YouTube banner size:
2560 × 1440 pixels
The YouTube banner size is 2560 × 1440 pixels, in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The minimum is 2048 × 1152. Keep the file at 6 MB or smaller. Put your text and logo in the centred safe area: 1235 × 338 pixels on a 2048 × 1152 banner. Text outside it can be cut off.
Source: YouTube Help. Last checked: .
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- Recommended
- 2560 × 1440 px"especially for TV"
- Minimum
- 2048 × 1152 px1024 × 576 is too small
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9
- Safe area
- 1235 × 338 pxat minimum size · about 1544 × 423 at 2560 × 1440
- Maximum file size
- 6 MB
Quick answersTV, computer, phoneSpec tableHow to change itFAQ
YouTube banner size, at a glance.
- Recommended size
- 2560 × 1440 pixels, "especially for TV".
- Minimum size
- 2048 × 1152 pixels. Smaller images are below the rule.
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9, the same shape as a widescreen video.
- Safe area
- 1235 × 338 px at minimum size. About 1544 × 423 at 2560 × 1440.
- Max file size
- 6 MB or smaller.
- On a computer
- A 2560 × 424 strip through the middle of a 2560 × 1440 banner.
- 1024 × 576?
- Too small. It is half the 2048 × 1152 minimum in each direction.
- Mobile size
- Same image as desktop. The sides can be cut, so use the safe area.
One image. Each screen shows a different part.
You upload a single banner and YouTube uses it everywhere. A TV shows all of it. A computer shows a wide strip through the middle. Phones and tablets show that strip smaller and can cut its sides. Pick a screen to see what it shows. Drawn to scale.
Every banner size and limit in one place.
Upload rules come from YouTube Help, checked 26 October 2026. The computer strip is our own reading of the banner image youtube.com loads on a channel page, on the same day.
| What | Size | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended upload | 2560 × 1440 px | YouTube Help, "especially for TV" |
| Minimum upload | 2048 × 1152 px | YouTube Help |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | YouTube Help |
| Maximum file size | 6 MB | YouTube Help |
| Safe area for text and logos | 1235 × 338 px on a 2048 × 1152 banner | YouTube Help |
| Same safe area at 2560 × 1440 | about 1544 × 423 px | Our arithmetic: 1235 × 338 times 1.25 |
| TV | The whole image | YouTube Help: fills the screen on larger devices |
| Computer | 2560 × 424 px strip from a 2560 × 1440 banner | Our reading of youtube.com, 26 October 2026 |
| Phone and tablet | The middle strip, sides can be cut | YouTube Help gives no exact size |
| File format | Not listed for banners | YouTube Help names none |
The safe area sits in the exact centre: 60.3% of the width and 29.3% of the height. The computer strip is 29.4% of the height, so on a computer the safe area's top and bottom are almost exactly the strip's edges. Anything above or below never shows there.
New banner done? Now match your thumbnails.
Your banner greets people who already found you. Thumbnails are how they find you. Base.Tube gives you three thumbnail ideas per video, with your face and your channel's style. Change anything in plain words, then download them for YouTube Test & Compare.
- Three ideas for each video
- Your face and your channel’s style
- Change anything in plain words
Minimum, recommended, and too small.
2048 × 1152 is the smallest banner YouTube accepts. It is fine, and the safe area is measured at this size. 2560 × 1440 is what YouTube recommends, for sharper banners on big screens. 1024 × 576 is half the minimum in each direction, a quarter of the pixels. YouTube Help does not mention it. If your design is that size, rebuild it at 2560 × 1440.
Six ways a banner goes wrong.
Text near the top or bottom
On a computer, everything above and below the middle strip is never shown. A channel name placed high up disappears for every desktop viewer. Keep all text inside the safe area.
Making a thin strip instead of a 16:9 image
A banner made at 2560 × 423 looks right in a design app but is not the shape YouTube asks for. Upload the full 16:9 image and let YouTube crop it. The TV shows all of it.
Using 1024 × 576 or another small size
Below 2048 × 1152 you are under the minimum. Start the design at 2560 × 1440 so it stays sharp on large screens.
