Why this happens
X uses the twitter:card meta tag to choose between two card layouts: summary (a small
square thumbnail) and summary_large_image (a wide rectangular image above the title).
When you set twitter:card to summary_large_image but supply an image that is too small,
X silently falls back to the summary layout — no error is shown, the card just shrinks.
Run the free Twitter Card Validator to see how X renders your card and what it falls back to.
The size X needs
For summary_large_image, X requires at least 300×157 pixels at roughly a 2:1 ratio.
The recommended size is 1200×628 to look sharp across devices and match Open Graph.
- Minimum: 300×157
- Recommended: 1200×628
- Format: JPEG or PNG; under 5 MB
Keep important content centred — X crops images differently on mobile and desktop.
How to check
Paste your URL into the Twitter Card Validator. It reads
the twitter:image tag, fetches the image, and reports its dimensions so you can confirm
whether it meets the 300×157 minimum.
How to fix
- Replace the image with one at least 1200×628 (or at minimum 300×157).
- Host it at a public, absolute HTTPS URL.
- Update
twitter:imagein your page<head>to point to the new image. - Re-check with the Twitter Card Validator.
See Twitter card vs Open Graph for a comparison of both approaches and when to use each.