What are the specs for a LinkedIn carousel ad?
LinkedIn's carousel ad specifications (shown as last updated 11 months before we checked on 4 November 2026) set these limits. A carousel ad is a Sponsored Content ad in the feed, made of image cards people scroll through, and each card can link to its own page:
| Field | LinkedIn's spec |
|---|---|
| Number of cards | 2 to 10 |
| Image size | 1080 x 1080 pixels recommended (1:1); up to 4320 x 4320; scaled to 312 x 312 in the ad |
| File size and type | Up to 10 MB per card; JPG, PNG or non-animated GIF |
| Introductory text | Up to 150 characters to avoid truncation on some devices; 255 maximum |
| Card headline | Two lines before truncation; a 45-character limit, for carousel ads that go to a URL and for those with a Lead Gen Form |
| Destination URL | Must start with http:// or https://; up to 2,000 characters; a different URL per card is allowed |
| Lead Gen Form | Optional; every card leads to the same form |
| Ad name | Up to 255 characters, seen only in Campaign Manager |
| Video | Not allowed |
Two details are easy to miss. The same page says that once your ad is saved, you cannot edit the carousel cards. And LinkedIn's Ads Guide lists the file format as JPG or PNG with no mention of GIF, so a static JPG or PNG avoids the question. To create one you need super admin, content admin or Sponsored Content poster access on the LinkedIn Page, and creative manager access or higher on the ad account. If you want a free, organic version first, our guide to making a LinkedIn carousel post covers document posts, which work differently.
Carousel, single image or document ad: which should you run?
Use a carousel when you have several things to show, each worth its own click: products, use cases or steps. For one offer and one message, a single image ad gives you far more text. The limits below are from LinkedIn's help pages for each format, checked 4 November 2026; the last row is our view.
| Carousel ad | Single image ad | Document ad | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you upload | 2 to 10 images, 10 MB each | One image, 5 MB | A PPT, PPTX, DOC, DOCX or PDF file up to 100 MB and 300 pages |
| Introductory text | 150 to avoid truncation, 255 maximum | 150 to avoid truncation, 3,000 maximum | 150 to avoid shortening, 3,000 maximum |
| Headline | Card headlines: two lines, 45-character limit | 70 to avoid truncation, 200 maximum | 70 to avoid shortening, 200 maximum |
| Links | One per card, or one for all cards | One destination | Links inside the file work only once someone downloads it |
| Lead Gen Form | One form for all cards | Yes, with the lead generation objective | With the lead generation objective, PDFs only |
| Use it when | Several offers or steps, each with its own page | One offer you can say in a line | A guide or report people read in the feed |
You can't mix formats to compare them in one ad set: LinkedIn's carousel ads FAQ says carousel ad sets only allow carousel ads. Run a carousel ad set and a single image ad set side by side instead. LinkedIn's budget guide sets a $10 minimum daily budget, so a two-week test of both is at least 2 x $10 x 14 = $280. The same guide says that when you create a new campaign, LinkedIn suggests $25 for new advertisers using US dollars, without saying whether that is a daily or a lifetime budget.
How do you create a carousel ad in Campaign Manager?
Create an ad set first, then add the carousel. These steps are from LinkedIn's help page Create carousel image ads in Campaign Manager, shown as last updated 3 months before our check on 4 November 2026. It gives one set of steps for Campaign Manager, with no separate mobile steps.
Create the ad set
Choose brand awareness, website visits, engagement, website conversions or lead generation as the objective, and carousel image ads as the format. Your ad account must be linked to a LinkedIn Page to pick most formats.
Start a new ad
On the Ads in this ad set page, click Create new ad(s). Enter a name, which only appears in Campaign Manager, then the introductory text and destination URL. Tick the box below the URL field if every card should go to the same page.
Build the cards
Click the Upload icon in the upper-left corner of each card, then Crop to zoom, straighten or rotate the image. Add between two and ten cards, and use the Reorder icon to change their order.
Add the form, if you are collecting leads
With the lead generation objective, complete Form details: pick a call-to-action button and an existing or new Lead Gen Form.
Save, then launch
Click Save ad in the lower-right corner, with Add to ad set ticked. Launch the ad set when ready; LinkedIn reviews the ads and shows them if approved.
Proof every card before you click Save. The spec and create pages both say saved cards can't be edited, while the FAQ answers yes to whether you can edit a carousel ad. We read that as: the ad can change, the cards can't, so plan to build a new ad if a card is wrong. The create page also notes that only Page super and content admins can reply to comments as the Page on a carousel ad.
How are LinkedIn carousel ads charged?
It depends on your bidding, and LinkedIn's own pages describe it two ways. Its ads pricing page says that with the website visits objective you are only charged when someone clicks the link to your website. Its help page on chargeable clicks for website visits is more exact: with maximum delivery or cost cap bidding you are charged by impressions, and only manual bidding charges by landing page clicks.
Some advice says every card click costs you. In an r/LinkedInAds thread from January 2025 about which format to use (six comments in the archive), one commenter warned against carousels for lead generation because "you'll pay for each click on the carousel". LinkedIn's help page puts it more narrowly: if different cards have separate destination URLs, you're charged once for each unique URL the member clicks. The lead generation version of the page has the same note.
So give cards separate URLs only when each page does a different job, and use the one-URL checkbox when every card sells the same thing. Budgets follow the usual Campaign Manager minimums of $10 a day and $100 lifetime for a new campaign; our guide to promoting a LinkedIn post covers how daily and lifetime budgets are spent.
