Etsy photos be?

It does not matter on a screen. DPI is only a print instruction; Etsy and web browsers use pixel dimensions alone. A 3000 × 2250 image at 72 PPI and at 300 PPI look identical on Etsy, so focus on pixel size and file size.