Key text at the far left or right
Phones and tablets can cut the sides of the strip. Text that reaches the edges of the computer strip may be cut on a phone. The safe area is about 60% of the width, centred.
Borders, frames and drop shadows
YouTube Help asks you not to add file embellishments such as shadows, borders and frames. Each screen crops the banner differently, so a frame ends up cut on some sides and not others.
Small text that looks fine in the editor
On a computer the whole 2560-pixel-wide strip shrinks to the width of the page, and on a phone it is far smaller. Use a few large words, not a sentence.
On a computer, in four steps.
These are the steps in YouTube Help. You can also use the phone app, below.
Open YouTube Studio
Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer.
Go to Customization, then Profile
Both are in the left menu.
Change the banner image
Next to Banner image, click Change, pick your file, then adjust the crop in the preview and click Done.
Publish
Click Publish. The same banner is then used on TV, computer, tablet and phone.
In the YouTube app, Android or iPhone.
Open your channel
In the YouTube app on Android, iPhone or iPad, tap your profile picture, then go to your channel.
Tap Edit
Then tap the banner image.
Pick or take a photo
Choose an image from your phone or take a new one.
Save
Tap Save. In the YouTube Studio app it works the same way from your profile: edit profile, tap the banner, choose a photo, save.
The banner gets a visit. Thumbnails get the click.
People see your banner once they are already on your channel. They find you through thumbnails. The Base.Tube Studio makes YouTube thumbnails from a short description of your video, at the right size.
Questions about banner size.
What is the YouTube banner size?
YouTube recommends 2560 × 1440 pixels, especially for TV. The minimum is 2048 × 1152, in a 16:9 shape. Keep the file at 6 MB or smaller. Put text and logos in the centred safe area: 1235 × 338 pixels on a 2048 × 1152 banner. Source: YouTube Help, checked 26 October 2026.
What is the YouTube banner size for all devices?
You upload one image and YouTube uses it on TV, computer, tablet and phone. Each screen shows a different part. A TV shows the whole 16:9 image. A computer shows a full-width strip through the middle, about 29% of the height. Phones and tablets can cut the sides as well. Only the safe area in the centre is meant to show everywhere.
Is 2048 × 1152 the right YouTube banner size?
2048 × 1152 is the minimum YouTube accepts, not the recommended size. It works, and the 1235 × 338 safe area is measured at this size. For a sharper banner on large screens and TVs, YouTube recommends 2560 × 1440. Both are 16:9, so the same design scales from one to the other.
Can I use a 1024 × 576 YouTube banner?
No. 1024 × 576 is half of the minimum in each direction, so it has a quarter of the pixels. YouTube Help lists 2048 × 1152 as the minimum for upload and does not mention 1024 × 576. If your design is 1024 × 576, rebuild it at 2560 × 1440. Scaling a small image up adds pixels, not detail, so text turns soft.
What is the YouTube banner size on mobile?
There is no separate mobile banner. Phones use the same image as everything else and show a thin strip through the middle, which can also be cut at the sides. YouTube does not publish exact phone sizes. Keep your channel name and any text inside the safe area: 1235 × 338 pixels on a 2048 × 1152 banner, about 1544 × 423 on a 2560 × 1440 one.
What is the maximum file size for a YouTube banner?
6 MB. YouTube Help says the banner file should be 6 MB or smaller. A 2560 × 1440 JPG is usually well under that. If a PNG goes over, export it as JPG or lower the quality a little. YouTube Help also asks you not to add borders, frames or shadows to the image.
Sources
Upload rules: YouTube Help, "Manage your channel branding". Last checked: .
Computer strip: on 26 October 2026 we read the banner image youtube.com loads on a channel page. It is cropped to the full width and the middle 29.4% of the height; a 2560 × 1440 banner came back as 2560 × 424 pixels. The mobile site loads the same strip.
Your image is read in your browser and is never uploaded. The checker counts 1 MB as 1,000,000 bytes, the stricter reading, so a pass on file size is a safe pass.
Changelog
- 26 October 2026Page published. Every upload rule checked against YouTube Help. The computer strip read from youtube.com.
