YouTube thumbnail — the right size
Drop your thumbnail design or photo in — everyimg crops it to 1280 × 720 px (16:9) and keeps it safely under YouTube's hard 2 MB limit.
YouTube requires 1280 × 720 px (16:9) with a hard 2 MB upload limit — and at least 640 px width.
Adjust crop focus (if heads or subjects get cut off)
Drop images here or click to browse
Auto-rotates crooked photos, cleans filenames — nothing leaves your device.
YouTube's three hard rules
- 1280 × 720 px is the recommended resolution — YouTube displays thumbnails in 16:9 everywhere.
- Minimum 640 px width — below that, YouTube rejects the upload.
- Maximum 2 MB file size (JPG, PNG or non-animated GIF) — the single most common reason a thumbnail upload fails.
Design for 320 pixels, export at 1280
The thumbnail you design full-screen will mostly be seen at around 320 px width in search results and suggested videos on phones. Faces, high contrast and a maximum of 3–4 large words survive that shrink; fine details and long text don't. Export at 1280 × 720 so the large player view stays sharp — but judge your design at a quarter of the size.
Why your export is over 2 MB
Design tools default to PNG export, and a 1280 × 720 PNG with photo content easily reaches 3–5 MB. The fix is a JPG at quality 80–90 — visually identical, typically 150–400 KB. The preset above does the conversion and enforces the limit automatically.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct YouTube thumbnail size?
1280 × 720 pixels (16:9). YouTube requires a minimum width of 640 px and a maximum file size of 2 MB for JPG, PNG or GIF thumbnails.
Why can’t I upload my thumbnail to YouTube?
Almost always the file is over the 2 MB limit — a PNG exported from a design tool easily hits 3–5 MB. Convert it to JPG at 1280 × 720 and the size problem disappears without visible quality loss.
JPG or PNG for YouTube thumbnails?
JPG for photos and photo-heavy designs — much smaller files. PNG only helps for flat graphics with hard edges and text; if you use PNG, watch the 2 MB limit closely.
Why does my thumbnail look blurry on YouTube?
Either the source was smaller than 1280 px wide and got upscaled, or important details are too small — remember most viewers see your thumbnail at roughly 320 px width on a phone. Design for legibility at small sizes.