How to Make a LinkedIn Carousel (PDF Document Post) in 2026
LinkedIn carousels are PDF document posts. Here is the size, slide structure and step-by-step upload process, plus a free carousel maker that exports the PDF.
Published
What a LinkedIn carousel is
LinkedIn does not have a native image carousel like Instagram. The swipeable “carousel” you see in the feed is a document post: a PDF where each page becomes a slide. Document posts consistently earn high dwell time, which LinkedIn reads as a strong quality signal.
Specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | PDF (also PPT, PPTX, DOC, DOCX) |
| Max size | 100 MB, 300 pages |
| Recommended slide size | 1080 × 1350 (4:5) or 1080 × 1080 (1:1) |
| Ideal length | 6-12 slides |
| Title | Shown above the document; keep it short |
Make one in 5 minutes
- Open the Carousel Maker.
- Write your slides separated by blank lines. The first line of each slide is the heading.
- Choose 4:5 and a theme, add your name as the handle.
- Click Create carousel, then Download PDF for LinkedIn.
- On LinkedIn: Start a post → the ”+” or document icon → upload the PDF → add a short document title.
- Write the post text above it with the Post Formatter, keeping the hook in the first 210 characters.
Slide structure that keeps people swiping
- Slide 1, the hook: one bold promise (“7 interview questions that reveal a bad manager”).
- Slides 2-8, one point each: a short heading and two or three lines.
- Last slide, the action: summarise and ask for one thing: follow, comment or save.
Big text matters: most people read on phones. If a slide needs more than 40 words, split it.
Ideas that work as carousels
Frameworks, checklists, before/after case studies, step-by-step processes, “mistakes to avoid”, book summaries and data from your own work. Quote-style slides made with the Quote Image Maker can be combined into a PDF too.
FAQ
Can I post the same carousel on Instagram? Yes. Download the PNGs instead of the PDF and upload them as an Instagram carousel.
Why does my document look blurry? Low-resolution exports. The Carousel Maker exports at 1080 px per page.
Do document posts still get reach? Yes, especially for educational content; they tend to earn longer dwell time than text posts.
Can I add links inside the PDF? LinkedIn does not make PDF links clickable in the feed; put links in the comments.