Guide

Twitter Card types: summary vs summary_large_image

X keeps its own twitter:* tags even when og:* is complete. Open Graph describes the page. twitter:card picks the X layout: summary is a small thumbnail beside the title, and summary_large_image is a large landscape photo above the title and domain. Choose from the image you have. LinkedIn, Slack, and iMessage ignore twitter:card and keep reading Open Graph.

CardScope fetches the URL from the edge and rebuilds diagnostic shells from the tags it finds. It is not a pixel-perfect X UI. Use CardScope to confirm live twitter:card, the image URL, and the Open Graph fallback. Use a fresh X composer when you need the live card — see clear Open Graph cache.

Why X has its own twitter:* tags

• twitter:card — the layout switch. Open Graph has no equivalent. A finished og:title / og:description / og:image set still does not tell X whether to show a small thumb or a large photo.
• twitter:title, twitter:description, twitter:image — optional overrides. When they are absent, X often fills those fields from og:*.
• Other clients — LinkedIn ignores twitter:*. Shipping only Twitter tags leaves LinkedIn as a bare URL. See LinkedIn vs X.
• Other card values — player and app exist for video players and app installs. Articles, docs, and product pages almost always want summary or summary_large_image.

summary vs summary_large_image

A 1:1 image on summary_large_image letterboxes. A 1200×630 hero on summary shrinks to a thumb and hides the crop you designed. Size notes live in the OG image size guide. Discord also reads twitter:card when it chooses a large embed; LinkedIn does not. See Slack vs Discord and LinkedIn vs X.

What X uses when Twitter fields are missing

X reads twitter:* first, then falls back to Open Graph, then to the document <title> and meta description:

• Title — twitter:title, then og:title, then <title>. X usually cuts around 70 characters.
• Description — twitter:description, then og:description. It shows on summary. The large card usually drops it.
• Image — twitter:image (or twitter:image:src), then og:image. The URL needs to be absolute https://. Relative paths get dropped — see absolute vs relative OG image URL.

That fallback does not replace twitter:card. The tag still chooses large vs small. If it is missing, X may not render a card at all, even when Open Graph is complete. Set it.

You do not have to duplicate every field. If the X title and image should match the page, og:title, an absolute og:image, and twitter:card are enough for the large card. Add twitter:title or twitter:image only when X should differ — a shorter line, or a crop made for the large card. Length notes are in the OG title & description guide.

Common mistakes

HTTP image URLs get dropped the same way relative ones do. After the tags are right, X can still show an old card. Verify the live HTML, then refresh the cache — the clear Open Graph cache guide covers that step.

A minimal set

For a large landscape card, this is enough when the X title should match the page:

<meta property="og:title" content="A specific title, not the brand name">
<meta property="og:description" content="One sentence, 70–110 characters.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og.png">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/og.png">

For a small card, set twitter:card to summary and point the image at a square file, still on absolute https://. Add twitter:title only when it should differ from og:title. Same foundation as the Facebook, LinkedIn vs X, Slack vs Discord, WhatsApp / Telegram, and iMessage guides — one solid Open Graph set, then twitter:card for X’s layout.

Checklist before you ship

1. Pick the layout from the image — summary for a small square, summary_large_image for a landscape hero.
2. Set twitter:card to that value. Do not leave it unset and hope Open Graph implies a layout.
3. Use absolute https:// image URLs on twitter:image and og:image. The same file is fine. No relative paths.
4. Match the aspect — about 1200×630 for the large card. A square is fine for summary.
5. Keep titles in agreement and short enough that X’s ~70 character clip still reads. Description matters on summary; the large card usually hides it.
6. Verify with CardScope — reconstructed shells, the tag table, and the checklist — then refresh X if an old card is cached.

FAQ

What is the difference between summary and summary_large_image?

summary is a small thumbnail beside the title and a short description. summary_large_image is a large landscape photo above the title and domain; the description usually does not appear on that card. Choose the type that matches the image you actually have. Crop and size notes are in the OG image size guide.

Does X use Open Graph when Twitter tags are missing?

Often, for the text and the image. X prefers twitter:title, twitter:description, and twitter:image, then falls back to og:title, og:description, and og:image, then to the document title and meta description. twitter:card is not filled in by Open Graph. Set it, or X may not render a card.

Why keep twitter:card if og:image is already set?

og:image supplies a picture. twitter:card chooses the layout: a small thumb or a large landscape photo. A complete Open Graph image on the wrong card type still looks wrong. LinkedIn ignores twitter:card and keeps reading Open Graph — see LinkedIn vs X.

What are the common Twitter Card mistakes?

A card type that does not match the image aspect, a relative twitter:image, summary_large_image with no absolute image on twitter:image or og:image, and a twitter:title that does not match og:title or runs long enough to clip. Fix the tags, verify them, then refresh the X cache if the old card sticks. Image URL rules are in the absolute OG image URL guide; title length is in OG title & description.

Is CardScope free?

Three free checks per day per IP, no account. Pro is $19 once for unlimited checks. We parse HTML in memory and discard it — rate limits store a hash of your IP for 48 hours, not the page.