What stays visible
Airbnb search results · 4:3
Booking.com results · desktop
Booking.com results · phone
The same square crop, but small: details disappear, and only light and large shapes count.
Want a cover photo that holds up next to the listings around you?
Formats measured on Airbnb and Booking.com search results, on desktop and phone. The platforms can change them; they decide the exact crop, which is centred here.
How the two platforms crop the cover
| Airbnb | Booking.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Search results frame, desktop | 4:3, landscape | square |
| Search results frame, phone | 4:3, full width | almost square, small, to the left of the text |
| How they fill the frame | centred crop, no empty bands | square crop, no empty bands |
We measured these on the two platforms' search results pages, on desktop and phone screens. The platforms change them without notice: for the official size and orientation requirements, see Photo size and format for Airbnb and Booking.com.
The practical consequence: the same photo is cropped in two different ways. On Airbnb a standard landscape photo fits almost entirely. On Booking.com only the centre remains: if the centre is a wall or a door, that is what guests see.
Does your cover photo work in both frames? We will tell you, free of charge.
What to look for in the preview
- The centre of the photo. In the Booking.com square, the centre should hold what makes guests choose the home: the bed, the living room, the view.
- Top and bottom. On Airbnb an almost square photo loses the ceiling and the floor. Sometimes that does not matter; sometimes you lose the exposed beams or the wooden floor that make the room.
- The photo at a small size. On a phone, in Booking.com results, the cover is the size of a stamp. Only light and large shapes are readable: details do not matter, but a dark photo does.
- Portrait photos. On Airbnb almost half is cut off (a 3:4 photo loses 44%). Booking.com only accepts landscape photos.
Why the cover photo matters so much, and which room to choose, is explained in The cover photo on Airbnb.
What it cannot see
The tool simulates the crop; it does not judge the photo. It cannot tell whether the light is right, whether the lines are crooked or whether the room you chose is the best in the home. For the technical requirements there is the free Listing photo checker. For the effect the photo has on a guest, you need an expert eye.
We will tell you which of your photos deserves to be the cover, and how to make it better.
Frequently asked questions
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The preview is created in the browser on your device: the photo is not sent or stored anywhere.
What format should the cover photo be?
Landscape. In Airbnb search results the frame is 4:3, so a 4:3 or 3:2 photo fits almost entirely. On Booking.com the frame is square: what matters is that the best part of the room is in the centre.
Why does my cover photo look cropped on Booking.com?
Because in search results Booking.com shows a square crop of the main photo. Of a 3:2 landscape photo, the central part remains, about two thirds of its width; of a wider one, even less.
Is the preview identical to what the platforms show?
It uses the same formats we measured on the search results pages, with a centred crop. The platforms can move the crop or change the format, so always check the published listing too.
Does it work with phone photos?
Yes. You can choose the photo from your phone's gallery; the preview works the same way.
The first step
Your photos can do more
Send us the link to your listing and we will tell you what to improve, with no obligation.