The size that works everywhere
1200 × 630 pixels (about 1.91:1) is the size Facebook recommends for link previews, and LinkedIn, X, Slack and most chat apps show it well too. Some apps crop the preview to a square or a wider strip, so keep the important part near the centre.
Why JPEG by default
Not every link preview crawler reads WebP or AVIF, and a preview that fails to load is worse than a slightly bigger file. JPEG at quality 80–85 is small and safe; switch to PNG if the image is mostly flat UI with sharp edges.
Readable at a glance
Previews are often shown small, so crop tighter than you would for an article: one window, one chart or one headline. Use Crop 1:1 when the part you want is at least 1200 × 630 pixels, so the text stays sharp.