What image specifications does Google recommend for Discover?

Definition: A large preview is an image preview that can extend up to the width of the viewport when Google uses max-image-preview:large. For its Discover feed, Google recommends a relevant image that is at least 1200 px wide, exceeds 300,000 total pixels, and uses a 16x9 aspect ratio.

Key facts

• Google's Discover documentation recommends images at least 1200 px wide and with more than 300,000 total pixels.
• The same guidance gives a 1280x720 image as an example. It has 921,600 total pixels and satisfies the stated resolution specification.
• Google describes the recommended shape as a 16x9 aspect ratio and says it tries to crop images automatically for use in the feed.
• Google also requires the large preview to be enabled with max-image-preview:large or by using AMP.
• The robots meta tag specification defines large as a preview that may extend up to the width of the viewport.

What dimensions and resolution does Google specify?

Google's page, marked as last updated in March 2026, gives two numeric thresholds. The image must be at least 1200 px wide, and its total pixel count must be more than 300,000. Total pixels are the width multiplied by the height. The example in the same guidance is a 1280x720 image with 921,600 total pixels, which Google says satisfies the resolution specification.

The width threshold and the total-pixel threshold describe different checks. A wide file can still have too few total pixels if its height is small. Conversely, a tall file can pass the pixel count while failing the minimum width. The documented example shows that Google evaluates both dimensions together.

What aspect ratio and cropping does the guidance describe?

Google gives a 16x9 aspect ratio for the image. The page says that Google tries to crop the image automatically for use in the feed. It also says that a publisher choosing its own crop should position the image for horizontal use and avoid applying an aspect ratio automatically.

The guidance gives a specific case for a vertical original cropped to 16x9: important details should remain in the cropped version specified in the og:image meta tag. This makes the selected image itself important when the source image and the presentation crop differ.

How is the large preview enabled?

The max-image-preview rule is a robots meta setting that controls the maximum size of an image preview in search results. Google's robots documentation says that, when the rule is omitted, Google may show an image preview of the default size. It lists three values: none prevents an image preview, standard permits a default preview, and large permits a larger preview up to the viewport width.

For a page using the recommended value, the HTML can contain:

<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">

Google says the rule applies to web search, Google Images, the Discover feed, and Assistant. Its guidance for the feed also lists AMP as an alternative way to enable the large preview. The robots documentation says that a publisher can use standard or none when it does not want larger thumbnail images for AMP pages and canonical article versions shown in Search or the feed.

Which image should the page identify?

Google recommends using either schema.org markup or the og:image meta tag to specify a large image that is relevant and representative of the page. The documentation says this can influence which image is chosen as the thumbnail. It advises against generic images such as a site logo and against text-heavy images in those two declarations.

The image dimensions and preview rule do not replace image selection. A page can meet the numeric thresholds while its declared image remains generic or poorly cropped. Google's documented choice is a relevant, representative image with the important details preserved in the horizontal crop.

Related terms

• max-image-preview
• Meta robots
• Image alternative text
• Googlebot-Image

FAQ

Can you use an image narrower than 1200 px?

Google's Discover guidance recommends at least 1200 px of width. An image below that documented threshold does not meet the recommendation.

Does Google require every image to be exactly 16x9?

The page recommends a 16x9 aspect ratio and describes automatic cropping. It also tells publishers who crop images themselves to preserve important details in the horizontal version specified with og:image.

Which robots value enables the large preview?

Use max-image-preview:large in the robots meta tag. Google's robots documentation defines large as a preview that may extend up to the viewport width.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Get on Discover", 9 March 2026
2. Google Search Central, "Robots Meta Tags Specifications", 24 March 2026

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