YouTube thumbnail size:
3840 × 2160 pixels
YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels in a 16:9 frame. The older 1280 × 720 still works. Keep the file under 2 MB if you upload from the phone app, or 50 MB on a computer. Use JPG or PNG.
Source: YouTube Help. Last checked: .
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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
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.
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 29 September 2026. The sizes viewers see are our own measurements.
| 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.
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.
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, and 2160 × 3840 for Shorts. The minimum is 640 pixels wide for videos. The older 1280 × 720 size still meets the rules. Source: YouTube Help, last checked 29 September 2026.
What is the YouTube thumbnail aspect ratio?
Use 16:9 for video thumbnails and 9:16 for Shorts. Podcast playlists use 1:1. Any other shape does not fill the frame, so it can be cropped or shown with bars.
Is 1280 × 720 still fine, or do I need 4K?
You do not need 4K. 1280 × 720 is still accepted, because the minimum width is only 640 pixels. YouTube Help now recommends 3840 × 2160 and says to make the image as large as possible, since it is also used as the preview image in the embedded player. If your 4K file goes over 2 MB and you upload from the phone app, use 1920 × 1080 or 1280 × 720 instead.
What is the maximum thumbnail file size?
It depends on the device you upload from. In the YouTube phone app the limit is 2 MB for video thumbnails. In YouTube Studio on a computer it is 50 MB. Before the March 2026 update the limit was 2 MB everywhere.
What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
YouTube recommends 2160 × 3840 pixels at 9:16, with a minimum height of 640 pixels. Custom Shorts thumbnails can currently only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer, and your account must be verified. On a vertical video, a 16:9 custom thumbnail is replaced by an auto-generated 4:5 image on the home, explore and subscription pages.
Which file formats does YouTube accept for thumbnails?
YouTube Help names JPG and PNG. Older versions of the page, and early coverage of the 2026 update, also listed GIF, but the current page does not, so stick to JPG or PNG. JPG usually gives the smallest file. PNG keeps the edges of text cleaner.
Sources
Upload rules: YouTube Help, "Add custom thumbnails on YouTube". Last checked: .
Sizes viewers see, and the video length label: our own measurements on youtube.com on 29 September 2026. 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.
Base.Tube is not affiliated with YouTube. YouTube can change these limits at any time, so check the source before a big upload.
Changelog
- 29 September 2026First version. Every number checked against YouTube Help. They match the March 2026 update, except that the format line now names JPG and PNG only; GIF is no longer listed. The sizes viewers see were measured on youtube.com.
- March 2026YouTube raised the upload limit on computers from 2 MB to 50 MB and began recommending 3840 × 2160, up from 1280 × 720. The phone app stayed at 2 MB.