YouTube thumbnail size:
3840 × 2160 pixels
The YouTube thumbnail size is 3840 × 2160 pixels, in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The older 1280 × 720 still works, and the minimum is 640 pixels wide. Keep the file under 2 MB if you upload from the phone app, or 50 MB on a computer. Use JPG or PNG. Shorts use 2160 × 3840 (9:16).
Source: YouTube Help. Last checked: .
Check your thumbnail
Drop your thumbnail herePick your thumbnail
or paste it with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V
Checked in your browser. Your image is never uploaded.
- Resolution
- 3840 × 2160 px1280 × 720 still meets the rules
- Aspect ratio
- 16:99:16 for Shorts
- Minimum width
- 640 px640 px tall for Shorts
- Maximum file size
- 2 MB in the phone app50 MB on a computer
- Format
- JPG or PNGas named by YouTube Help
Quick answersReal-size previewSafe zoneSpec tablesHow to uploadFAQ
YouTube thumbnail size, at a glance.
- Dimensions in pixels
- 3840 × 2160 recommended. 1920 × 1080 and 1280 × 720 are also 16:9 and still accepted.
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 for videos. 9:16 for Shorts. 1:1 for podcast playlists.
- Minimum size
- 640 px wide for videos, 640 px tall for Shorts. Smaller images are rejected.
- File size limit
- 2 MB in the phone app (10 MB for podcasts). 50 MB in YouTube Studio on a computer.
- Formats
- JPG or PNG. These are the two formats YouTube Help names.
- How big it shows
- About 500 px wide in desktop search, 248 px in the up-next list, full width on a phone. Much larger on a TV.
- Safe area
- Keep the bottom-right corner clear. The video length label covers it.
- Shorts
- 2160 × 3840 at 9:16. Added only in YouTube Studio on a computer, from a verified account.
Viewers see it much smaller.
A 3840 × 2160 file is shown at 500 pixels wide in search on a computer and 248 pixels wide in the up-next list. This is your image at those sizes, next to a video length label. On a TV the thumbnail fills far more of the screen. YouTube gave that as the reason for allowing 4K thumbnails. We have not measured TV sizes, so they are not listed here.
Previewing: a sample image · use your own image
12:34In a 1440 px wide window.
12:34Full width on a 390 px wide phone.
12:34The smallest of the three.
Keep the bottom-right corner clear.
YouTube lays the video length over the bottom-right corner. Anything important underneath is hidden. Here is how much room to leave.
Drawn on: a sample image
Keep-clear corner Video length, longest format
1:02:371:02:37How big is the corner?
The video length is a black label, 20 px tall. It is 32 px wide for a short video and up to 64 px wide for one that runs over an hour. It sits 8 px in from the corner on search results and 4 px on the small up-next list.
Because the label keeps its size while the thumbnail shrinks, it takes a bigger share of small thumbnails. The widest label covers 14.4% by 10.0% of a 500 px thumbnail, and 27.4% by 17.3% of a 248 px one. We rounded up to 28% of the width by 18% of the height.
On desktop, buttons for mute and captions appear in the top-right corner when someone points at the thumbnail, and a thin red progress line can run along the bottom edge while a hover preview plays. Keep the key parts of your picture and your words in the middle.
| Your image | Bottom-right corner |
|---|---|
| 3840 × 2160 px | 1075 × 389 px |
| 1920 × 1080 px | 538 × 194 px |
| 1280 × 720 px | 358 × 130 px |
Every size and limit in one place.
Upload rules come from YouTube Help, checked 22 October 2026. The sizes viewers see are our own measurements from 29 September 2026.
| Setting | Video | Short |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended resolution | 3840 × 2160 px | 2160 × 3840 px |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 9:16 |
| Minimum | 640 px wide | 640 px tall |
| File size, phone app | 2 MB | Not available. Shorts thumbnails are added in YouTube Studio on a computer. |
| File size, computer | 50 MB | 50 MB |
| Format | JPG or PNG | JPG or PNG |
Podcast playlists use a 1:1 thumbnail instead of 16:9, with a 10 MB limit in the phone app and 50 MB on a computer. Custom Shorts thumbnails also need a verified account.
