How to share app screenshots on X

Updated October 30, 2026

To share an app screenshot on X without it getting cropped, post it on a 16:9 canvas, such as 1600 × 900 or 1200 × 675 pixels, with the screenshot centered and padding around it. For several screens, put two or three side by side on one 16:9 image, or post up to four images and keep each screen in the middle of its image. Add a short image description to every image.

X is where many developers share what they’re building, from a first screen to a launch. A raw phone screenshot is the wrong shape for its timeline, though, and X doesn’t publish its exact crop rules. This guide sticks to what’s documented or widely confirmed, and shows how to make images that survive the timeline.

The size that shows in full: 16:9

X doesn’t document an official image size for posts. Size guides such as Metricool’s recommend 16:9, at 1600 × 900 or 1200 × 675 pixels, and 16:9 is the shape that shows in the timeline without cropping across X’s apps and the web.

Taller images can be cropped in the timeline preview. People can tap to see the whole image, but most won’t, so treat the preview as what they see. An iPhone screenshot is about 9:19.5, far taller than 16:9, which is why posting it raw usually shows a slice from the middle.

The fix is to put the screenshot on a 16:9 canvas instead:

One phone: place it in the middle with a background on either side. Use the spare width for a short headline next to the phone, or tilt the phone slightly so it fills more of the space.
Two or three phones: a row of screens fits 16:9 naturally and makes better use of the width.
A Mac window: most windows are already close to landscape. Put the window on a background with padding and it fills a 16:9 image well.

Posts with two, three or four images

When you attach more than one image, X arranges them in a grid and crops each one to fit its cell:

Images	Layout in the timeline
2	Side by side
3	One large image, with two smaller ones stacked beside it
4	A 2 × 2 grid

The cells aren’t 16:9, and the exact crop varies by app and screen size, so you can’t design every image to fit perfectly. What works reliably:

Keep the screen in the center of each image, with generous padding, so the crop removes background rather than interface.
Make each image the same size and style, so the grid looks like a set.
Put the most important image first. In a three-image post, the first one gets the large cell.

Often, a single 16:9 image with two or three screens side by side looks cleaner than a grid of separate images, because you control the whole layout instead of the crop.

Add image descriptions

X lets you add a description, also called alt text, to each image. Screen readers read it aloud, and people can open it from the ALT badge on the image. According to X’s help page, you add it from the +ALT or Add description option on each attached image, and descriptions can be up to 1,000 characters. They can’t be added to videos.

For an app screenshot, describe what the screen shows and why it matters, not every pixel:

iPhone showing the Offline Transcription home screen: a list of audio files, one of them partway through transcribing with a progress bar.

X has its own guide to writing good image descriptions.

Image or short video?

Both have a place.

An image is best for showing a screen, a design or a before and after. People take it in at a glance as they scroll, and you can add a description.
A short video or screen recording is best for showing an interaction: a gesture, an animation, how fast something works. Keep it short, start with the interesting part, and make it understandable without sound.

A good pattern for a feature is a framed still image in the post, with a screen recording in a reply for people who want to see it move.

Posting tips for developers

Lead with the change. “Export is now one click” beats “Version 2.3 is out.” The image shows it, the text says it.
One idea per post. A post about one feature with one clear image does better than a changelog with four crowded screenshots.
Use real-looking content. Sample data that looks like a real person’s use makes the screen believable. Hide personal names, emails and test data.
Keep a consistent look. The same background color, device and angle across your posts make your app recognizable in the feed. How to make screenshots look good on social media covers this in detail.
Mark your work. A small @handle in a corner keeps your name on images that get reposted; see watermarking screenshots.
Share progress, not just launches. Regular posts of work in progress build an audience before launch day; see sharing build-in-public screenshots.

A quick workflow

Capture the screen at full resolution, on the device or in the Simulator.
Put it in a device frame on a 16:9 canvas with a calm background and padding. How to put a screenshot in an iPhone frame covers the options.
Export a JPEG at 1600 × 900 or larger.
Write one line about what changed, attach the image, and add an image description.

FeatureFrame does steps 2 and 3 in one window: drop in up to three screenshots, choose the 16:9 canvas, and it frames each one in its real device (or a Clay frame), lays them out in a row, and lets you copy the image with ⌘ C and paste it into your post, or export it with ⌘ E. For other platforms, see image sizes for sharing app screenshots and Instagram carousels. Get FeatureFrame on the Mac App Store.