Airbnb photo requirements at a glance
These are the points Airbnb states on its own help pages and in its Resource Center guide for hosts. Links to each page are in the sources at the end.
| Topic | What Airbnb says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum size | At least 1024 x 683 pixels; bigger is better | Help Center: Taking great photos of your listing |
| Recommended size | At least 1200 x 800 pixels, files up to about 10 MB | Resource Center: How to take great photos for your listing |
| Orientation | Horizontal (landscape) photos, because search results crop images | Resource Center guide |
| Room coverage | At least one photo for every room or space, so it can appear in the photo tour | Help Center: Setting up a photo tour |
| Flash | Turn off the flash and use soft, natural light | Resource Center guide |
| Accuracy | Photos and description should accurately represent the space | Help Center: Ground rules for home hosts |
| AI and editing | Content will be removed if AI or other digital technology is used to edit flaws, hide damage or add amenities | Help Center: Ground rules for home hosts |
Photo size and file size
Airbnb's help page sets the floor at 1024 x 683 pixels, and its host guide recommends at least 1200 x 800 pixels with files up to about 10 MB. Any recent phone shoots far above both, so size is rarely the problem.
Where hosts lose quality is in the steps after the shot: sending photos through a messaging app, taking screenshots, or cropping a small part of a wide photo. Upload the original files, or a full-resolution export, rather than a copy that has been compressed along the way.
Shoot horizontally
Airbnb recommends landscape photos because images are cropped in search results, and a vertical photo loses most of the room. Turn the phone sideways for every room shot. Keep vertical photos for small details only, if at all.
This applies to home listings. Airbnb Experiences and Services have their own photo guidance, which asks for vertical photos, so do not mix up the two.
Cover every room
Airbnb's photo tour groups photos by room, and its help page asks for at least one photo of every room or space so it can appear in the tour. A bedroom or bathroom with no photo leaves guests guessing, and guests tend to assume the worst.
The help pages we checked do not set a total number of photos for home listings. As a practical guide, show every room once, then add second angles only where they help.
Light and angles
Airbnb's host guide gives simple shooting advice that also makes photos easier to finish well:
- Turn off the flash and use soft daylight; turn on the lights only if a room is still too dark
- Shoot straight ahead without tilting the phone, to give guests a realistic view
- Use a mix of wide, mid-range and close-up photos
- Clear clutter so guests see the space, not your belongings
What Airbnb allows when you edit
Airbnb's host guide encourages basic edits: adjusting brightness, contrast and highlights, and cropping, straightening or rotating photos. Those are corrections to how the photo was taken.
The line is misrepresentation. Airbnb's ground rules for hosts say photos should accurately represent the space, and that Airbnb will ask hosts to remove content if AI or other digital technology has been used to edit flaws, hide damage, add amenities or otherwise misrepresent the listing. Airbnb can also ask hosts to take new photos to confirm that listing photos are accurate.
That is the standard ProLister is built around. It corrects light, colour and straight lines, and nothing in the room is added, removed or changed. A stain stays a stain and the view stays the view, so the photo matches what guests find when they arrive.
Check your photos before you upload
Run your gallery through the free Listing Photo Checker to catch dark rooms, tilted lines and missing spaces, then fix what you can before you publish.
Frequently asked questions
What size should Airbnb photos be?
Airbnb's help page asks for at least 1024 x 683 pixels, and its host guide recommends at least 1200 x 800 pixels with files up to about 10 MB. Original photos from a recent phone are well above this.
Should Airbnb photos be horizontal or vertical?
Horizontal for home listings. Airbnb says search results crop images, so landscape photos show more of the room. Experiences and Services have separate guidance that asks for vertical photos.
Is it allowed to edit Airbnb photos?
Yes, within limits. Airbnb's guide suggests adjusting brightness and contrast and straightening photos. Its rules do not allow using AI or other editing to hide flaws or damage, add amenities, or otherwise misrepresent the listing.
Can I use AI-enhanced photos on Airbnb?
Enhancement that corrects light, colour and perspective keeps the photo accurate. AI that adds furniture, changes the view or hides damage goes against Airbnb's ground rules for hosts.
How many photos does an Airbnb listing need?
The help pages we checked set no total for home listings, but ask for at least one photo of every room or space so it appears in the photo tour.
What changed, and what did not
This panel describes how ProLister's own enhancement behaves, based on our product testing on real listing photos. It is not independent industry research.
What changed in the photo
- Brightness and shadow detail in dark areas
- Colour temperature (orange or blue casts neutralised)
- Contrast and clarity
- Window exposure, so the view outside is visible
- Vertical alignment of walls and door frames
- Digital noise in darker rooms
What did not change
- The room's layout, dimensions and architecture
- Furniture, appliances and decor
- Wall, floor and worktop finishes and materials
- The view through the windows
- The property's condition, including wear and damage
- Anything the camera did not capture in the original frame
What AI can and cannot safely do to a listing photo
| Edit | Safe to publish? |
|---|---|
| Correct exposure, colour, contrast and verticals | Yes - standard photographic finishing |
| Recover blown-out windows and shadow detail | Yes - shows what a visitor's eye would see |
| Unify brightness and colour across a photo set | Yes - presentation only |
| Add or remove furniture, or restyle a room | Only as clearly labelled virtual staging |
| Erase damage, damp, cracks or wear | No - misrepresents the property's condition |
| Replace views, skies or seasons | No - changes what the property offers |
| Stretch or widen a room's apparent size | No - misrepresents the space |
The "safe" column reflects platform accuracy rules (see the sources below) and our editorial recommendation. Always check the current policy of each platform, MLS and local regulation you list on.
Sources and further reading
- Airbnb Help Center: Taking great photos of your listing
- Airbnb Resource Center: How to take great photos for your listing
- Airbnb Help Center: Setting up a photo tour for your home listing
- Airbnb Help Center: Ground rules for home hosts
- Airbnb Help Center: Confirming photo accuracy for listings
- Airbnb Help Center: Choosing great photos for your Airbnb Experience
