Resize to 1280x72016:9 · under 2MB
1280x720 px, 16:9. YouTube's recommended size. 16:9, and the minimum width YouTube asks for is 640.
Trims the edges that do not fit, so nothing is squashed.
Faces near the top of a tall photo? Pick Top. Check the preview after it runs.
JPEG for photos. PNG for logos, text and transparency. JPEG and WebP are tuned automatically to stay under 2MB; PNG cannot be, so check the size.
Your photo is never uploaded. The crop and the resize happen inside this browser tab, so nothing is sent to a server, nothing is stored, and nothing is shared. Free, unlimited, no signup, no watermark.
YouTube thumbnail size is 1280x720, 16:9, under 2MB
YouTube's thumbnail spec has three parts, and uploads fail on any of them: the frame should be 1280 by 720 pixels, the aspect ratio must be 16:9 (the same shape as the video player), and the file has to come in under 2MB as a JPG, PNG or GIF. Studio will accept a smaller image down to 640 pixels wide, but it is scaled up for the player and looks soft.
Most "thumbnail rejected" moments are the 2MB rule. A designed thumbnail with a photo background exported as PNG is routinely 3 to 5MB. The tool above writes exactly 1280x720 and, for JPEG and WebP, finds the highest quality that still lands under 2MB, so the resolution is never sacrificed to meet the limit. The row shows the real output size so you know before you upload.
| Use | Pixels | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1280x720 | 1280x720 | 16:9 | YouTube's recommended size. 16:9, and the minimum width YouTube asks for is 640. |
| 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | 16:9 | Full HD master. YouTube downsizes it; keep this if the same art goes to a video end screen. |
| 640x360 | 640x360 | 16:9 | The smallest 16:9 size YouTube accepts. Only use it when the source is already tiny. |
How to resize an image for a YouTube thumbnail
- Drop the image above. A full-frame 1920x1080 screenshot from the video, a phone photo, or a design export all work.
- Keep 1280x720 selected. If the source is not 16:9, decide between Crop to fill (full-bleed, edges trimmed) and Pad to fit (whole image with bars). Thumbnails almost always want Crop to fill.
- Use Keep this part to move the subject away from the bottom-right corner where YouTube draws the duration badge.
- Leave the format on JPEG unless the thumbnail is flat graphics with large text, where PNG stays crisper. Download, then upload it in YouTube Studio under the video's Thumbnail field.
Text size, safe areas, and the mobile feed
Over 70 percent of watch time is on phones, where a thumbnail is rendered around 170 pixels wide in the home feed. Anything that cannot be read at that size is decoration. Keep text to three or four words, make the subject fill at least a third of the frame, and remember that the bottom-right corner is covered by the duration badge and the bottom edge by the red progress bar once someone has started the video. If you are cropping a wider image, Keep this part set to Left or Right lets you push the subject into the clear two-thirds.
Working from a low-resolution frame? The row will flag that it had to enlarge the image. For a noticeably sharper thumbnail, run the frame through the AI image upscaler first (also on-device), then resize the result here.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the correct YouTube thumbnail size?
- 1280 by 720 pixels, a 16:9 frame, in JPG, PNG or GIF, under 2MB. YouTube asks for a minimum width of 640 pixels, and anything that is not 16:9 gets black bars or a crop in the player preview. 1280x720 is the size YouTube Studio documents and the one every thumbnail on the site is scaled from.
- Why does YouTube reject my thumbnail?
- Almost always the 2MB file limit. A 1280x720 PNG exported from an editor with a photo in it can easily be 3MB. This tool searches the JPEG quality until the file is under 2MB at full resolution, so the upload goes through without you guessing a quality number. If the row still reports over 2MB you are on PNG; switch to JPEG.
- Should I upload 1920x1080 instead?
- You can, and YouTube will downsize it. It does not look any sharper in the player, because the largest thumbnail YouTube serves is 1280 wide. The only reason to keep a 1920x1080 master is reuse: end screens and community posts can take the larger file. For a plain thumbnail upload, 1280x720 is the right answer.
- Where is the safe area on a thumbnail?
- The bottom-right corner, where YouTube overlays the video duration, and the bottom edge on mobile, where the progress bar appears on watched videos. Keep faces and text out of the bottom-right 15 percent or so. The crop position control above lets you shift which part of a wider frame survives, so you can push the subject away from that corner.
- Can I make a thumbnail from a video frame?
- Yes. Pause the video, take a screenshot or export a frame, and drop it here. A 1920x1080 frame is already 16:9, so there is no crop, only a resize to 1280x720. A vertical phone frame is a different shape; use Pad to fit if you want the whole frame with bars, or Crop to fill for a full-bleed thumbnail.
- Is the image sent to a server?
- No. Nothing is uploaded: the resize and the 2MB quality search run in your browser. Unreleased thumbnails, faces and channel art never leave your machine, and there is no account or watermark.