The short answer: a LinkedIn carousel is a PDF uploaded as a document post, which LinkedIn shows as slides people swipe through in the feed. To make one, write six to ten slides with one idea each, design them at 1080 × 1350 px, export a single PDF and post it with Start a post → + → Document. This guide covers each step and links to a deeper guide for every one of them.
What a LinkedIn carousel is
LinkedIn had a native carousel format from 2022 until it removed it on December 14, 2023. Since then a “carousel” on LinkedIn is a document post: you upload a PDF (or a PowerPoint or Word file), and each page becomes a slide in a viewer inside the post.
| Format | What it is | Swipeable |
|---|---|---|
| Document post (a carousel) | A PDF, one page per slide | Yes |
| Multi-photo post | Up to 20 images | No, shown as a grid |
| Carousel ad | 2 to 10 square cards, each with a headline and link | Yes, but paid |
Why people post carousels
- More than a text post can hold. A process, a list or a before-and-after, in pieces that read on a phone.
- Read at the reader's pace. Each swipe is a small decision to keep going, which suits ideas that build step by step.
- Easy to keep. People save useful carousels, and can download the PDF.
What a good one looks like
Ten more formats, from checklists to before-and-afters, are in LinkedIn carousel examples.
How to make a LinkedIn carousel in six steps
- Pick a topic with parts. Steps, mistakes, questions, terms; something you have done. Fifty starting points are in LinkedIn carousel ideas.
- Outline it. A promise, a quick payoff, one idea per slide in a visible order, one ask. See how to structure a LinkedIn carousel.
- Write the first slide last. Once you know what the carousel delivers, promise exactly that. See the first slide.
- Design for a phone. Two or three text sizes, strong contrast, wide margins, the same layout on every slide. See carousel design and fonts.
- Export one PDF at the right size. 1080 × 1350 px, every page the same. See LinkedIn carousel size.
- Post it as a document with a clear title and a first line that sets it up. See how to post a carousel on LinkedIn.
Specs at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| File types | PDF (recommended), PPT, PPTX, DOC, DOCX | |
| File size | Up to 100 MB | |
| Pages | Up to 300, all the same size | |
| Document title | Required | |
| Post text | Up to 3,000 characters | |
| Slide size | 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) or 1080 × 1080 (1:1) | Common practice |
| Slides | Most ideas fit in 6 to 10 | Common practice |
Tools for making carousels
| Tool | Good when | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Canva | You want templates, photos and full design control | In Canva |
| Figma | You are a designer, or have a design system there | In Figma |
| PowerPoint | Your slides already live in a deck | In PowerPoint |
| Google Slides | You want free and simple, in the browser | In Google Slides |
| Images to PDF (free) | Your slides are already images and need to become one PDF | Open the tool |
| AI carousel generators | The writing is what slows you down | Compared |
Common mistakes
- A first slide that labels the topic instead of promising something.
- Three ideas on one slide.
- Text sized for a monitor, unreadable on a phone.
- Pages of different sizes in one PDF.
- A landscape presentation uploaded as is.
- Several asks on the last slide, or none.
Questions people ask
Can I make a LinkedIn carousel on my phone?
You can upload one from the LinkedIn app: Post → + → Document. Whether you can design it on a phone depends on the tool you use for the slides.
Can I schedule a carousel?
LinkedIn's list of post types that cannot be scheduled does not include documents, so look for the clock icon in the post editor.
Can people click links inside a carousel?
LinkedIn does not say for document posts. Put the link that matters in the post text, and treat any link on a slide as something people may have to type.
Can I change the PDF after posting?
No. You can edit the title and the text; to change the slides, delete the post and upload the new PDF. See also how to post a PDF on LinkedIn.
Making carousels with cropdot
cropdot is built for this one format. Type a topic or paste your notes, and it drafts the slides in the order people read them: a promise, the body, a closing ask. You edit the words on the slides, pick a template and fonts, add your name and logo, and export a PDF at 1080 px wide with every page the same size.
Sources
- LinkedIn Help: Upload and share documents, Post and share updates, Share photos, Carousel ads specifications, Schedule posts.
- Carousels on LinkedIn (no longer available), archived copy of LinkedIn's help page.
Checked on October 2, 2026.