What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
The short answer
YouTube recommends a 3840 x 2160 pixel thumbnail for regular videos and 2160 x 3840 for Shorts. YouTube's custom thumbnail help page says the minimum is 640 pixels wide for videos (16:9) and 640 pixels tall for Shorts (9:16). Use a JPG or PNG under 2 MB on mobile or 50 MB on desktop.
The details from YouTube
- Regular videos: 16:9, recommended 3840 x 2160, minimum width 640.
- Shorts: 9:16, recommended 2160 x 3840, minimum height 640.
- Vertical videos with a 16:9 thumbnail: YouTube says it may create a 4:5 version for the home, explore and subscriptions pages.
- You need a verified account to upload custom thumbnails.
Our practical take
Garnet's recommendation, not a YouTube rule: Make the thumbnail readable at phone size. Use one clear subject, big text of a few words at most, and keep key parts near the middle so a crop doesn't cut them. Treat any "best thumbnail" advice, ours included, as something to test, not a promise of more views.
Steven Wilson has spent ten years in marketing and social media in the car business. For a car walkaround, we put the vehicle front and center and add the model name, so a shopper knows what it is before tapping.
A local example
For a Livingston restaurant, a close-up of the dish beats a wide shot of the dining room at thumbnail size. See how we work with businesses in Livingston, TX and our video production.
Want thumbnails and videos that work together? Talk to Garnet.