1080p Full HD screen size: 1920 by 1080
1920 by 1080 is the Full HD display standard. It is exactly 16:9 and comes to 2.07 megapixels, and it remains the most widely deployed desktop resolution.
At a glance
- Dimensions
- 1920 × 1080 pixels
- Simplified aspect ratio
- 16:9
- Decimal ratio
- 1.78:1
- Megapixels
- 2.07 MP (2,073,600 pixels)
- CSS aspect-ratio
- aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;
- Preset category
- Device
- Where it is used
- Desktop screen captures, wallpapers and the baseline layout target
In detail
The name counts scan lines. The p distinguishes progressive scan, where every line of a frame is drawn in one pass, from the interlaced broadcast formats it replaced, where alternate lines were drawn in alternate passes. 1080 is the number of those lines, and the 1920 width follows from applying 16:9 to it.
As a design target it is best understood as a floor rather than a description. A large share of desktop visitors are still on a panel of exactly these dimensions, so a layout that needs more than 1080 pixels of height to show its first meaningful content is asking most of its audience to scroll before they see anything.
The number on the specification sheet is no longer the number in the browser. A display with a two times scale factor reports a 960 by 540 layout viewport while filling 1920 by 1080 physical pixels, so a media query written against 1920 will not fire on it. Layout decisions belong in CSS pixels; asset export decisions belong in device pixels.
The image resizer carries a Full HD 1920 by 1080 preset, which makes it the shortest route from an arbitrary screenshot to this exact frame. Crop to 16:9 first if the source is a different shape, because resizing alone will distort it.
Examples
1080 * (16 / 9) = 1920
gcd(1920, 1080) = 120
1920 / 120 = 16
1080 / 120 = 9window.innerWidth; // 1920 at 1x, 960 at 2x
window.devicePixelRatio; // 1 or 2
screen.width * window.devicePixelRatio; // the physical countThings that catch people out
- A media query written for 1920 will not match a high density display that reports half that in layout pixels.
- Full HD and 1080p describe the same pixel grid, and neither says anything about physical size, so pixel density varies enormously between a laptop and a television at the same resolution.
- Above the fold on this panel is roughly 1080 pixels minus the browser interface, which is less than most designers assume.
Try it: Aspect Ratio Calculator
Enter a width and a height, or a ratio and one dimension, and it solves the missing one, simplifies the ratio, counts the megapixels and gives you a copyable CSS value.
Aspect Ratio Calculator
LOCAL · Browser-OnlyCalculate and convert aspect ratios for images, videos, and screens
1920 x 1080px · 16:9 · 1.7778:1
Common Aspect Ratios Reference
| Ratio | Decimal | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| 16:9 | 1.778 | Widescreen TV, YouTube, monitors |
| 4:3 | 1.333 | Classic TV, iPad, presentations |
| 1:1 | 1.000 | Instagram square, profile pictures |
| 21:9 | 2.333 | Ultrawide monitors, cinema |
| 9:16 | 0.563 | Phone vertical, TikTok, Reels |
| 3:2 | 1.500 | 35mm photography, MacBook |
| 2:3 | 0.667 | Portrait photography, posters |
| 5:4 | 1.250 | Large format photography, older monitors |
| 32:9 | 3.556 | Super ultrawide monitors |
| 2.39:1 | 2.390 | Anamorphic cinema, widescreen films |
Related Image and canvas sizes
All image and canvas sizes →1440p QHD screen size: 2560 by 1440
The 2560 by 1440 quad HD resolution, why quad refers to 720p rather than 1080p, and how it sits between Full HD and 4K in pixel count.
4K UHD screen size: 3840 by 2160
The 3840 by 2160 UHD resolution, why it is named for a width it does not have, how it differs from cinema 4K, and what it costs to process.
16:9 aspect ratio
Where the 16:9 ratio came from, the pixel dimensions that hit it exactly, what it suits, and the places where a widescreen frame is the wrong shape.
Ultrawide screen size: 3440 by 1440
The 3440 by 1440 ultrawide panel, why its true ratio is 43:18 rather than the advertised 21:9, and how it relates to a QHD display.
A4 at 300 DPI: 2480 by 3508 pixels
How 210 by 297 millimetres becomes 2480 by 3508 pixels at 300 DPI, why the A series ratio is the square root of two, and what bleed adds.
US Letter at 300 DPI: 2550 by 3300 pixels
How 8.5 by 11 inches becomes exactly 2550 by 3300 pixels at 300 DPI, the 17:22 ratio it reduces to, and why it does not interchange with A4.
Tools for this
- Image Resizer Free online image resizer - resize images to exact dimensions, percentage, or common presets
- Aspect Ratio Calculator Free online aspect ratio calculator - calculate and convert aspect ratios for images, videos, and screens