YouTube Thumbnail Size and Resizer
NewA YouTube thumbnail is 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9) and must be under 2 MB. Drop in any image to resize and crop it to exactly that, positioned where you want it, and download a JPG that is always under the limit.
Drop an image here
or paste one with Ctrl+V, or choose a file
Use the biggest version you have. Every size is cut from it, and the largest banner asks for 2560px across.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your images are never uploaded to a server.
How it works
- Drop in a screenshot, a photo or a thumbnail designed at another size.
- It is fitted to 1280 x 720. Drag and zoom to frame the face or the subject.
- Add a channel banner or Shorts cover from the same image if you want them.
- Download. A JPG at this size is always well under YouTube's 2 MB limit.
Common use cases
- Turning a frame grab or a photo into a thumbnail of the right shape.
- Fixing a thumbnail YouTube rejected for being over 2 MB.
- Resizing a vertical image to 16:9 without squashing it.
- A matching thumbnail and Shorts cover from one image.
Frequently asked questions
- What size is a YouTube thumbnail?
- 1280 x 720 pixels, a 16:9 image, as a JPG, PNG or GIF under 2 MB. The minimum width is 640 pixels. Larger images in the same shape work too, but 1280 x 720 is what YouTube displays at its largest, so anything bigger only adds file size.
- Why was my thumbnail rejected?
- Almost always because it is over 2 MB. A thumbnail exported as a PNG, or at a larger size, easily goes over. Download it here as a JPG at 1280 x 720 and it will be a few hundred kilobytes.
- Why does my thumbnail look cropped or squashed?
- Because it is not 16:9. YouTube fits other shapes into the 16:9 frame, which adds bars or crops. Resizing here crops to 16:9 where you choose, so the face or text you want stays in the frame.
- What about the timestamp in the corner?
- YouTube puts the video length over the lower right corner of every thumbnail. Keep text and faces out of that corner.
- Is my image uploaded?
- No. The resizing happens in your browser, so the image never leaves your device.