Key takeaways
- YouTube recommends a 1280×720px video thumbnail and a 2560×1440px channel banner.
- Platforms recompress and crop images after upload — sizing correctly upfront avoids an unwanted crop.
YouTube image size by placement
- Video thumbnail: 1280 × 720px, 2MB maximum file size
- Channel banner: 2560 × 1440px, though only a smaller centered "safe area" displays on every device
- Profile picture: 800 × 800px
Why the channel banner needs a safe area
A 2560×1440 banner displays differently on TV, desktop and mobile — YouTube crops it to fit each screen, so keep logos and text within the smaller centered safe area rather than near the edges.
image sizesreference
FAQ
- What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
- 1280×720px, with a 2MB maximum file size.
- What size should a YouTube channel banner be?
- 2560×1440px, though only a smaller centered safe area displays consistently across TV, desktop and mobile.
- What is the recommended YouTube profile picture size?
- 800×800px.