YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixel thumbnails (16 : 9) for videos and 2160 × 3840 (9 : 16) for Shorts, at least 640 px wide, as JPG or PNG up to 50 MB on desktop.
YouTube Thumbnail Size at a glance
| Recommended (videos) | 3840 × 2160 px (16 : 9) |
|---|---|
| Recommended (Shorts) | 2160 × 3840 px (9 : 16) |
| Minimum width | 640 px |
| Formats | JPG, PNG |
| Max file size | 50 MB on desktop · 2 MB in the mobile app |
Open the free YouTube Thumbnail Resizer
Free blank 3840 × 2160 template
A transparent 3840 × 2160 px PNG, ready to open in Photoshop, GIMP, Canva or Photopea.
Tips for your youtube thumbnail
- The classic 1280 × 720 still works and stays under the 2 MB mobile limit. Use it if you upload thumbnails from your phone.
- Thumbnails are mostly seen tiny in search and suggestions. Use big faces, 2–4 words at most and strong contrast.
- Keep text away from the bottom-right corner, where YouTube shows the video length.
More YouTube sizes
- YouTube Banner Size: 2560 × 1440 px
- YouTube Profile Picture Size: 98 × 98 px (circle)
Other platforms
- Twitch Banner Size: 1200 × 480 px
- Twitch Offline Banner Size: 1920 × 1080 px
- Twitch Panel Size: 320 px (fixed)
- Twitch Emote Size: 112 × 112, 56 × 56, 28 × 28 px
- Twitch Badge Size: 72 × 72, 36 × 36, 18 × 18 px
- Twitch Profile Picture Size: 256 × 256 px
- Twitch Overlay Size: 1920 × 1080 px
- Discord Banner Size: 600 × 240 px (5 : 2)
- Kick Banner Size: 1280 × 700 px
- Discord Emoji Size: 128 × 128 px
- Discord Sticker Size: Exactly 320 × 320 px
- Discord Profile Picture Size: Up to 128 × 128 px (circle)
- Discord Server Icon Size: 512 × 512 px or larger
- Twitter (X) Header Size: 1500 × 500 px (3 : 1)
- TikTok Profile Picture Size: 200 × 200 px or larger, square