YouTube Thumbnail Size and Dimensions: 3840 x 2160 at 16:9

YouTube thumbnail size at a glance

YouTube's recommended thumbnail dimensions for videos are 3840 x 2160 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio. Its Help Center says the image should be as large as possible, because YouTube uses it as the preview image in the embedded player, and gives 640 pixels as the minimum width. For a Short, the recommended size is 2160 x 3840, which is 9:16, with a minimum height of 640 pixels.

The same Help page covers podcasts. For podcast playlists YouTube asks for a 1:1 image instead of 16:9, with limits of 10 MB from mobile and 50 MB from a computer. YouTube names "image formats such as JPG or PNG", so those two are examples it gives, not a closed list.

YouTube introduces every figure above with "we recommend". The page does not say what happens to an image that misses them, apart from the 4:5 case described below.

Is 1280 x 720 still the right size?

Many guides give 1280 x 720 with a 2 MB maximum. YouTube's current Help page for custom thumbnails does not mention 1280 x 720 at all. It gives 2 MB only as the limit for video thumbnails uploaded from the mobile app, and 50 MB for uploads from a computer.

A 1280 x 720 image is still 16:9, and 1280 is above the 640 pixel minimum, so it meets the figures YouTube states. It is not the size YouTube recommends. A 1920 x 1080 image is in the same position. Design at 3840 x 2160 and make a smaller export only when a limit forces it, for example a file over 2 MB that you need to upload from your phone.

YouTube thumbnail aspect ratio

For videos, YouTube says to try to upload a thumbnail with an aspect ratio of 16:9. For Shorts it says 9:16, and for podcast playlists 1:1. The wording is "try to", and the page does not describe whether a different ratio is cropped, padded or accepted as is.

It does describe one case. Vertical videos with a 16:9 custom thumbnail get an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail instead, on the home, explore and subscription pages. Your custom thumbnail still appears on the watch feed, in watch history and on non-mobile platforms. So for a vertical video, the 16:9 image you upload is not the one viewers see in those three places.

The page states no minimum height for a video thumbnail. At the 640 pixel minimum width, a 16:9 image is 640 x 360. That figure is our arithmetic, not a YouTube number.

YouTube Shorts thumbnail size

YouTube recommends 2160 x 3840 pixels at 9:16 for a Short, with a minimum height of 640 pixels. Custom Shorts thumbnails can only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer, and the account must be verified. On a computer:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and select Content in the left menu.
2. Select Shorts at the top, then open the Short you want to edit.
3. Under Thumbnail, click Upload file and choose the image.
4. Click Save.

If another guide tells you Shorts thumbnails cannot be uploaded from a computer, YouTube's page says the opposite: the computer is the only place it lists. For the video file itself, including the length and shape rules for Shorts, see the YouTube video size guide.

Upload a custom thumbnail

For a regular video on a computer, sign in to YouTube Studio, select Content, open the video, click Upload file under Thumbnail, and click Save. On Android and on iPhone and iPad, YouTube's steps are Edit, then Edit thumbnail, then Custom thumbnail, where you pick an image from your device and tap Select. Menu names can differ by device and app version, so follow the page for your device if a step does not match.

Uploading your own image needs a verified account. YouTube says changes may take time to appear. Channels also have a daily limit on custom thumbnails: the error reads "Daily custom thumbnail limit reached", YouTube says to try again in 24 hours, and the limit may vary by country or region and by channel history.

What YouTube does not publish

YouTube's page does not name a required thumbnail size, only recommended ones. It states no safe area for text or faces, so any guide that gives a safe zone in pixels is giving its own advice. It lists no size for the duration badge or other overlays, and no minimum height for video thumbnails. It does not mention GIF or BMP files. If one of those matters to your upload, check the file in YouTube Studio before relying on it.

For other platforms, the social media size guides cover Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn in the same format.

Sources and last check

The figures on this page come from these pages, read on October 19, 2026:

• Add custom thumbnails on YouTube (YouTube Help; the Computer, Android and iPhone and iPad versions were read)
• Upload YouTube videos (YouTube Help, source of the definition of a thumbnail)
• Upload YouTube Shorts (YouTube Help, Shorts file rules)

The 640 x 360 minimum for a 16:9 image is calculated from the minimum width. YouTube can change its recommendations, so check the Help Center if a figure matters to you.