LinkedIn link preview image not showing? Check these tags
A blank or stale preview can come from three different layers: the HTML metadata, LinkedIn's ability to fetch the live page and image, or a cached copy of an older preview. Check them in that order.
Inspect the final live HTML for og:title, og:image, og:description, and og:url, plus the Open Graph og:type basic property. Make the image URL absolute and publicly fetchable. For LinkedIn, use a 1.91:1 image at least 1200 by 627 pixels and no larger than 5 MB. Confirm redirects do not expose different markup, then use LinkedIn Post Inspector to refresh the canonical URL for future posts.
Diagnostic path
1. Inspect the HTML at the final URL
Start with the production URL you intend to share, not a local build or framework component. Follow redirects and inspect the server-delivered <head>. A tag added only after client-side JavaScript runs may not be visible to a preview crawler.
curl -L https://example.com/article
curl -I https://example.com/article
curl -I https://cdn.example.com/article-card.pngRecord the final page URL, status, content type, and the exact og:image URL. If the first URL redirects, make sure the final page still supplies the intended metadata and that og:url names the preferred canonical URL.
2. Check the metadata contract without mixing standards
The Open Graph protocol lists four basic required properties: og:title, og:type, og:image, and og:url. It calls og:description optional but generally recommended. LinkedIn's own sharing guidance specifically lists og:title, og:image, og:description, and og:url.
<meta property="og:title" content="A useful, specific title">
<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:description" content="A plain-language preview description.">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/article">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.example.com/article-card.png">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="627">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="A concise description of the card image">Use absolute HTTP or HTTPS URLs. The protocol supports structured image properties such as width, height, MIME type, secure URL, and alt text. They help consumers understand the asset, but they do not make an unreachable image reachable.
3. Verify the image against LinkedIn's requirements
| Check | LinkedIn guidance | Failure to rule out |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | At least 1200 by 627 pixels for the sharing module. | A small asset becoming a thumbnail or failing the intended large preview. |
| Ratio | 1.91:1 recommended. | Unexpected crop or padding from a different composition. |
| File size | 5 MB maximum. | A high-resolution export that is too heavy to pull. |
| Format | LinkedIn's help page lists JPG, PNG, and GIF image types. | An SVG or unusual format with platform-specific support. |
| Access | The image must be available to LinkedIn. | Authentication, hotlink protection, a protected directory, or a crawler block. |
1200 by 630 is a common cross-platform preset, not LinkedIn's exact stated minimum. A static rule that flags any other dimensions is a useful review prompt; it is not proof that a particular platform will reject the image.
4. Separate valid markup from live fetchability
Open the image URL directly
Confirm it returns the image without login, cookies, a signed URL, or a browser-only challenge. Check the final status and Content-Type.
Check the redirect chain
A marketing URL may redirect to a locale, consent page, login route, or canonical path. Inspect the HTML and metadata after every redirect settles.
Review crawler controls and protection
LinkedIn notes that a protected directory or a site that blocks image retrieval can prevent the preview even when the image meets the stated dimensions.
Compare the declared URL with the live asset
Look for case-sensitive path mistakes, temporary query signatures, mixed hosts, broken CDN aliases, and relative paths that resolve differently after a redirect.
5. Refresh LinkedIn only after the live inputs are correct
LinkedIn may retain an older image and text for a URL. Once the final page and image pass the checks above, enter the canonical URL in LinkedIn Post Inspector and confirm the refreshed preview.
LinkedIn says this refresh affects new posts, messages, and articles that use the URL. It does not rewrite the preview attached to an existing post. If Post Inspector still shows the wrong content, return to the final URL and fetchability checks rather than repeatedly changing the tags.
6. Use a static audit for the part it can prove
Open Graph Social Card AuditorA local, read-only SKILL.md workflow that checks supplied HTML for missing share metadata, relative image URLs, SVG portability risk, and a common 1200 by 630 dimension preset. It does not fetch the live page or image, render JavaScript, or refresh LinkedIn's cache.See the static markup auditor →A clean static report narrows the problem. It does not guarantee the live preview because redirects, network access, caching, image bytes, and platform-specific parsing remain outside the scan.
Common questions
Why is my LinkedIn link preview image not showing?
The page may be missing required share metadata, the image may be inaccessible to LinkedIn, the image may not meet LinkedIn's sharing requirements, a redirect may expose different markup, or LinkedIn may be showing a cached preview.
Which Open Graph tags does LinkedIn require?
LinkedIn's current help page lists og:title, og:image, og:description, and og:url. The Open Graph protocol itself also lists og:type among its four basic required properties.
What image size should I use for a LinkedIn link preview?
LinkedIn currently recommends a 1.91:1 ratio and lists 1200 by 627 pixels as the minimum for its sharing module, with a maximum file size of 5 MB. Treat 1200 by 630 as a common cross-platform preset, not an exact LinkedIn requirement.
How do I refresh an old LinkedIn preview?
After the live page and image are correct, enter the canonical URL in LinkedIn Post Inspector. LinkedIn says the refreshed information applies to new posts; existing posts keep their prior preview.
Can a static Open Graph audit guarantee the live LinkedIn preview?
No. A static audit can find markup problems, but it cannot prove that LinkedIn can fetch the live page or image, follow redirects, or clear a cached preview.