Twitter Card Validator — Preview Twitter (X) Link Cards (Free)
Validate twitter:card meta tags. Preview summary, summary_large_image, app, and player cards. Image-size warnings, fallback-to-OG check. Free.
About Twitter Card Validator
A Twitter Card validator fetches a URL, extracts every `twitter:*` meta tag (with Open Graph fallback when twitter:* is absent), and renders the link card as it would appear in a tweet. The ZTools Twitter Card Validator supports all four card types — summary, summary_large_image, app, player — with per-type field validation, image dimension and file-size checks against current X (Twitter) rules, and a fallback report showing which fields would be inherited from Open Graph if twitter:* is missing.
Use cases
- Verifying a new article will display a large image card on X. summary_large_image is dramatically more clickable than summary (small thumbnail). The validator confirms your tags trigger the large-image variant before you tweet.
- Diagnosing why X strips your image and shows just a link. Common causes: twitter:image missing (and og:image too), image format unsupported (X rejects WebP for cards as of 2026), image > 5 MB, image not HTTPS-accessible. The validator flags each.
- Adding app cards for a mobile app. App cards (twitter:card "app") deep-link to App Store / Play Store with metadata. The validator checks every required field for both stores so the install card renders correctly.
- Confirming OG fallback covers when you don't set twitter:*. You don't need both. Set OG comprehensively, and twitter:card "summary_large_image" — Twitter pulls title/description/image from OG. The validator confirms the fallback works.
How it works
- Enter a URL. Public HTTP/HTTPS URL. The tool fetches and parses the `<head>`.
- Extract twitter:* and OG tags. Both sets, because Twitter falls back to OG for missing twitter:*. The validator shows which value will actually be used per field.
- Validate twitter:card type and required fields. summary needs title + description + image (≥120×120). summary_large_image needs an image at least 300×157 (recommended 1200×675). app and player have their own required fields.
- Validate image dimensions and size. Format (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP — but WebP not supported for X cards), max size 5 MB, min 120×120 for summary, recommended 1200×675 for large.
- Render the preview. See exactly how X will display the card. Large image vs small thumbnail vs full app install card.
Examples
Input: https://example.com (twitter:card summary_large_image, twitter:image 1200×675)
Output: Card type: summary_large_image. Image: 1200×675 ✓. Title from OG. Description from OG. Renders large image card.
Input: https://example.com/page (no twitter:* tags)
Output: No twitter:* tags. OG fallback: title ✓, description ✓, image ✓ but in WebP — X will strip image. Convert to JPG/PNG.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between summary and summary_large_image?
summary shows a small square thumbnail next to text. summary_large_image shows a wide horizontal image above text. Large is dramatically more clickable; default to it for content sites.
Do I need twitter:* tags if I have Open Graph?
Twitter falls back to OG, so you don't need duplicate fields. You DO need twitter:card to declare the card type. So the minimum: `<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">` plus a complete OG set.
What image formats does X support for cards?
JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP. WebP and AVIF are NOT supported for X cards (as of 2026), even though they work fine elsewhere. If your og:image is WebP, also set twitter:image to a JPG/PNG variant.
Why is my card not rendering on X?
Common: image too small, image not HTTPS, image too large (>5 MB), URL behind authentication, twitter:card missing. The validator checks each.
Did the official Twitter Card Validator go away?
The official validator was discontinued. Third-party tools (this one included) reproduce the card-rendering logic from public spec — the previews match real X behavior.
Are app cards still supported?
Yes — `twitter:card="app"` for mobile app deep-link cards. Required fields for both iOS and Android variants must be set; validator covers both.
Pro tips
- Default to summary_large_image for content sites — much higher click-through.
- Use a JPG or PNG for twitter:image even if your og:image is WebP — X doesn't support WebP cards.
- Set twitter:card explicitly even when relying on OG for the rest — Twitter needs the card type declaration.
- Test in the validator before tweeting; X caches aggressively after the first scrape.
Reviewed by Ahsan Mahmood · Last updated 2026-05-05 · Part of ZTools.
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