How to Create a LinkedIn Carousel (Design to Upload)

A LinkedIn carousel is a multi-page PDF you upload as a document post. Viewers swipe (or click) through slides in their feed, which makes carousels one of the most engaging formats on the platform. To create one, you plan your content, design slides at 1080 x 1350 px in a tool like Canva or Figma, export as a PDF, and upload it through LinkedIn's document post option.

Key takeaways

• LinkedIn carousels are just PDF files uploaded as document posts. Each page becomes a swipeable slide.
• Portrait size (1080 x 1350 px) fills more of the feed and is what most creators use.
• A strong first slide (the hook) and a clear final slide (the call to action) matter more than fancy design.
• Export as PDF, not as individual images. Individual images will post as a gallery, not a swipeable carousel.
• Aim for 6 to 12 slides, with one idea per slide and large, readable text.

What is a LinkedIn carousel, exactly?

LinkedIn does not have a dedicated "carousel" format the way Instagram does. Instead, you upload a PDF as a document post, and LinkedIn turns each page into a slide people can swipe through in their feed. The term "carousel" is just what everyone calls it.

This means you can use any tool that exports to PDF: Canva, Figma, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, or even a design app like Affinity Publisher. The tool does not matter as long as the output is a clean PDF at the right dimensions.

For a deeper look at why this format works so well, see what a LinkedIn carousel is and why they tend to outperform text.

Step 1: Plan your content before you design anything

The biggest mistake with carousels is opening Canva first. Start with the content.

Pick one clear topic. A carousel works best when it teaches something, walks through a process, or shares a list. "7 mistakes new managers make" is a carousel. "My thoughts on leadership" is not.

Outline your slides. Write out the text for each slide before you touch a design tool. A simple structure:

1. Slide 1 (hook): a bold statement or question that makes someone stop scrolling and start swiping.
2. Slides 2 through 8 (body): one point per slide. Keep the text short, around 30 words or fewer per slide.
3. Second to last slide (summary or takeaway): a quick recap of what they just learned.
4. Final slide (CTA): tell them what to do next. Follow you, comment, save the post, visit a link in your caption.

If you need content inspiration, our list of 30 content ideas and LinkedIn post templates can help you find a topic worth turning into slides.

Step 2: Set up your canvas at the right size

Orientation	Dimensions	Aspect ratio	Best for
Portrait	1080 x 1350 px	4:5	Most carousels. Takes up the most feed space on mobile.
Square	1080 x 1080 px	1:1	Works well, slightly less dominant in the feed.
Landscape	1920 x 1080 px	16:9	Presentation-style decks. Less common for feed carousels.

Portrait (1080 x 1350) is the go-to for most creators because it fills more of the screen, especially on mobile where most LinkedIn browsing happens. For the full spec sheet, including file size limits, see our LinkedIn carousel size and specs guide.

In Canva

1. Open Canva and click Create a design.
2. Choose Custom size and enter 1080 x 1350 px.
3. Add pages for each slide. You can duplicate a page to keep the layout consistent.

Canva has free LinkedIn carousel templates that give you a starting point. You can also browse our roundup of free carousel templates.

In Figma

1. Create a new file and add a frame at 1080 x 1350 px.
2. Duplicate the frame for each slide.
3. Name frames in order (Slide 1, Slide 2, etc.) so they export in the right sequence.

In PowerPoint or Google Slides

1. Go to File > Page Setup (Google Slides) or Design > Slide Size > Custom (PowerPoint).
2. Set the dimensions to 1080 x 1350 px, or enter 7.5 x 9.38 inches at 144 DPI.
3. Create one slide per page.

Step 3: Design your slides

You do not need to be a designer. The best-performing carousels are usually simple and easy to read, not flashy. Here are the principles that matter.

Keep text large

People read carousels on their phones. Body text should be at least 24px (in a 1080-wide canvas), and headlines should be significantly larger. If you have to pinch to zoom, the text is too small.

One idea per slide

If a slide tries to say two things, split it into two slides. White space is your friend. Cramming text onto a slide is the fastest way to lose someone mid-swipe.

Use consistent branding

Pick one or two fonts, a background color, and an accent color. Use them on every slide. This makes the carousel feel intentional and helps people recognize your content over time. For more on this, see our carousel design tips.

Make slide 1 a scroll-stopper

The first slide is the only one people see before they decide to swipe. It needs to work like a headline: specific, benefit-driven, and visually bold. Examples:

• "7 Cold Email Mistakes That Kill Your Reply Rate"
• "The LinkedIn Algorithm in 2026: What Actually Changed"
• "I Spent $50K on Ads. Here's What I'd Do Differently."

For more ideas, our LinkedIn hook examples work well as carousel cover text.

