Twitch emote sizes: the complete guide (28×28, 56×56, 112×112)

Twitch emotes must be uploaded in three sizes — 112×112, 56×56, and 28×28 pixels — as square transparent PNG files, each under 1MB. All three are required for every emote; Twitch uses the right size depending on where the emote appears.

Twitch emote size requirements

What format do Twitch emotes need to be?

Static emotes must be PNG with a transparent background. No white box behind the art — it must be a clean cutout so the emote sits naturally on light and dark chat themes. A JPG (no transparency) or an emote with a visible background will look broken in chat.

Why the 28×28 size matters most

The 28×28 is how your emote appears inline in chat — the size viewers actually see most. At 28 pixels, fine detail turns to mush. Design (or generate) for that size: one bold expression, strong silhouette, high contrast. If it reads at 28×28, it reads everywhere.

Exporting all three sizes without quality loss

Always start from a high-resolution master (1024×1024 is ideal) and downscale to each Twitch size, rather than scaling a small image up. Tools built for emotes handle this automatically — Pile exports every emote pre-cropped to all three Twitch sizes (plus Discord 128, YouTube 48, and more) from a single 1024px master, all under the 1MB cap, so you never resize by hand. Try a free preview.