Listing CameraShort answer: Airbnb asks for at least 5 photos to get started, at least 1024 x 683 pixels each, and recommends 1200 x 800 pixels or larger, up to about 10 MB (Airbnb, Help Center, Resource Center). Shoot horizontally, give every room at least one photo for the photo tour, and make your first photo your best: it's the big one in search.
I've photographed more than 2,500 homes over almost 20 years, and more and more of them are rentals and short-term stays. Airbnb is forgiving on file specs. Where hosts lose bookings is the cover photo, a photo tour with empty rooms, and vertical shots that get cropped badly.
Airbnb photo specs at a glance
| Spec | What the platform says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Photos to publish | At least 5 to get started; you can add more later | Resource Center |
| Minimum resolution | At least 1024 x 683 px; bigger is better | Help Center 746 |
| Recommended resolution | At least 1200 x 800 px; bigger files are better, up to about 10 MB | Resource Center |
| Orientation | Horizontal (landscape); vertical photos won't showcase the space as well | Help Center 746 |
| Cover photo | The first photo is the large one in search; the first 5 are shown most prominently and can be reordered | Help Center 477 |
| Photo tour | Every room or space needs at least one photo to appear in the tour | Help Center 477 |
| Flash | Turn it off; use natural light first, then room lights | Resource Center |
What size should Airbnb photos be?
Airbnb's help center sets the floor at 1024 x 683 pixels and says that when in doubt, bigger is better. Its hosting resource center goes further and recommends at least 1200 x 800 pixels, with bigger files better up to about 10 MB. Any recent phone photo is far larger than either, so the practical advice is: upload the full-size photo, not a screenshot, a messaging-app copy or a heavy crop. Those are where low-resolution uploads come from.
Shoot horizontal, and leave room around the edges
Airbnb says to use landscape format because vertical photos won't showcase your space as well. Its resource center also says images are cropped into squares in search results and your listing, while the listing page shows photos in landscape. The two pages describe the crop a little differently, so I'd plan for both: shoot horizontal and keep the important part of the room near the middle of the frame, so a square crop doesn't cut off the bed or the view.
Your first five photos carry the listing
Airbnb's help page puts it plainly: the first five photos are the most important because they're shown prominently, and the first one is the large photo in search. You can reorder those five by dragging them in the photo tour. Here's the order I'd start with for most places:
- The single best shot of the place: often the living area with the most light, or the exterior if the building or view is the draw.
- The main bedroom, bed made, lamps on.
- The kitchen or kitchenette.
- The main bathroom.
- The standout feature: a deck, pool, fireplace or view.
To change the cover photo, Airbnb says to open the listing editor, go to the photo tour, choose All photos, select the photo and click Make cover photo. It notes changes can take up to 30 minutes to appear.
Fill the photo tour: one photo for every room
Airbnb sorts your photos into rooms automatically to build a photo tour, and its help center says every room or space needs at least one photo to appear in the tour. An empty bedroom in the tour is a question a guest has to message you about, or a reason to keep scrolling. Give every bedroom, bathroom and shared space at least one clear photo, then add the details: sleeping arrangements, amenities and accessibility features.
How I'd shoot an Airbnb listing
- Clean and declutter first. Airbnb's own guidance starts here, and so do I.
- Open everything up. Blinds and curtains open, flash off, then turn on lights if the room is still dark.
- Hold the phone straight. Airbnb says to shoot from a neutral position without tilting the lens up or down. Tilting is what makes walls lean.
- Mix wide, mid-range and close-up shots. Wide shots for the layout, close-ups for the coffee setup, the record player, the grab rails.
- Write captions. Airbnb recommends captions for what a photo can't show, like how many people the dining table seats.
- Keep it honest. Guests compare your photos to the room at check-in. Edit light and color; don't hide wear or show what isn't there.
For a printable list of every shot, use my rental and Airbnb listing photo checklist, or the free shot-list generator for your exact bedroom and bathroom count. Rooms with big bright windows are their own problem; I wrote up how to handle bright windows.
Sources
Every spec on this page comes from the platform's own help and resource pages, checked on the date at the top. Platforms change these without notice, so if an upload fails, check the page itself.
- Airbnb Help Center: Taking great photos of your listing
- Airbnb Help Center: Setting up a photo tour for your home listing
- Airbnb Resource Center: How to add the best photos of your space
- Airbnb Resource Center: How to take great photos for your listing
If you shoot on an iPhone, my app Listing Camera handles the editing step: you take the photo and it fixes light, color and exposure and helps correct vertical lines in the background, about 30 to 40 seconds per photo. It doesn't stage, add or remove anything in the room. One thing to know: every exterior comes back with a sunny blue sky. It's free to try on the App Store with 3 enhancements.