Key takeaways
- The recommended YouTube thumbnail size is 3840 × 2160 pixels (16:9); for a Short it is 2160 × 3840 (9:16).
- The minimum is 640 pixels wide for a video thumbnail and 640 pixels tall for a Shorts thumbnail.
- Save it as a JPG or PNG: under 2 MB to upload from a phone, under 50 MB from a computer.
- 1280 × 720 is the safe everyday export: 16:9, sharp at the sizes thumbnails are seen, and small enough for any upload.
- Custom thumbnails need a verified account, which takes a phone number and a code YouTube sends you.
The recommended YouTube thumbnail size and dimensions
Make a video thumbnail 3840 × 2160 pixels, in a 16:9 frame. YouTube's help page on custom thumbnails sets the floor at 640 pixels wide for a video and 640 pixels tall for a Short, and sums up everything above that floor in one line: "Your custom thumbnail image should be as large as possible."
| Setting | Video thumbnail | Shorts thumbnail |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended size | 3840 × 2160 pixels | 2160 × 3840 pixels |
| Minimum size | 640 pixels wide | 640 pixels tall |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 9:16 |
| File type | JPG or PNG | JPG or PNG |
| Largest file from a phone | 2 MB | Not available: Shorts thumbnails are added on a computer |
| Largest file from a computer | 50 MB | 50 MB |
| Who can add one | Verified accounts | Verified accounts |
The two file limits depend on the device you upload from, not on the thumbnail. A phone accepts a video thumbnail of up to 2 MB; YouTube Studio on a computer accepts up to 50 MB. A full 3840 × 2160 image saved as a PNG is often far over 2 MB, so if you upload from your phone, export a JPG or a smaller size.
Is 1280 × 720 still a good thumbnail size?
Yes. For most uploads it is the safest choice. 1280 × 720 is 16:9, comfortably above the 640-pixel minimum width, and a JPG of that size is small enough to upload from a phone or a computer. It has been the everyday export for YouTube thumbnails for years, and it stays sharp at the sizes people actually see them: a card in a phone feed, a row of suggestions beside a video, a search result.
Go bigger when it pays. A thumbnail with fine detail, such as small type, a landscape or a product shot, benefits from 1920 × 1080 or the full 3840 × 2160, and YouTube also shows thumbnails on televisions, where they appear large. Upload those bigger files from a computer, where the limit is 50 MB. Going bigger only helps if the source image is big: a small photo stretched to 4K gets softer, not sharper.
| Size | When to use it |
|---|---|
| 1280 × 720 | 16:9, under 2 MB — uploads from a phone or a computer |
| 1920 × 1080 | 16:9, under 2 MB — sharper, still phone-safe |
| 3840 × 2160 | 16:9, YouTube's recommended size — upload from a computer (under 50 MB) |
| 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 for a Short, under 2 MB |
The YouTube thumbnail resizer makes any image into any of these sizes. It crops to fill the frame or fits the whole picture with bars, then compresses the JPG until it is under the limit, all in your browser: the image is never uploaded.
YouTube Shorts thumbnail size
A Shorts thumbnail is vertical: 2160 × 3840 pixels in 9:16, at least 640 pixels tall, saved as a JPG or PNG. YouTube says custom thumbnails for Shorts are "currently only available to add in YouTube Studio on a computer", and as with videos, your account must be verified.
Give a vertical video a vertical thumbnail. YouTube's help page warns: "Vertical videos with 16:9 custom thumbnails will be replaced by an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail on the home, explore, and subscription pages." A landscape design on a Short is therefore not what most of its viewers will see.
Keep the subject near the center of a vertical frame, with room around it, so it still reads when the image is shown small. If you are adapting a landscape design, the aspect ratio calculator gives the exact 9:16 size for any height, and the rules for Shorts themselves are in how long YouTube Shorts can be.
How to add a custom thumbnail on YouTube
Verify your account, then upload the image in YouTube Studio. Every channel can choose one of YouTube's auto-generated suggestions, but uploading your own needs a verified account. Verifying takes a phone number: YouTube sends a code by text or voice call, and once you are verified you can add custom thumbnails, upload videos longer than 15 minutes and live stream.
Add a thumbnail to a video
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- From the left menu, select Content.
- Find the video and select its edit icon.
- Under Thumbnail, select Upload file and choose your image: a JPG or PNG within the size limit.
- Select Save.
Add a thumbnail to a Short
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer.
- Select Content, then Shorts at the top.
- Find the Short and select its edit icon.
- Under Thumbnail, select Upload file and choose a 9:16 image.
- Save the change.
A new thumbnail can take a while to appear everywhere on YouTube, so don't upload it twice. Channels also have a daily cap on custom thumbnail uploads; if Studio says you have reached it, wait 24 hours and try again.
YouTube thumbnail best practices
A good thumbnail makes one clear promise that reads in a second on a phone. That second is close to literal: YouTube counts an impression when a thumbnail is shown for more than one second with at least half of it on screen, and that glance is all the time a thumbnail gets to earn the click.
- One idea, made big. A reaction, a single object, a before-and-after or one striking number: pick one and let it fill the frame. Three competing elements read as none at phone size.
