Album cover size in 2026: what Spotify and Apple Music actually require, and how to generate one that passes
There is no single "album cover size" because the two largest stores publish different floors. Spotify accepts cover art as a square between 640 and 10,000 pixels on each side, in TIFF, PNG or JPG with lossless encoding, encoded in sRGB at 24 bits per pixel, at the highest resolution available, and it prohibits upscaling (support.spotify.com, "Cover art requirements", checked September 2026). Apple Music for Artists asks for at least 4000 x 4000 pixels, a perfect square, in JPG, PNG or GIF (artists.apple.com, "Album cover art on Apple Music", checked September 2026). A single 4000 x 4000 square therefore satisfies both, and this guide explains the content rules that reject covers more often than the pixel counts do.
What size should album cover art be?
Make the master a 4000 x 4000 pixel square in sRGB, exported as PNG or a high-quality JPG: that meets Apple Music's 4000-pixel minimum and sits inside Spotify's 640-to-10,000 range, as of September 2026, and it downsizes cleanly to every thumbnail a player shows.
| Requirement | Spotify (checked Sept 2026) | Apple Music for Artists (checked Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Square, between 640 and 10,000 px wide and tall | At least 4000 x 4000 px, a perfect square |
| Formats | TIFF, PNG or JPG, lossless encoding | JPG, PNG or GIF |
| Colour | sRGB, 24 bits per pixel, colour profile applied directly | Not stated |
| Resolution | The highest available; no upscaling | Not blurry, pixelated, tilted or unintentionally cropped |
| Metadata | Embedded colour profiles and orientation metadata not supported | Not stated |
| Content allowed | Not stated on the requirements page | Artist name, release title and exact song or album title as text; imagery reflecting the artist |
| Content rejected | Not stated on the requirements page | Misleading or generic art, social handles, email, website, logos, prices, brands, advertising, dates, barcodes, explicit content, unlicensed images, retailer or packaging references, advisory logos on non-explicit releases |
Sources: Spotify cover art requirements and Apple Music cover art.
Distributors sit between you and the stores and apply their own floors, often 3000 x 3000, which is why that figure appears in so many guides; it passes Spotify but not Apple's current 4000 floor, so 4000 x 4000 is the number to export.
Why do covers get rejected when the size is right?
Most rejections are content rules, not pixels: a URL, a social handle, a price, a barcode, a brand logo, a retailer name, blurry or upscaled art, or a cover that shows an artist who is not on the release.
Apple's list is explicit and Spotify's distributors enforce a similar set. The practical checklist before exporting: the only text is the artist name and the release title, exactly as they are entered in the release; no "out now", no dates, no handles; no logos other than the artist's own imagery; nothing that looks like a printed CD sleeve with a spine or a barcode; and no explicit imagery. A 4000 x 4000 export of a 1500-pixel image is an upscale, which Spotify's page prohibits, and both stores reject blur, so generate or scan the art at full size rather than enlarging it.
How do you generate album art at 4000 x 4000?
- Generate square. Set 1:1 in the AI image generator and describe the art without any text; text is added afterwards in an editor so the typography is exact and the title matches the release.
- Upscale in the same studio, not by stretching. Magic Edit includes a 4K upscale that rebuilds detail; a plain resize adds the blur both stores reject. Each generation or edit costs 20 credits, and a free account's 150 starter credits cover a set of candidates.
- Keep the centre clear. Players show the cover at 60 pixels wide in a queue and 3000 pixels wide on a TV; a single bold shape in the centre survives both, while fine detail and thin text vanish at thumbnail size.
- Export in sRGB as PNG (lossless, what Spotify asks for) at 4000 x 4000, and confirm the dimensions, colour profile and absence of orientation metadata with the image metadata viewer.
- Make the derivative sizes from the master: a 1:1 social post, a 9:16 story with the cover centred, and, if you release through Spotify, the Canvas loop, which is a vertical 9:16 video; the crop image for video tool frames the cover into 9:16 with the padding previewed, and image to video animates it in clips of 4, 6, 8, 10 seconds.
Ideas and styles for the art itself are in AI album cover art, and the song it wraps can be made the same afternoon with how to make a song with AI; who owns generated art and music, and what the licence allows, is set out in AI music licensing explained.
What about single covers, EP covers and podcast art?
The stores apply the same artwork rules to singles, EPs and albums; there is no separate single-cover size. Podcast artwork is a different product with its own spec published by each directory, and this guide does not cover it. Spotify's Canvas, the looping video behind a track, is a vertical 9:16 clip rather than a square image, so it is made from the cover rather than being the cover.
Publishing on more than one platform? The sizing rules for other surfaces are in resizing a photo for Instagram without cropping, 21, Video aspect ratios explained, AI image aspect ratios, and AI YouTube thumbnails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard album cover size?
There is no single standard. Spotify accepts a square between 640 and 10,000 pixels; Apple Music for Artists asks for at least 4000 x 4000, as of September 2026. A 4000 x 4000 sRGB square satisfies both.
Is 3000 x 3000 enough for album art?
It passes Spotify's 640-to-10,000 range but is below Apple Music for Artists' stated 4000 x 4000 minimum as of September 2026. Export at 4000 x 4000 to avoid a second upload.
Can album cover art have text on it?
Apple Music allows the artist name, the release title and the exact song or album title, and rejects social handles, URLs, prices, dates, barcodes, logos and advertising. Keep text to the name and title, matching the release metadata exactly.
Can I upscale a small image for album art?
Spotify's requirements page prohibits upscaling, and Apple rejects blurry or pixelated art. Generate or scan at full size; an AI upscale that rebuilds detail is the honest route for art that exists only at a small size, a stretched resize is not.
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