1280 × 720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 pixels wide. Keep it under 2 MB to upload from any device; on desktop YouTube now accepts up to 3840 × 2160 and 50 MB.
Free tool by Mydrop, no signup
Free YouTube thumbnail and banner resizer
A YouTube thumbnail should be 1280 × 720 pixels (16:9) and a channel banner 2560 × 1440 with its text inside 1546 × 423: resize any image here.
1Pick the network and size
2Add your photo
3Adjust and download
Publish it to YouTube with the thumbnail
Mydrop publishes YouTube videos and Shorts with their title, description and custom thumbnail, on schedule.
Your photo never leaves your device: it is resized in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
How to size images for YouTube
Thumbnails: 1280 × 720
16:9, at least 640 pixels wide. YouTube now accepts up to 3840 × 2160 and 50 MB on desktop, but 1280 × 720 under 2 MB uploads from every device.
Banners: mind the safe area
Upload 2560 × 1440. Phones show only the central 1546 × 423, so keep the name and any text inside it; the resizer marks that box.
Shorts are vertical
Shorts are 1080 × 1920 (9:16) and up to 3 minutes. Their thumbnail is 9:16 too, so make a vertical version of the cover.
Example: “A 4,032 × 3,024 photo for a YouTube thumbnail” = a 4,032 × 2,268 centre crop, saved at 1,280 × 720
Sizes checked on 10 October 2026, against YouTube Help.
YouTube size guide
Every YouTube image size for 2026
The upload size for each YouTube image, and what each screen shows.
| Format | Size (px) | Ratio | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail | 1,280 × 720 | 16:9 | Works everywhere under 2 MB; YouTube takes up to 3840 × 2160 and 50 MB on desktop. |
| Channel banner | 2,560 × 1,440 | 16:9 | Minimum 2048 × 1152, up to 6 MB. Keep text inside the central 1546 × 423. |
| Shorts | 1,080 × 1,920 | 9:16 | Vertical, up to 3 minutes; make the cover 9:16 too. |
Custom thumbnails need a verified channel. When a channel is not phone-verified, YouTube publishes the video without the custom thumbnail, which is the most common warning Mydrop sees on YouTube.
Sized, checked, published
YouTube videos with the right thumbnail, in Mydrop
Mydrop publishes videos and Shorts to YouTube with title, description and custom thumbnail, and checks each video against YouTube's limits first.
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Free plan, then $19 a month flat. Never per seat.
Questions
YouTube image sizes, answered
2560 × 1440 pixels (minimum 2048 × 1152, up to 6 MB). Phones show only the central 1546 × 423, so keep the channel name and text inside it.
Vertical, 9:16, like the Short itself: 1080 × 1920 is a safe choice.
Custom thumbnails need a verified channel. Verify the channel's phone number in YouTube Studio, then the thumbnail upload appears.
YouTube shows it at 98 × 98 pixels, as a circle; upload a larger square (800 × 800 is common) so it stays sharp.
Yes. No signup, no watermark, no limit, and your photo never leaves your device.
Size it here. Publish it to YouTube with Mydrop.
Videos, Shorts and thumbnails, approved and published from one workspace. Free to start.
