PicBarn

Etsy · checked 2026-11-04

Etsy listing photo requirements: sizes, formats and thumbnails

Etsy is relaxed about aspect ratio and strict about file handling and the first photo. These are the size, format and thumbnail rules from Etsy's Help Center.

The rules

Required, recommended and banned, in the platform's own words.

  • Recommended size: 2000 pixels

    "We recommend your listing photos have a width and height of at least 2000 pixels or more."

  • First photo: at least 635 pixels

    "Your first listing photo should have a width and height of at least 635 pixels to avoid showing up lower in searches."

  • Accepted file types

    "All images in your shop should be one of these file types: .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg, or .heic."

  • No animated GIFs or transparent PNGs

    "Animated .gif files & transparent .png files are not supported." "If a file contains transparency, the transparent parts of the image will appear black on Etsy."

  • Keep files small enough to upload

    "Images larger than 1MB in file size may not finish uploading, especially on a slower internet connection." The listing guide adds that "files bigger than 300k may time out".

  • Up to 20 photos and 2 videos

    "You can add up to 20 photos and 2 videos that are 5-15 seconds in length to each listing."

  • First photo landscape or square

    "The first photo in a listing should be horizontal (landscape) or square."

  • One shape for all photos

    "Uploading the same shape photos for all listing photos will create a more cohesive browsing experience."

  • Leave room for thumbnail crops

    "Make sure that your thumbnail images have enough of a border that they can be cropped to square, portrait, and landscape thumbnails."

  • Shoot wider than you think

    "Try to capture images of your item further back than you think you'll need."

  • Crop and thumbnail are adjustable

    "Select Edit to adjust the image thumbnail, crop the photo to the aspect ratio of your choosing, or delete the photo."

  • At least one unedited photo

    "Etsy requires at least one unedited photo for most items." It "should show the actual item against a real background".

What this means in practice

Etsy shows the same photo cropped three ways: square in some grids, portrait in others, landscape in others. Centre the item with generous space around it and shoot in landscape, so every crop keeps the whole product. A product filling the frame edge to edge, the way an Amazon main image does, will lose its ends in at least one of them.

Size and upload limits pull in opposite directions: Etsy recommends 2000 pixels or more on both sides but warns that files over 1 MB may not finish uploading. A JPEG around 2000 to 2500 pixels at a moderate quality setting usually lands under 1 MB without visible loss.

Do not upload cut-outs with transparent backgrounds: Etsy turns transparent areas black. Flatten any cut-out onto white or a real surface first. And because most listings need at least one real, unedited photo of the actual item, plan that shot before the styled ones.

PicBarn's gallery pack keeps your own photo in slot 1, which on Etsy can be the unedited photo most listings need, and adds generated scenes after it as gallery images in the remaining slots.

Sources

Platform pages read on 2026-11-04. Rules change; the links are the current word.

Questions

What size should Etsy listing photos be?

Etsy recommends at least 2000 pixels in width and height. The first photo must be at least 635 pixels both ways or the listing may show up lower in search.

Why does my PNG show a black background on Etsy?

Etsy does not support transparent PNGs; transparent parts appear black. Flatten the image onto a solid background before uploading.

How many photos can an Etsy listing have?

Up to 20 photos and 2 videos, each video 5 to 15 seconds long.

What aspect ratio works best on Etsy?

Etsy lets you crop to any aspect ratio, but the first photo should be landscape or square, and all photos look best in the same shape. Leave a border so thumbnails can be cropped square, portrait or landscape.

Check an image against these rules

Free, no account: upload a product image and see which rows pass as a main image and as a gallery image.

Open the checker

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