WhatsApp DP: size, shape and a round frame

A WhatsApp profile picture, the DP, starts as a square photo and is shown as a circle. That one fact explains almost every DP that looks wrong: a forehead cut off, a second person missing, a caption sliced in half. This page shows how to choose the photo, how to place the face and how to add a coloured ring that stays visible inside the circle.

The shape to aim for

Make the picture square, with the same width and height. A square of 500 × 500 pixels or more is enough, and 1080 × 1080 leaves room to spare. The app then hides the four corners and shows the round middle. Nothing you place in a corner will ever be seen, so a DP has less usable space than it seems.

Keep the face in the centre. The eyes should sit a little above the middle of the square.
Leave air around the head. Hair and chin should not touch the edge of the circle.
One or two people at most. In the chat list the DP is about the size of a shirt button. A group of six becomes six dots.
No small words. Text on a DP is unreadable in the chat list and is often cut by the circle.

Make a DP with a ring, step by step

Open the frame maker and choose your photo from the gallery. Use the original photo, not a screenshot.
Tap one of the three round frames: gold ring, tricolour ring or rainbow ring. The size is set to square for you.
Drag the photo until the face is in the middle of the ring. Use the Zoom slider if the face is small.
Tap Download. In WhatsApp, open Settings, tap your picture, choose the new picture from the gallery and keep it centred when WhatsApp asks you to adjust it.

Why the ring survives the circle: our round frames draw the ring just inside the circle that WhatsApp cuts, not at the edge of the square. An ordinary square border would be hidden completely.

Which ring for which day

Gold ring: everyday use, weddings in the family, festivals. It suits any photo with warm light.
Tricolour ring: Independence Day, Republic Day and match days. Change back afterwards so that it stays special.
Rainbow ring: birthdays, Holi, or simply a bright photo of a child.

Choosing the photo

A good DP is a simple photo. Look for a plain background, light on the face and a clear expression. A photo taken near a window in the morning beats a photo taken under a tube light at night. If the photo was taken from far away, zoom in the frame maker until the head and shoulders fill about two-thirds of the ring.

For a couple or a parent and child, choose a photo where the two heads are close together. Two faces at the two ends of a wide photo cannot both fit in a circle.

A DP for a group or a business

For a family or friends group, a single clear symbol works better than a crowded group photo: the family home, a shared trip photo cropped tight, or a festival photo with one frame. For a shop, use the signboard or the logo on a plain background and leave a margin all round, because the circle will trim the corners of a square logo.

The same picture on other apps

Instagram, Facebook and most other services also show profile pictures as circles, so a DP made this way can be used everywhere. See the size chart for the other shapes each service uses.

Questions people ask

What is the best size for a WhatsApp DP?

A square picture of 500 × 500 pixels or more. WhatsApp shows the round middle of the square, so the face must be in the centre.

Why is my DP cut at the top?

The photo was not square, or the face was near the edge. Crop to a square first with the face in the middle, then set it as the DP.

Can I write a name on a round DP frame?

The round frames carry no words, because the circle would cut them and they would be too small to read in the chat list.

Does the frame maker upload my photo?

No. The picture is made inside your browser and the photo never leaves your phone.

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