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YouTube thumbnail resizer

Resize any image to YouTube's recommended 3840 × 2160 thumbnail, a 720p JPEG under the 2 MB mobile limit, or the Shorts and banner sizes, with the banner safe area marked. Nothing is uploaded. No login.

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HOW IT WORKS

From screenshot to upload-ready

  1. Add your image

    Choose a file, drop one in or paste a screenshot. Drag to move the crop, or fit the whole image on a blurred background.

  2. Pick the size

    Thumbnail, Shorts thumbnail, banner, profile picture or watermark.

  3. Download and upload

    Each file's size is checked against YouTube's upload limits, and the pixel size goes in the file name.

YOUTUBE THUMBNAIL SIZE

YouTube thumbnail, banner and profile sizes

YouTube changed its thumbnail guidance. As recently as May 2025, its help page recommended 1280 × 720 and files under 2 MB. It now recommends 3840 × 2160 and splits the file cap by device: 50 MB on desktop, 2 MB for video thumbnails on mobile. A 1280 × 720 file under 2 MB still clears both caps. Both sizes are 16:9, so the crop is the same.

ImageSize (px)Limit
Thumbnail 4K3840 × 216050 MB on a computer, 2 MB in the mobile app
Thumbnail 720p1280 × 720Under 2 MB as JPEG, for phone uploads
Shorts thumbnail2160 × 384050 MB, added on a computer only
Channel banner2560 × 14406 MB
Profile picture800 × 80015 MB, shown at 98 × 98
Video watermark300 × 300Under 1 MB, at least 150 × 150

Verified against YouTube Help: custom thumbnails and banner, profile picture and watermark. YouTube gives no pixel size to upload for the profile picture, so 800 × 800 is our choice, as is 300 × 300 for the watermark.

BANNER SAFE AREA

The part of your banner everyone sees

On the 2560 × 1440 banner this tool exports, keep text and logos inside the middle 1544 × 423. YouTube states that area as 1235 × 338 at the 2048 × 1152 minimum; the tool scales it up.

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Built by Sabrina Ramonov, 3M+ followers and 500M+ views

FAQ

Thumbnail and banner questions

01 Is this YouTube thumbnail resizer free?
Yes, with no signup and no cap. Resizing happens on a canvas in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and the tool area is hidden from the site's session recordings.
02 What size is a YouTube thumbnail in 2026?
YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 at 16:9, with a minimum width of 640 pixels. The older 1280 × 720 is above that minimum and keeps the file small.
03 What is the file size limit for a YouTube thumbnail?
YouTube Studio on a computer takes up to 50 MB, and the mobile app caps video thumbnails at 2 MB. The 720p preset compresses a JPEG to fit 2 MB and warns if a PNG is too big. The 4K preset flags files over 2 MB, which matters only for phone uploads.
04 Is a YouTube thumbnail 16:9 or 4:3?
16:9 for regular videos. On a vertical video, though, YouTube replaces a 16:9 custom thumbnail with an auto-generated 4:5 one on the home, explore and subscription pages. Your custom thumbnail still shows on the watch feed, in watch history and on non-mobile platforms.
05 What size is a YouTube banner?
At least 2048 × 1152 at 16:9, and YouTube recommends 2560 × 1440, especially for TVs. The file must be 6 MB or smaller. The tool exports 2560 × 1440.
06 Why is my YouTube banner cut off?
YouTube shows the same banner on TVs, computers and phones and crops it on some views and devices. Keep text and logos inside the middle strip, about 1544 × 423 on a 2560 × 1440 banner, which the tool marks.
07 Can I add a custom thumbnail to YouTube Shorts?
Yes, with two limits: only in YouTube Studio on a computer, and only on a verified account. YouTube recommends 9:16, and the Shorts preset exports 2160 × 3840.
08 What size is a YouTube profile picture?
YouTube shows it at 98 × 98 and gives no pixel size to upload. It takes JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG up to 15 MB, with no animated GIFs. The preset exports an 800 × 800 square with the circle crop marked.
09 Do I need a verified account for custom thumbnails?
Yes. YouTube only lets verified accounts upload their own thumbnails. Until then, you pick from auto-generated ones.
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