YouTube image sizes and resizer
YouTube asks for a 3840 by 2160 video thumbnail, a 2160 by 3840 Shorts thumbnail and a 2560 by 1440 banner. A watermark must be at least 150 by 150 and under 1 MB, and a post image is best square. Pick one below and your photo comes out at that size.
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Every size, and where it comes from
One line per image, each read at the platform's own help page on the date shown. A row with a link has its own page with the full rules. "Our size" marks a box this tool chose because the platform states only a shape or a minimum.
YouTube
| Image | Size | File size | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube thumbnail size | Size3840 x 216016:9 | File sizeup to 50 MB | Sourcesupport.google.com |
| Shorts thumbnail | Size2160 x 38409:16 | File sizeup to 50 MB | Sourcesupport.google.com |
| YouTube banner size | Size2560 x 144016:9 | File sizeup to 6 MB | Sourcesupport.google.com |
| YouTube profile picture size | Size800 x 800Our size, not the platform's | File sizeup to 15 MB | Sourcesupport.google.com |
| Watermark | Size150 x 150Our size, not the platform's | File sizeup to 1 MB | Sourcesupport.google.com |
| Post image | Size1080 x 1080Our size, not the platform's | File sizeup to 16 MB | Sourcesupport.google.com |
How does the platform state its sizes?
A channel uploads six kinds of image, and YouTube documents them on three different help pages.
Some it states as a size, some as a minimum and some only as a shape. The list below says which is which, so you know when a number is YouTube's and when it is this tool's choice.
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 is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
YouTube's thumbnail page asks for 2160 by 3840 pixels for Shorts, in a 9:16 shape, with a minimum height of 640.
It also says a vertical video with a 16:9 custom thumbnail gets an automatic 4:5 one on the home, explore and subscription pages, so keep Shorts thumbnails vertical.
Where does the 2 MB thumbnail limit come from?
It is YouTube's limit for a video thumbnail uploaded from a phone. From a computer the limit is 50 MB for video, Shorts and podcast thumbnails.
If an upload from the app fails, a smaller file or the desktop site will get it through.
What size should a YouTube watermark be?
YouTube asks for a square image of at least 150 by 150 pixels and less than 1 MB. It states no larger size.
This tool makes the 150 square as a PNG, which keeps a transparent logo transparent and lands far under 1 MB.
What size is a YouTube post image?
YouTube names no pixel size. Its posts page allows files up to 16 MB in JPG, PNG, GIF or WEBP, and suggests a 1:1 shape because that is how images appear in the feed.
The 1080 square here is this tool's choice inside that advice.
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