Avatar size for VK, Telegram, YouTube, Max and SteamImage generation with a neural network — the big guide

Avatar size for VK, Telegram, YouTube, Max and Steam

The all-purpose avatar is an 800 × 800 pixel square: VK, Telegram, YouTube and Max all accept it and scale it down to their own circle. VK’s thumbnail is 200 × 200, Telegram stores avatars at 640 × 640, and Steam shows them at 184 × 184. Below is the per-platform table and why a round avatar loses its corners.

800 × 800all-purpose sizeA square that fits every platform in the table
1 : 1aspect ratioAny rectangle gets cropped by the platform — not always well
79%of the square shows in the circleA circle covers π/4 of the square; the corners are lost

What avatar size do I need?

A square of at least 400 × 400 pixels, better 800 × 800. That is enough for VK, Telegram, YouTube and Max: platforms shrink an avatar themselves, and a small one cannot be enlarged without losing sharpness. Keep the face or logo in the centre — nearly every platform shows the avatar as a circle.

PlatformWhat to uploadHow it is shownSource
VK — page and community400 × 400 px square, JPG, PNG or GIFCircle, 200 × 200 thumbnailVK for Business, 22 Aug 2025
Telegram — profile and channelSquare from 640 × 640 pxCircle; stored at 640 × 640Telegram Bot API
YouTube — channel iconSquare, up to 15 MB; guides advise 800 × 800Circle 98 × 98YouTube Help; upload size from guides
MaxSquare from 500 × 500 pxCircleGuides; no official spec
SteamSquare, 184 × 184 px or larger184, 64 and 32 pxSteam Web API
Checked 27 September 2026. Platforms change their requirements — check their help before uploading.

Why the circle eats the corners

A circle inscribed in a square covers π/4 of it — about 79%. The remaining fifth, the four corners, never shows. Keep everything important in the central circle with room to spare: a caption in a corner or the edge of a logo goes first.

Making an avatar the right size

  1. Make it square from the start. If you shoot or generate an avatar, set 1:1 so nothing needs cropping.
  2. Keep the subject centred, with room above and at the sides.
  3. Scale down to the platform size. 2048 × 2048 easily becomes 800 × 800 or 400 × 400; the reverse does not work.

In the Twelver chat an avatar can come out square from the start: the model draws it at 1:1 from your photo or a description, then scales it down to the size you need. Keeping the likeness and choosing a style is covered in a profile avatar from a photo.

Frequently asked questions

What avatar size do I need?
A square of at least 400 × 400 pixels, better 800 × 800 — VK, Telegram, YouTube and Max all accept it. Platforms shrink an avatar themselves; a small one cannot be enlarged without losing sharpness.
What is the Telegram avatar size?
A square from 640 × 640 pixels: Telegram’s API stores the largest version of an avatar at 640 × 640, and anything bigger is scaled down. The same holds for profiles, groups and channels.
Why does my avatar get cropped?
Because platforms show it as a circle, which covers under 80% of the square. The corners disappear, so keep the face, logo or text in the centre with room around it.

Try it yourself

Everything in this guide runs inside Twelver

One chat for text, images, video, music and voice — no separate services or subscriptions.

Open Twelver chat
Related pageImage Generation
Rate your experience