YouTube
Updated for 2026

YouTube Image Sizes & Dimensions in 2026

Complete guide to YouTube thumbnail, banner, and video dimensions. Optimal sizes for thumbnails, channel art, Shorts, and end screens.

Recommended1280 × 720px
Aspect Ratio16:9
Max File Size2MB

All YouTube Image & Video Sizes

All YouTube Image & Video Sizes
FormatDimensionsAspect RatioMax File SizeFile Types
Profile
Profile Photo
800 × 800px1:14MBJPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
Watermark / Branding
150 × 150px1:11MBPNG
Feed & Posts
Video ThumbnailRecommended
1280 × 720px16:92MBJPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
Covers & Banners
Channel Banner
2560 × 1440px16:96MBJPG, PNG
Video
Standard Video (1080p)
1920 × 1080px16:9256GBMP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, WebM
4K Video (2160p)
3840 × 2160px16:9256GBMP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, WebM
Shorts
1080 × 1920px9:16256GBMP4, MOV
Ads
End Screen Element
1920 × 1080px16:9JPG, PNG

YouTube Size Comparison

1:1
Profile Photo800×800
16:9
Channel Banner2560×1440
16:9
Video Thumbnail1280×720
16:9
Standard Video (1080p)1920×1080
9:16
Shorts1080×1920

YouTube Image Size Tips

Thumbnails are everything

Custom thumbnails at 1280 × 720px with high contrast and readable text dramatically improve click-through rates. YouTube recommends staying under 2MB.

Safe area for channel banners

While banners are 2560 × 1440px, the visible area varies by device. Keep text and logos within the center 1546 × 423px safe zone.

Use 16:9 for standard videos

YouTube natively displays 16:9 video (1920 × 1080px). Other aspect ratios will get black bars, reducing the professional appearance of your content.

Shorts must be 9:16

YouTube Shorts require a 9:16 vertical format (1080 × 1920px). Videos under 60 seconds in this ratio are automatically categorized as Shorts.

Upload in the highest quality

YouTube re-encodes all uploads anyway. Upload at the highest resolution available (up to 4K at 3840 × 2160px) for the best viewer experience.

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