Quick answer: A YouTube thumbnail should be 1280 × 720 pixels (16:9, at least 640 pixels wide) and under 2 MB, as JPG, PNG or GIF, according to YouTube's help pages. This page crops or fits your image to 1280 × 720 and saves a high-quality JPG that is usually a few hundred KB, in your browser.
YouTube wants custom thumbnails at 1280 × 720 in a 16:9 shape and under 2 MB. Drop in a screenshot or a photo and get a thumbnail that is ready to upload.
Resize for YouTube thumbnail at a glance
| Price | Free, no sign-up, no watermark, no daily limit |
|---|---|
| Accepts | JPG · PNG · WEBP · HEIC · HEIF · GIF · BMP · AVIF |
| Largest file | 50 MB per file, several files at once |
| Where it runs | In your browser: files are never uploaded |
| Works on | Any modern browser on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux |
| Send the result | Download it, or send it free with a link or by email (up to 20 GB) |
How to resize for YouTube thumbnail
- Choose the image: a frame from your video, a photo or a design.
- Keep Video thumbnail, or pick Channel banner or Profile picture.
- Keep Crop to fill, or choose a Fit option to show the whole picture.
- Press Resize for YouTube and upload the JPG in YouTube Studio.
YouTube image sizes
| Image | Size | YouTube's rules |
|---|---|---|
| Video thumbnail | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9, at least 640 px wide, under 2 MB, JPG, PNG or GIF |
| Channel banner | 2560 × 1440 px | At least 2048 × 1152, up to 6 MB; only a middle strip shows on every device |
| Profile picture | 800 × 800 px | Shown as a circle, much smaller |
These follow YouTube's help pages at the time of writing. YouTube may ask you to verify your account before you can upload custom thumbnails; YouTube Studio tells you if so.
Thumbnails that read at a glance
- Think small: most people see your thumbnail at a fraction of its size on a phone. Big faces and a few large words work; fine detail disappears.
- Watch the corner: YouTube puts the video length in the lower right corner, so keep text and faces out of it.
- Start from a sharp frame: grab one from your video with Video to JPG, then add a title with Add text to image.
Under 2 MB without trying
A 1280 × 720 image saved as JPG at this page's quality is usually a few hundred KB, far under YouTube's 2 MB limit, even from a huge camera photo. If you switch Save as to PNG for a graphic with sharp text, check the size shown next to the result; a busy photo saved as PNG can go over 2 MB, and then Compress PNG or JPG is the fix.
For the channel banner, YouTube shows the full image only on TVs; phones and computers show a middle strip of about 1546 × 423 pixels at this size. Keep your channel name and logo inside it. Your images are resized on your device and never uploaded to us.
How this compares
| This tool | Online converters (e.g. TinyPNG, iLoveIMG or CloudConvert) | Desktop apps (e.g. Photoshop) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your file is uploaded | No | Yes, to their servers | No |
| Install or account | None | Account for some features | Install needed |
| Watermark or daily limits | None | Common on free plans | Depends on the app |
Plans of other services change; check their sites. More image tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube thumbnail size?
YouTube's help pages ask for 1280 × 720 pixels, a 16:9 shape, with a minimum width of 640 pixels, in a JPG, PNG or GIF file under 2 MB.
Why does my thumbnail get rejected?
Usually it is over 2 MB or in the wrong format. A JPG from this page is typically a few hundred KB. YouTube may also ask you to verify your account before it allows custom thumbnails.
How do I make a thumbnail from my video?
Save a frame with Video to JPG, add a title with Add text to image if you like, then resize it here to 1280 × 720.
Is my image uploaded?
No. It is resized in your browser; you upload it to YouTube yourself.
Need to send a big file?
Send files up to 20 GB with a download link or by email. Free, no account needed, original quality.
Send large files free