YouTube thumbnail size
YouTube's own help page asks for a thumbnail 3840 by 2160 pixels, in 16:9, as a JPG or PNG under 50MB. Drop a photo here and it comes out at exactly that, cropped from the centre rather than stretched. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.
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What the platform recommends
- Recommended size
- 3840 x 2160
- File types
- JPEG
- Maximum file size
- 50.00 MB
- Source
- support.google.com
- Read at the source on
Why this size?
A thumbnail is the only thing most people see before deciding whether to watch, and YouTube scales one image down to every size from a phone list to a television.
Starting at the full 3840 by 2160 means the downscaling happens once, from plenty of detail, rather than from a small image blown up.
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 size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
YouTube's help page states a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels, an aspect ratio of 16:9, and a minimum width of 640 pixels.
The file must be a JPG or PNG, and thumbnails uploaded from desktop can be up to 50MB.
Is 1280 by 720 still acceptable?
It is above the stated 640 pixel minimum width and the same 16:9 shape, so it uploads.
YouTube recommends 3840 by 2160, and the difference shows on a large screen, where a smaller thumbnail is being enlarged rather than reduced.
Why does my photo get cropped?
Because 16:9 is a wider shape than most photographs. Filling it means either cropping the long edges or stretching the picture, and stretching a face is the one outcome nobody wants.
The crop is taken evenly from the centre, and the crop tool lets you choose where it sits instead.
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