Deliveroo food photo specs in 2026: dimensions, formats, and the rejection list

Deliveroo sits between Thuisbezorgd and Uber Eats on photo strictness. Less forgiving than Thuisbezorgd on file format, less aggressive than Uber Eats on automated checks, but with one quirk that catches most operators: JPEG only, no exceptions. PNG, HEIC, TIFF, and Photoshop files are all rejected at upload, even when the dimensions are correct. Below are the dimensions and rules current in 2026, the rejection patterns we see in customer accounts, and where the spec differs from Thuisbezorgd and Uber Eats.

Deliveroo menu photo dimensions and aspect ratio

Single-dish photos are landscape, 3:2 aspect ratio at minimum 1200 by 800 pixels, per Deliveroo's restaurant guidelines. The recommended resolution is 2000 by 1333 pixels or higher, which gives the platform headroom to scale across phone, tablet, and desktop without softening.

The 3:2 ratio matches Thuisbezorgd exactly. If you already have Thuisbezorgd-approved photos, the source files transfer to Deliveroo without re-cropping for dimensions, but the file format may need a re-export. Uber Eats uses 5:4 to 6:4, so those photos do not transfer cleanly.

The Deliveroo app then applies a 1:1 square crop to menu item thumbnails for category cards and search. This is the rule that drives composition. If your dish sits near the edges of the 3:2 frame, the centre crop slices into the food and the photo gets bounced as not recognisable. Deliveroo states that an image where "the full dish is no longer recognisable" after the 1:1 crop is rejected on review. Centre the dish with at least 15 to 20 percent empty space on all four sides.

If your account dashboard shows different numbers, follow the dashboard. Platforms tweak specs without announcing it.

Deliveroo hero and cover photo specs

Hero or banner images run at 16:9 aspect ratio at minimum 1920 by 1080 pixels, per Deliveroo merchant help articles. Same dimensions Thuisbezorgd uses for its bundle and hero slot.

Deliveroo treats the hero differently from Uber Eats. Where Uber Eats wants a profile photo with at least five different dishes representing menu variety, Deliveroo gives the same brief: hero images should feature at least five different dishes so customers can read the breadth of the menu before they tap in. We have not found a Deliveroo cover-photo requirement at the Uber Eats 2880 by 2304 resolution. Deliveroo's hero slot is the equivalent surface, and 1920 by 1080 is enough.

Deliveroo file format and size limits

JPEG only. This is the rule that catches the most operators on first upload. PNG, HEIC (the iPhone default since 2017), TIFF, and PSD all get rejected, per Deliveroo's merchant guidance. If you are shooting on iPhone, change the camera setting from "High Efficiency" to "Most Compatible" before the shoot, or convert each file before upload. The Photos app on macOS exports to JPEG by default if you choose Export rather than Export Unmodified Original.

We have seen 4 MB cited as a Deliveroo maximum via Deliverect's menu image guidelines, which works as a safe ceiling. JPEG quality 80 to 85 keeps a 2000 by 1333 photo well under that. sRGB colour profile only. Wide-gamut photos from a recent iPhone or a mirrorless camera need a colour conversion before upload, otherwise they look correct on your screen and washed out in the app.

Common reasons Deliveroo rejects food photos

The rejection patterns Deliveroo lists in its merchant docs are stricter than Thuisbezorgd's and overlap most of Uber Eats. The bans:

No watermarks, logos, text overlays, or price stamps. No faces. No hands prominently in frame. Deliveroo is stricter on hands than Uber Eats, where editorial shots with a hand pulling apart a sandwich pass review. On Deliveroo we keep hands out entirely.

No collages, no heavily photoshopped composites, no overcrowded compositions. Single dish, single frame.

No raw ingredients prominently featured next to the plated dish. A pizza on a board next to a few sprigs of basil is fine. A finished dish photographed alongside the raw protein and uncut vegetables is rejected.

No stock imagery. Deliveroo states that merchants must own all images and have rights to use them. We have seen accounts that uploaded stock get warning notices within days. Original photos only. AI-generated photos that faithfully represent the dish are accepted because they are unique to your account; what Deliveroo rejects is reused stock that any number of restaurants might be running.

The platform also rejects images with visible grain, soft focus, or motion blur. Out-of-focus is the silent rejection on every delivery platform now, including Deliveroo.

Deliveroo white background versus Thuisbezorgd surfaces

This is the one composition rule where Deliveroo diverges from the others. Deliveroo's published guidance points operators toward a clean light or white background for menu item photos, and the bulk of approved listings on the platform follow that pattern. Thuisbezorgd accepts a wider range, including walnut wood, slate, and warm wood-grain tones. Uber Eats sits in between.

In practice we see Deliveroo approve marble, light grey concrete, and pale wood at the same rate as pure white, but darker surfaces and busy patterned backgrounds get queried. If you are shooting one photo for all three platforms, a clean light surface is the lowest-friction choice. Reserve the moody dark-slate restaurant style for fine-dining listings where Deliveroo expects a different read.

What works for Deliveroo specifically

The 1:1 centre crop combined with the 15 to 20 percent margin requirement makes Deliveroo the platform where centring discipline matters most. Two patterns we see consistently winning across customer accounts:

Centred plate, generous margin, overhead or slight three-quarter angle. Plate dead-centre, food fills 60 to 70 percent of the frame, no plate edge pressed against the image border. The square crop falls cleanly on the plate. This style works for almost everything: pizza, bowls, salads, curries, main dishes.

Cut-section shot for layered food. Burger sliced in half showing the build, a sandwich photographed end-on with all layers visible, a pie with one slice lifted. Stacked dishes outperform whole-product photos at thumbnail size because customers want to see what is inside. The rule still applies: keep the cross-section centred with margin on all sides.

Avoid the bundle-overhead pattern in single-item slots. Multiple components arranged on one surface belong in the hero slot where Deliveroo asks for at least five different dishes.

What to do when Deliveroo rejects your photo

Deliveroo's rejection notices are usually generic and refer back to the merchant guidelines without specifying the cause. In our customer accounts the real reason is almost always one of: wrong file format (HEIC or PNG), the 1:1 centre crop slicing into the dish, hands or watermark visible, or the dish photographed alongside raw ingredients. Re-shoot or re-export rather than reuploading the same file with a renamed extension. Deliveroo's intake pipeline reads the actual file header, not the filename, so a HEIC renamed to .jpg still gets bounced.

If your menu changes often or you sell on Thuisbezorgd, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats simultaneously with their three different aspect ratios, the Menu Scanner processes a paper menu and exports each dish at the dimensions of every platform automatically. The food photo generator covers the same workflow for one dish at a time. Three free credits is enough to test it on one dish before deciding anything.