| Where | Size we measured | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop search results | 500 × 281 px | 16:9 |
| Desktop watch page, up next | 248 × 139 px | 16:9 |
| Phone, search and watch list | 390 × 219 px, full width | 16:9 |
| Shorts shelf, phone search | 175 × 263 px | 2:3 box |
| Embedded player preview | Your full-size file | 16:9 |
Measured on youtube.com on 29 September 2026 in Chrome, signed out, in a 1440 px wide window on desktop and a 390 px wide window on a phone. YouTube states that the embedded player uses your thumbnail as its preview image, which is why it asks for the largest size you can give it.
Looking for the Roblox thumbnail size? That is a different platform. The Roblox Creator Hub asks for 16:9, ideally 1920 × 1080 pixels, in JPG, GIF, PNG, TGA or BMP. A YouTube video about a Roblox game still uses the YouTube sizes above.
Add or change a thumbnail in four steps.
These are the steps in YouTube Help for a computer. Shorts thumbnails can only be added this way.
Open YouTube Studio
Sign in on a computer and choose Content in the left menu. For a Short, pick the Shorts tab at the top.
Open the video
Click the pencil icon next to the video or Short you want to change.
Upload your image
Under Thumbnail, click Upload file and pick your JPG or PNG. Get suggestions makes options for you instead.
Save
Click Save. YouTube says the new thumbnail can take a while to show everywhere.
No Upload file button, or the image was rejected?
- Your account is not verified. Custom thumbnails need a verified account.
- You hit the daily limit. YouTube shows "Daily custom thumbnail limit reached". Wait 24 hours.
- Your channel has Community Guidelines strikes. They reduce how many custom thumbnails you can upload.
- The image breaks YouTube policy, for example nudity, violence or hate speech. It can be removed and earn a strike.
Six ways a correct-looking thumbnail goes wrong.
Uploading a square or 4:3 image
YouTube shows thumbnails in a 16:9 frame. Any other shape is cropped or padded with bars. Design at 16:9 from the start, or crop it with the resizer.
Putting a face or text in the bottom-right corner
The video length sits on top of that corner. Keep it clear. The safe zone above shows how much room to leave.
Text that only reads at full size
In the desktop sidebar the thumbnail is 248 pixels wide. Small text turns into noise. Look at the smallest preview before you upload, and cut words until it reads.
Going over 2 MB in the phone app
The phone app stops at 2 MB for video thumbnails. A computer allows 50 MB. Upload from YouTube Studio on a computer, or compress the file.
Stretching a small image up to 4K
Enlarging adds pixels, not detail. The file gets heavier and stays soft. Start from the sharpest original you have.
Using a 16:9 thumbnail on a vertical video
YouTube replaces it with an auto-generated 4:5 image on the home, explore and subscription pages. For Shorts, upload 9:16.
Right size. Now make it good.
- Resize to 16:9Crop and export at 1280 × 720, 1920 × 1080 or 3840 × 2160. Runs in your browser.
- Preview it on YouTubeSee your thumbnail and title in the home feed, search, up-next list and on a phone.
- Compare versionsPut 2 or 3 thumbnails side by side at feed size, blurred, in grayscale and under the length label.
- Pick a fontFonts for thumbnail text that has to read at small sizes.
- Find a backgroundBackgrounds for 16:9 thumbnails.
- Get ideasThumbnail ideas by game and by style.
The right size is only step one.
Size is a rule you can check. Whether people click a thumbnail is something no tool can predict. Only the click-through rate YouTube reports on your own videos tells you. Base.Tube's free channel audit shows real impressions and CTR for each video once you connect your channel.
Questions about thumbnail size.
What is the YouTube thumbnail size?
YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels for video thumbnails, in a 16:9 frame. For Shorts it recommends 2160 × 3840, in 9:16. The minimum is 640 pixels wide for videos and 640 pixels tall for Shorts. The older 1280 × 720 size still meets the rules. Source: YouTube Help, checked 22 October 2026.
What is the YouTube thumbnail aspect ratio?
