What size is a YouTube thumbnail?

YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 px (16:9), up to 50 MB from a computer. 1280 × 720 px still works and is the size to use from the YouTube app, where the limit is 2 MB.

Is 1280 × 720 still a good YouTube thumbnail size?

Yes. It's 16:9, well above the 640 px minimum, and sharp everywhere except big 4K screens. It's also the safest size for uploads from the YouTube app.

What is the YouTube thumbnail file size limit?

2 MB from the YouTube app and 50 MB from a computer. The 1280 × 720 preset here is kept under 2 MB automatically.

What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?

2160 × 3840 px (9:16). Custom Shorts thumbnails can only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer, with a verified account.

Why can't I add a custom thumbnail on YouTube?

Your account isn't verified yet. Verify it in YouTube Studio, which asks for a phone number, and the upload option appears. Also check the file is under 2 MB if you're on your phone.

Where does the time stamp cover a YouTube thumbnail?

The bottom-right corner: about the last 13% of the width and 9% of the height. Keep faces and text out of it.

Yes, the crop, resize, compress and convert tools are free to use, with no account and no watermark. Free use covers 20 images per batch (50 with a free account) and files up to 20 MB. Pro ($9 a month or $65 a year) and the $2.99 Day Pass add 500-image batches, 50 MB files and one-click ZIP downloads. The optional AI tools use credits.

Are my photos uploaded to a server?

No. CropDen crops, resizes and compresses images in your browser, so the files never leave your device and nothing is stored on a server. Only the optional AI tools send an image to a server, and they say so on the page.

Do I need an account?

No. The crop, resize, compress and convert tools work without signing up. A free account raises the batch limit from 20 to 50 images, and paid plans and the AI tools need one.

Can I resize many images at once?

Yes. Drop several images into the tool and each one is resized to the size you pick, cropped from the center or the top, or fitted whole with a fill. Free use handles 20 per batch (50 with an account), downloaded one by one; Pro and the Day Pass handle 500 at a time with one ZIP.

Does CropDen add a watermark or lower the quality?

No watermark is added. Exports keep the full resolution of your crop, or the exact platform size, and are saved as JPG at 90% quality unless you change the format or quality; where a platform caps the file size, the export is kept under it.

YouTube Thumbnail Size 2026: 3840 × 2160 or 1280 × 720

Image	Pixels	Ratio	Minimum	File limit
Video thumbnail (4K) YouTube's recommended size; upload it from a computer 16:9 · Minimum 640 × 360 · File limit 50 MB	3840 × 2160 px	16:9	640 × 360	50 MB
Thumbnail (phone upload) The classic size, kept under the 2 MB app limit 16:9 · Minimum 640 × 360 · File limit 2 MB	1280 × 720 px	16:9	640 × 360	2 MB
Shorts thumbnail Vertical 9:16; added in YouTube Studio on a computer 9:16 · File limit 50 MB	2160 × 3840 px	9:16	—	50 MB

Max file size: 2 MB (phone app) · 50 MB (computer)
Custom thumbnails need: A verified account
Formats: JPG, PNG

Drag and drop an image

or paste it with Ctrl+V · drop several to resize them all

Runs on your device. Nothing is uploaded.· JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, TIFF

YouTube thumbnail size in pixels

Thumbnail	Pixels	Ratio	File limit
Video, recommended	3840 × 2160	16:9	50 MB, from a computer
Video, classic	1280 × 720	16:9	2 MB from the YouTube app
Smallest accepted	640 × 360	16:9	At least 640 px wide
Shorts	2160 × 3840	9:16	50 MB, YouTube Studio on a computer

Upload JPG or PNG. These numbers come from the thumbnail article in YouTube Help, checked in October 2026. Custom thumbnails only appear once your account is verified; YouTube Studio asks for a phone number to do it.

3840 × 2160 or 1280 × 720

Both are 16:9 and both are accepted, so the choice comes down to where you upload and where people watch.

3840 × 2160 is what YouTube asks for now. It pays off on TVs and large monitors, where a 1280 px thumbnail gets enlarged. The file can be up to 50 MB, but only from a computer.
1280 × 720 is the one to use from the YouTube app, where anything over 2 MB is refused. It still looks sharp in search results, the home feed and suggested videos on phones and laptops.
Under 640 px wide is rejected outright.

One trap: a frame grabbed from 1080p footage is 1920 × 1080. Exporting it at 3840 × 2160 doubles the pixels without adding any detail, and the tool warns you before it enlarges anything. Use the 1280 × 720 preset for frame grabs, or design the thumbnail at 4K from the start.

How small your thumbnail is on screen

The file is big; the place it's seen isn't. In the list of suggested videos beside a video on a computer, a thumbnail is roughly 168 × 94 px, about the size of a matchbox. On the home feed of a phone it fills the screen width, and on a TV it fills a good part of the screen. Design for the smallest case:

Three or four words at most, in heavy type.
One face or one object, cropped close, with a clear expression.
Strong contrast against YouTube's white and dark themes alike.
Before uploading, look at the preview from across the room. If you can't read it at matchbox size, nobody scrolling past will.

The duration badge in the corner

YouTube prints the video length in the bottom-right corner, which covers about the last 13% of the width and 9% of the height. On a 4K thumbnail that's roughly 510 × 192 px; on 1280 × 720 about 170 × 64 px. Videos people have partly watched also get a red progress bar along the bottom edge. Keep faces, logos and words out of that corner; the tool draws the badge on both video presets as an approximate guide.

Shorts thumbnails

For Shorts, YouTube recommends a vertical 2160 × 3840 px (9:16) image. You can only add a custom one in YouTube Studio on a computer, with a verified account; in the app you pick a frame from the video instead. On the Shorts shelf the title is printed over the lower part of the image, so keep the subject in the upper two thirds. The video sizes and the on-screen buttons are on the YouTube Shorts size page.

How to make a YouTube thumbnail the right size

Drop a photo, screenshot or design above, or paste it with Cmd/Ctrl+V.
The 3840 × 2160 preset opens. Switch to 1280 × 720 if you'll upload from your phone, or to Shorts for a vertical thumbnail.
Drag and zoom to frame the face or subject. Turn on the rule-of-thirds grid and keep the important part out of the duration badge.
Download. The 1280 × 720 export is kept under 2 MB, and the image never leaves your browser.

Why your thumbnail won't upload or looks wrong

"File too large" from your phone. The app limit is 2 MB. Use the 1280 × 720 preset, which stays under it, or upload the 4K version from a computer.
No option to upload a custom thumbnail. Your account isn't verified yet. Verify it in YouTube Studio and the button appears.
Black bars around it. The image wasn't 16:9. Crop it to 16:9 here, or use Fit whole image with a blur fill to keep the whole picture.
Soft or blurry. The source was smaller than the export, often a 720p frame or a screenshot. Start from a larger image or pick the 1280 × 720 preset.
Too small to read. Thin fonts and long titles vanish at matchbox size. Cut the words and make them bigger.

Other YouTube sizes

The channel banner is 2560 × 1440 px with a 1546 × 423 px safe area, and the profile picture is 800 × 800 px; both are on the YouTube banner size page. For any other 16:9 crop use the 16:9 cropper. Sizes verified in October 2026; every other platform is on the social media image sizes cheat sheet.