YouTube banner size
YouTube recommends a 2560 by 1440 pixel channel banner, accepts nothing smaller than 2048 by 1152, and caps the file at 6 MB. Text and logos belong inside a 1235 by 338 safe area at that minimum. Drop a photo here and it comes out at 2560 by 1440, cropped rather than squashed.
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What the platform recommends
- Recommended size
- 2560 x 1440
- File types
- JPEG
- Maximum file size
- 6 MB
- Source
- support.google.com
- Read at the source on
Why this size?
One banner serves a TV, a computer and a phone, and YouTube's page says it gets cropped on certain views and devices.
A TV can show all 2560 by 1440. Elsewhere only a thin strip survives, which is why the safe area is a little under a third of the height.
Making the video thumbnail as well? YouTube thumbnail size.
These numbers move, so check the date
A passport size has been the same for decades.
A platform's recommended image size can change in a product update nobody announces, which is why every size here shows the date somebody read it at the platform's own help page rather than presenting it as timeless.
If that date looks old and the size matters to you, the link beside it goes straight to the page it came from.
That is one click to confirm, against the alternative of trusting a number copied between blog posts since 2019.
Why your photo gets cropped
Platform sizes are shapes as much as sizes, and a photograph is rarely already that shape.
The box is filled and the overflow comes off the long edges evenly, because the alternative is stretching the picture and a stretched face is the one result nobody wants.
If the centre is not the part you want to keep, open the crop tool, drag the frame to the right region, and come back. The crop stays applied while you set the size.
What happens to your photo?
Your selected photo is processed in your browser, without an image upload to a server. The page may download code and codecs needed for editing.
Save your result before closing the tab; unsaved edits are kept in memory rather than in an online account.
Common questions
What is the safe area on a YouTube banner?
YouTube states it at the minimum upload size: 1235 by 338 pixels of a 2048 by 1152 banner. On a 2560 by 1440 banner the same area is about 1544 by 423.
The 1546 by 423 some guides give is how YouTube's page worded it in 2019. It is the same area, not a second one.
What is the minimum YouTube banner size?
2048 by 1152 pixels, in a 16:9 shape. YouTube does not accept a smaller upload.
This tool enlarges a smaller photo to 2560 by 1440 so it uploads, but enlarging adds no detail, so start from the largest photo you have.
Why is my banner cropped on my phone?
Only a strip of the banner is shown outside a TV. YouTube's 2019 page said the areas to each side of the safe area are visible or cropped depending on the screen.
The per device sizes in many guides, such as 1855 by 423 for a tablet, are not on YouTube's current page.
How much of my photo is cropped to make a banner?
It depends on the photo's shape. A 4032 by 3024 landscape is scaled to 2560 by 1920 and loses 240 pixels from the top and bottom.
A 3024 by 4032 portrait is scaled to 2560 by 3413 and keeps only the middle 1440 rows, so turn to a landscape photo if you have one.
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