Use 16:9 for video thumbnails. That means 16 units wide for every 9 units tall, as in 3840 × 2160, 1920 × 1080 or 1280 × 720. Use 9:16 for Shorts and 1:1 for podcast playlists. Any other shape does not fill the frame, so it can be cropped or shown with bars.
What resolution should a YouTube thumbnail be? Is 1280 × 720 still fine?
YouTube Help recommends 3840 × 2160 and says to make the image as large as possible, because it is also the preview image in the embedded player. You do not need 4K. 1280 × 720 is still accepted, since the minimum width is only 640 pixels. If a 4K file goes over 2 MB and you upload from the phone app, use 1920 × 1080 instead.
How big is a YouTube thumbnail on screen?
Much smaller than the file. On 29 September 2026 we measured 500 × 281 pixels in desktop search, 248 × 139 in the desktop up-next list, and 390 × 219 on a phone. These are CSS pixels; sharp screens draw more real pixels. On a TV the thumbnail fills far more of the screen, which is why YouTube moved to 4K files.
What is the maximum file size for a YouTube thumbnail?
It depends on where you upload from. In the YouTube phone app the limit is 2 MB for video thumbnails and 10 MB for podcast thumbnails. In YouTube Studio on a computer it is 50 MB for video, Shorts and podcast thumbnails. YouTube announced the move from 2 MB to 50 MB in October 2025, to serve 4K thumbnails on TV screens.
What is the minimum size for a YouTube thumbnail?
A video thumbnail must be at least 640 pixels wide. A Shorts thumbnail must be at least 640 pixels tall. YouTube Help gives no other minimum. An image that small looks soft on large screens, so treat 640 pixels as the floor and 1280 × 720 or more as the target.
Which file formats does YouTube accept for thumbnails?
YouTube Help asks for image formats "such as JPG or PNG", and those are the only two it names. Older versions of the page also listed GIF, but the current one does not, so stick to JPG or PNG. JPG usually gives the smaller file. PNG keeps the edges of text cleaner.
What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
YouTube recommends 2160 × 3840 pixels at 9:16, with a minimum height of 640 pixels. You can add a custom Shorts thumbnail only in YouTube Studio on a computer, and your account must be verified. If a vertical video has a 16:9 custom thumbnail, YouTube replaces it with an auto-generated 4:5 image on the home, explore and subscription pages.
How do I resize an image to the YouTube thumbnail size?
Crop it to 16:9 first, then scale it. Cropping fixes the shape; scaling fixes the pixel count. Our free thumbnail resizer does both in your browser and exports 1280 × 720, 1920 × 1080 or 3840 × 2160. Start from the largest original you have. Enlarging a small image adds pixels, not detail.
What is the Roblox thumbnail size?
Roblox has its own rules. Its Creator Hub says an experience thumbnail should be 16:9 and ideally 1920 × 1080 pixels, in JPG, GIF, PNG, TGA or BMP. Roblox stretches other shapes to 16:9. You can show up to 10 images or videos per experience. A YouTube video about Roblox still follows the YouTube sizes on this page.
Sources
Upload rules: YouTube Help, "Add custom thumbnails on YouTube". Last checked: .
The 2 MB to 50 MB change and the TV reason behind it: YouTube Official Blog, 29 October 2025. Roblox sizes: Roblox Creator Hub, "Thumbnails", checked 22 October 2026.
Sizes viewers see, and the video length label: our own measurements on youtube.com on . 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.
YouTube can change these limits at any time, so check the source before a big upload.
Changelog
- 22 October 2026Re-read YouTube Help. Every upload rule on this page still matches it: no number changed. Added quick answers, how to upload, Shorts, Roblox and more FAQ. The sizes viewers see were not re-measured.
- 29 September 2026First version. Every number checked against YouTube Help. The format line names JPG and PNG only; GIF is no longer listed. The sizes viewers see were measured on youtube.com.
- 29 October 2025YouTube announced on its official blog that the thumbnail file limit would go from 2 MB to 50 MB, to serve 4K thumbnails on TV screens. YouTube Help now lists 50 MB on a computer and 2 MB in the phone app.