Make the last slide earn something

The final slide should not just say "Thanks for reading." Give people a reason to act: follow you for more, drop a comment with their own tip, save the post, or check a link in your caption.

Step 4: Export as PDF

This is the step people get wrong most often. You must export as a PDF, not as individual images.

• Canva: Click Share > Download, choose PDF Standard, and download.
• Figma: Select all frames in order, then go to File > Export and choose PDF.
• PowerPoint: File > Save As or Export, choose PDF.
• Google Slides: File > Download > PDF Document.

If you upload separate JPG or PNG files instead, LinkedIn will post them as a multi-image gallery (up to 20 images), not as a swipeable carousel. The gallery format works differently: each image is its own thing rather than a smooth, connected swipe experience. For a true carousel, stick with PDF.

LinkedIn accepts PDF uploads for document posts, but for a typical carousel of 6 to 12 slides, your file should be well under 10 MB. If Canva gives you a large file, choose PDF Standard instead of PDF Print. If Canva gives you a large file, choose PDF Standard instead of PDF Print.

Step 5: Upload to LinkedIn

1. Go to your LinkedIn feed and click Start a post.
2. In the post composer, click the More icon (the three dots or "+" depending on your device), then select Add a document.
3. Upload your PDF.
4. LinkedIn will ask you to add a title for the document. This title shows as a header above the carousel in the feed, so make it descriptive (for example, "7 Cold Email Mistakes to Avoid").
5. Preview the slides in the composer to make sure everything looks right and the order is correct.
6. Write your caption. The caption should add context, not repeat what is on the slides. A hook in the first line, a brief setup, and a question or CTA at the end works well. Check our guide on how to write a LinkedIn post for caption tips.
7. Add 3 to 5 relevant hashtags. If you are not sure which ones, our hashtag guide covers how to pick them.
8. Click Post, or use the clock icon to schedule it for later.

What to write in your caption

The carousel handles the visual teaching. Your caption's job is to hook people, give them a reason to swipe, and invite conversation.

A pattern that works well:

Hook (line 1): a bold claim or question that matches slide 1. Setup (2 to 3 lines): brief context, a personal story, or why this matters. CTA (last line): ask a question, invite saves, or point to a resource.

Example:

Most cold emails fail before the recipient finishes the subject line.

I reviewed 200+ outbound sequences last year. The same mistakes showed up again and again.

Swipe through for the 7 biggest ones (and what to do instead).

Which of these have you seen in your inbox? 👇

Getting engagement in the first hour

Carousels tend to get strong engagement because every swipe keeps someone on the post longer, and LinkedIn treats that dwell time as a positive signal. But like any post, the first hour matters. Early likes and comments from relevant people help LinkedIn decide to show the post more broadly.

This is where Upshot fits. You can schedule your carousel post through Upshot or paste the link once it is live, and your crew (friends, colleagues, teammates) gets an alert by push notification, email, or Slack. They open the post on LinkedIn and engage themselves, for real. No bots, and nothing likes or comments for you. Just your people showing up while the post is fresh.

Common mistakes to avoid

Too much text per slide. If a slide looks like a paragraph, cut it in half. People swipe carousels quickly.

No hook on slide 1. A generic branded cover slide wastes your most valuable real estate. Lead with the topic and a reason to keep swiping.

Inconsistent sizing. If some slides are portrait and some are square (because you copied from different sources), the carousel will look broken. Keep every page the same dimensions.

Skipping the caption. A carousel with no caption, or just "Check this out 👇", leaves engagement on the table. The caption is where people comment, and comments drive distribution.

Forgetting mobile. Always preview on your phone before publishing. What looks fine on a laptop screen may be unreadable at phone size.

Quick-reference checklist

Use this before you hit Post:

1. ☐ Slides planned and outlined before designing.
2. ☐ Canvas set to 1080 x 1350 px (portrait).
3. ☐ Text is large enough to read on a phone.
4. ☐ Slide 1 has a clear hook.
5. ☐ Final slide has a call to action.
6. ☐ Exported as PDF (not individual images).
7. ☐ Document title is descriptive.
8. ☐ Caption has a hook, context, and a question or CTA.
9. ☐ 3 to 5 relevant hashtags added.
10. ☐ Previewed on mobile.

Where to go from here

If you want inspiration before you build your first carousel, browse real LinkedIn carousel examples that drove engagement. For design principles that make slides easier to read and more likely to get shared, see our 10 carousel design tips. And if you want to skip the design step entirely, check whether a carousel generator is worth the trade-off.

The best carousels are not the prettiest ones. They are the ones with a clear idea, readable slides, and a caption that starts a conversation. Start simple, publish, see what works, and improve from there.