YouTube thumbnail requirements
From YouTube's published guidance:
- Resolution: 1280 × 720 recommended, minimum 640 pixels wide.
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, which is what YouTube uses everywhere in its interface.
- File size: under 2MB.
- Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP.
Design for the small version
Almost nobody sees your thumbnail at 1280 × 720. In search results and sidebars it renders around 360 × 202, and on mobile it can be smaller still — so the design has to survive being shrunk to a fifth of its size.
That means few words in large, heavy type; strong contrast between subject and background; one clear focal point rather than a busy composition. If you cannot read the text when the image is scaled to 25%, it is too small.
Staying under 2MB
A 1280 × 720 JPEG at quality 90 lands around 200–400KB, so the 2MB cap is rarely a problem — unless you export as PNG, which for a photographic thumbnail can easily exceed 2MB.
Use JPEG for photo-based thumbnails. PNG is only worth it if your thumbnail is mostly flat graphics and text, where it stays small and keeps edges perfectly crisp.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the correct YouTube thumbnail size?
- 1280 × 720 pixels at 16:9. That is the recommended size and it upscales and downscales cleanly across YouTube's layouts.
- Why was my thumbnail rejected?
- Most often the file exceeds 2MB, or it is under 640 pixels wide. Custom thumbnails also require a verified channel.
- JPG or PNG for thumbnails?
- JPG for photographic thumbnails — far smaller with no visible difference at this size. PNG for thumbnails built from flat graphics and text.