Drop images to resize for YouTubeAdd images to resize for YouTube
Make thumbnails and banners exactly the size YouTube asks for.
or paste with CtrlCommandV JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, BMP, TIFF, ICO, PSD or SVG
Your files never leave your deviceAbout this tool
YouTube thumbnail and banner sizes
YouTube asks for video thumbnails of 3840 × 2160 pixels (16:9, at least 640 wide), Shorts thumbnails of 2160 × 3840 (9:16) and a channel banner of 2560 × 1440, at least 2048 × 1152. Pick the format, choose Fill to crop or Fit to add borders, and press Resize.
YouTube image sizes, as of October 2026
| Image | Pixels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video thumbnail, 16:9 | 3840 × 2160 | At least 640 wide. Up to 2 MB from a phone, 50 MB from a computer. |
| Shorts thumbnail, 9:16 | 2160 × 3840 | At least 640 tall. Up to 50 MB from a computer. |
| Channel banner, 16:9 | 2560 × 1440 | At least 2048 × 1152, up to 6 MB. Keep text in the middle, the safe area. |
| Profile picture | Shown at 98 × 98 | Square, up to 15 MB: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG, not animated. |
| Video watermark | At least 150 × 150 | Square, under 1 MB. |
| Podcast playlist | 1:1 | A square thumbnail instead of 16:9. |
Checked on against YouTube Help: Add custom thumbnails on YouTube and YouTube Help: Manage your channel branding. Platforms change their sizes now and then, so check there if something looks off.
Thumbnails: 3840 × 2160, not 1280 × 720
You’ll often see 1280 × 720 given as the thumbnail size: it is what YouTube used to ask for. Its help now asks for 3840 × 2160, the same 16:9 shape at three times the width and height, with a minimum width of 640. Shorts get the same standing up: 2160 × 3840, at 9:16.
A screenshot or a frame from your video is often smaller than that. Enlarging it can’t add detail, so the size readout warns you before you press Resize; it still meets YouTube’s minimum as long as it is at least 640 pixels wide.
From a computer a thumbnail may be up to 50 MB, but the YouTube app on a phone takes only 2 MB. If yours is bigger, open Compress Image and set a target size of 2 MB: the pixels stay 3840 × 2160.
Fill or Fit for a thumbnail
Fill crops your image to 16:9 and then resizes it, so the thumbnail covers the whole frame. If the face or the title ends up too close to an edge, open Crop Image and move the frame; the thumbnail stays 3840 × 2160.
Fit keeps the whole image and adds borders at the sides or above and below, in white, black or any colour. It is the way to use a portrait photo or a square logo without cutting it.
A JPG is re-saved once, at quality 90 out of 100, from your original; a PNG stays lossless.
How it works
-
Step 1:Add your images
Drop in a photo, a screenshot or a design, or choose it from your device.
-
Step 2:Pick the format
Thumbnail is ready. Choose Shorts or Banner instead, then Fill to crop or Fit to add borders.
-
Step 3:Press Resize, then save
Nothing changes until you press Resize. Then save the image and add it in YouTube Studio.
Questions, answered
What size is a YouTube thumbnail?
3840 × 2160 pixels at 16:9, as of October 2026, with a minimum width of 640. Older guides say 1280 × 720, the size YouTube used to ask for; it is the same shape, so it still works, at lower resolution.
What size is a YouTube banner?
2560 × 1440 pixels is recommended, and 2048 × 1152 is the smallest YouTube accepts, both 16:9 and up to 6 MB. Keep text and logos inside the safe area in the middle.
What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
2160 × 3840 pixels, the 9:16 shape of a Short standing up, with a minimum height of 640. Pick Shorts above.
Why won’t YouTube accept my thumbnail from my phone?
The YouTube app takes thumbnails of up to 2 MB (50 MB from a computer). Make the file smaller with Compress Image, setting a target size of 2 MB, or add it from a computer instead.
What size should a YouTube profile picture be?
YouTube shows it at 98 × 98 pixels and accepts files of up to 15 MB. It is square, so crop your photo to 1:1 with a bit of room around your face.
Can I make a thumbnail from a portrait photo?
Yes. Choose Fit to keep the whole photo with borders at the sides, or Fill to crop a 16:9 band out of it; Crop Image then lets you choose which band.
Sizes for other platforms
The same Fill or Fit, with each platform’s own sizes.
Video thumbnail, 16:9, 3840 × 2160Thumbnail · 3840 × 2160 · Fill
Format
Size
Fill or fit
Crops the edges to fill the frame.
New size
Add images to make them this size.