YouTube · Thumbnail
1280 × 720 px
Minimum width 640 px, maximum file size 2 MB. Uploaded at 16:9 and shown as small as 246×138.
The channel banner is the trickiest asset on any platform: one image has to work from a phone-width safe area up to a full TV-width bleed.
| Placement | Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail | 1280 × 720 | 16:9 | Minimum width 640 px, maximum file size 2 MB. Uploaded at 16:9 and shown as small as 246×138. |
| Channel banner | 2560 × 1440 | 16:9 | Only the central 1546×423 is guaranteed visible on every device. TV displays the full 2560×1440. |
| Profile picture | 800 × 800 | 1:1 | Rendered as a circle at 98×98 on the channel page. |
| Video (1080p) | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 | The standard upload. YouTube accepts up to 7680×4320. |
| Shorts | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Vertical 9:16. Keep captions away from the bottom 300 px where the UI sits. |
| End screen | 1280 × 720 | 16:9 | Elements must sit inside the inner 16:9 area, clear of the last 20 seconds of UI. |
Aspect ratios used by YouTube
Questions
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
1280 × 720 px (16:9). Minimum width 640 px, maximum file size 2 MB. Uploaded at 16:9 and shown as small as 246×138.
What are all the YouTube image sizes?
Thumbnail 1280×720, Channel banner 2560×1440, Profile picture 800×800, Video (1080p) 1920×1080, Shorts 1080×1920, End screen 1280×720. The table above lists the aspect ratio for each.
Does YouTube compress uploaded images?
Yes — every major platform re-encodes. The channel banner is the trickiest asset on any platform: one image has to work from a phone-width safe area up to a full TV-width bleed.
Other platforms
Dimensions are the platform's recommended upload sizes, last checked 2026-08-07. Platforms revise these without notice — if you spot a change, let us know.