YouTube Thumbnail Size

A YouTube thumbnail is 1280 × 720 pixels at a 16:9 ratio. Export at that size so it stays crisp from tiny sidebar previews to full-width displays.

FormatSize (px)Ratio
Thumbnail1280 × 72016:9

Tips for YouTube thumbnail

  • Make text large and high-contrast — many viewers see the thumbnail at a small size first.
  • Keep the file under 2 MB (JPG, PNG or GIF), which is the YouTube upload limit.

Once your image is the right size, you can crop it to these exact dimensions with the free in-browser resizer — nothing is uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

More size guides

Image sized? Schedule the post.

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