LinkedIn carousel ad examples and a five-card template
One documented example is LinkedIn's own Cotton Incorporated customer story. It is undated and describes carousel ads as newly available at the time. Cotton Incorporated targeted people with specific job titles in defined industries, highlighted several benefits of cotton in a single ad, sent people to its industry sites Cotton Today and Lifestyle Monitor, and used per-card metrics to adjust the ad. To see current ones, search a competitor in LinkedIn's Ad Library, which shows the advertiser, ad format and creative, needs no LinkedIn account, and keeps ads for one year after their last impression.
Then build your own around how the format displays. LinkedIn's carousel ad tips say the first card shows in full and the second in partial view, and suggest putting the main call to action on the final card if you tell a story. Its overview adds that carousel ads with a Lead Gen Form get a CTA button in each card's description, while standard carousels that link to landing pages don't, so on those, put the ask in the card headline yourself.
Every headline stays under the 45-character limit, and the intro under the 150 characters that avoid truncation. LinkedIn's tips suggest starting with 3 to 5 cards and call that range the sweet spot for engagement, and suggest location plus two other targeting criteria to start. This week, write your five headlines in a document and count the characters before you design anything.
How do you read carousel ad results card by card?
In Campaign Manager's reporting dashboard, pick Carousel from the Breakdown menu. LinkedIn's reporting help (last updated 4 months before our check) says this shows reporting for each card of a carousel image ad. LinkedIn's undated carousel tips page says clicks and impressions by card are in the downloadable reports, and that viewing them in the dashboard would come later; the current help page describes the dashboard view, so you can use either.
Judge the ad first, then the cards. LinkedIn defines average CTR as chargeable clicks divided by impressions, for the ad. For the cards, compare each card's share of clicks. Sample figures, not a benchmark:
| Card | Clicks | Share of the ad's 90 clicks |
|---|---|---|
| 1, the promise | 36 | 40% (36 / 90) |
| 2, reason to swipe | 24 | 27% (24 / 90) |
| 3, second benefit | 9 | 10% (9 / 90) |
| 4, what it replaces | 6 | 7% (6 / 90) |
| 5, the ask | 15 | 17% (15 / 90) |
With 9,000 impressions, the ad's CTR is 90 / 9,000 = 1.0%. Card 5 beats cards 3 and 4 even though people have to swipe past four cards to reach it, which fits LinkedIn's advice to end on the ask. The weak middle is the next test: LinkedIn's tips say to test one variable at a time and to move the best cards to the front, so swap card 3 for a new benefit and leave the rest alone for two weeks.
If a carousel draws reactions but no form fills, look at who is reacting before you change the ad; our checklist for posts with likes but no leads shows how. For the leads that do arrive, our guide to prioritising leads covers who to contact first.
Frequently asked questions
How much do LinkedIn carousel ads cost?
There is no set price. You bid in LinkedIn's ad auction, and the minimum is $10 a day, with $100 lifetime for a new campaign. Whether you pay by impression or click depends on your bidding. When you are charged by clicks and cards have separate URLs, LinkedIn charges once for each unique URL a person clicks.
Can a LinkedIn carousel ad use a Lead Gen Form?
Yes. Choose the lead generation objective, then pick a call-to-action button and a form when you build the ad. Every card leads to the same form, and each card shows the CTA button. LinkedIn's best practices page notes that the single form can include custom fields, which is where to ask your one qualifying question.
Can you put a video in a LinkedIn carousel ad?
No. LinkedIn's FAQ answers "Not currently" and points you to a video ad set instead. Carousel ad sets also can't hold other formats, so a video and a carousel need separate ad sets. If motion matters, use the video format for that message.
Can you edit a LinkedIn carousel ad after it goes live?
Partly. LinkedIn's FAQ says you can edit a carousel ad, but its specification and creation pages say the cards can't be edited once the ad is saved. Treat the images, headlines and card links as final when you click Save, and build a new ad if one of them needs to change.
Do LinkedIn carousel ads show outside LinkedIn?
They can. LinkedIn's FAQ says the LinkedIn Audience Network can be enabled on ad sets using carousel ads, which places them on partner apps and sites. Its metrics page counts an impression there when the ad renders on the partner's page. Switch it off in the ad set if you only want the LinkedIn feed.
Which card of a carousel ad do people see first?
The first card shows in full and the second in partial view, according to LinkedIn's carousel tips. Put the promise on card 1 and give people a reason to swipe on card 2. LinkedIn suggests the main call to action goes on the final card when the cards tell a story.
Sources
- LinkedIn Help: Carousel Ads advertising specifications (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Create carousel image ads in Campaign Manager (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Create an ad set in Campaign Manager (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Carousel ads FAQs (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Carousel ads (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Best practices for Carousel Ads (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Marketing Solutions: Carousel ad tips (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Ads Guide (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Single image ads advertising specifications (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Document ads advertising specifications (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Chargeable clicks for website visits campaigns and ad sets (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Chargeable clicks for lead generation campaigns and ad sets (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn: How much do LinkedIn ads cost? (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn: Campaign budgets for your LinkedIn Ads (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Campaign Manager reporting (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Performance metrics in Campaign Manager (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Ad Library (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn: Cotton Incorporated customer story (undated; checked 4 Nov 2026)
- r/LinkedInAds: Video Ads vs. Carousel Ad vs. Conversation Ad? (posted 28 Jan 2025; checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Advertizingly: LinkedIn Ads management (checked 4 Nov 2026)