- Few words, large type. YouTube's own thumbnail tips ask for "a font that's easy to read" and add: "Try not to make the design too complex." Three or four words is plenty; the title carries the rest.
- Contrast that survives the feed. Strong color and a clean background stand out, though as YouTube puts it, "Dynamic use of color and composition can help catch the eye, but too much can overwhelm it."
- Show what the title doesn't say. The thumbnail and the title are two halves of one message. When both repeat the same words, half the space is wasted.
- Stay honest. YouTube's thumbnails policy rules out "a thumbnail that misleads viewers to think they're about to view something that's not in the video", and viewers who feel tricked leave early.
- Be recognizable, not repetitive. A consistent color, font or layout helps returning viewers spot your videos, but the idea in the picture should change every time.
Thumbnails must also follow YouTube's Community Guidelines. A thumbnail with nudity, hate speech, violence or harmful content can be rejected and earn a strike, and YouTube's thumbnail help page says repeat offenses "may lead to the removal of your custom thumbnail privileges for 30 days or even account termination."
How to make a YouTube thumbnail
Start from the idea, not the image editor. Write the title first, then decide what the picture adds to it: the result, the moment of surprise, the thing the viewer wants to see for themselves. Only then open a design app.
- Write the title, then one line on what the thumbnail shows that the title doesn't say.
- Set up a 16:9 canvas at 1280 × 720 or larger, or a 9:16 canvas for a Short.
- Place one focal point off-center, on the rule of thirds that YouTube's tips suggest, and add a few large words only if they add something the picture can't.
- Shrink it to phone size and look at it for one second. If the idea isn't obvious, simplify it.
- Export a JPG or PNG under 2 MB, so it uploads from any device.
- Upload it in YouTube Studio, then check how it does over the first day.
If you already have an image, the thumbnail resizer crops or fits it to 1280 × 720, 1920 × 1080, 3840 × 2160 or 1080 × 1920 and compresses it to fit. To study what works in your niche, the YouTube thumbnail downloader shows any video's thumbnail at every size it can find, up to 1280 × 720. That makes it useful for reference, though the images belong to the channels that made them.
Or let VidMyth plan it with you. The YouTube thumbnail maker starts from your title and what happens in the video's first minute. It suggests ideas in deliberately different formats (a safe one, one that contrasts with what your niche's feed is full of, and a bold one), then draws the one you pick, checks every letter of its text, and shows it at phone size and among the current results for your title before you upload.
How to tell if a thumbnail is working
Watch its click-through rate over the first day. YouTube Analytics reports thumbnail impressions and the impressions click-through rate, which YouTube defines as "how often viewers watched a video after seeing a thumbnail". Its title and thumbnail tips suggest checking that rate on Home and Suggested in the first 24 hours after publication, and in the Subscriptions feed for subscribers.
Compare a thumbnail with your own channel's results, not with numbers quoted online. Click-through rate moves with the topic, the traffic source and how widely a video is being shown, so one thumbnail can look weak in one report and strong in another.
Then test instead of guessing. YouTube Studio's A/B test for titles and thumbnails lets you "test and compare up to 3 different titles and thumbnails" on one video and picks the winner by watch time share, not by clicks. It runs on a computer only, needs advanced features turned on and isn't available for Shorts, and a test "should be completed within two weeks."
Judging by watch time is the point. A thumbnail that pulls clicks from people who leave in ten seconds loses to one that pulls the right viewers. Older videos deserve the same attention: YouTube's tips suggest "experimenting with updating older thumbnails to increase your video's appeal to new viewers", a cheap test on any video still getting impressions. For the rest of the picture, see how to get views on YouTube.
Questions
What is the best size for a YouTube thumbnail?
YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels in 16:9, and at least 640 pixels wide. In practice 1280 × 720 is the everyday choice: sharp at the sizes thumbnails are shown, and small enough to upload from a phone as a JPG.
What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
2160 × 3840 pixels in 9:16, at least 640 pixels tall, saved as a JPG or PNG. Custom Shorts thumbnails can only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer, and only by verified accounts.
What is the maximum file size for a YouTube thumbnail?
2 MB when you upload a video thumbnail from a phone, and 50 MB from a computer. A JPG at 1280 × 720 fits under either limit; a 3840 × 2160 PNG usually needs the computer.
Why can't I upload a custom thumbnail on YouTube?
Usually because the account isn't verified: custom thumbnails need phone verification. Other causes are the daily custom thumbnail limit (wait 24 hours), a Community Guidelines strike, or a file that is too large or not a JPG or PNG.
Can a YouTube thumbnail be a PNG?
Yes. YouTube takes thumbnails "in image formats such as JPG or PNG". A PNG keeps text and graphics crisp but makes a bigger file, so check it is under 2 MB if you upload from a phone.
How do I make a YouTube thumbnail?
Decide the one idea it should show, design it on a 16:9 canvas at 1280 × 720 or larger, keep the text to a few large words, check it at phone size, then export a JPG or PNG under the limit and upload it in YouTube Studio.
What aspect ratio is a YouTube thumbnail?
16:9 for videos and 9:16 for Shorts. A 16:9 thumbnail on a vertical video is replaced by an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail on the home, explore and subscription pages, so give vertical videos a vertical thumbnail.