YouTube's help page recommends custom thumbnails at 3840 × 2160 pixels with a minimum width of 640, as JPG or PNG, and asks you to try for 16:9. The upload limit is 2 MB from a phone and 50 MB from a computer (Add custom thumbnails on YouTube, checked 24 Oct 2026). It no longer mentions 1280 × 720. Choose an image and the card checks it against those numbers; if it isn't 16:9, the canvas shows where a 16:9 crop would go before anything is cut.

1. Click Choose an image, or drop a photo, screenshot or PNG on the page. The card checks the ratio, the width and the file size.
2. If the image isn't 16:9, the canvas shows a 16:9 frame placed around the face, or around the most detailed area when there is no face. What is inside the frame stays. Drag the frame to move it, then click Crop to 16:9 or press Enter. For the 896 × 1152 sample the card then reads 16:9 · 896 × 504 · JPG 112 KB (limit 2 MB).
3. If the image is less than 640 px wide, the card marks it with ! and the main button becomes Enlarge 2×. It resamples and sharpens the pixels; it can't add detail the image never had.
4. Click Download JPG. The file name ends in -16x9.jpg; on an iPhone or iPad the share sheet opens instead, and Save Image puts it in Photos. In YouTube Studio on a computer, choose Content, open the video and click Upload file under Thumbnail.

One image at a time. Enlarge 2× resamples and sharpens; it doesn't invent detail. A transparent background comes out white, because JPG has no transparency. Custom thumbnails need a verified YouTube account, and YouTube makes the final call when you upload. Photopip is not affiliated with YouTube.

Is it 1280 × 720 or 3840 × 2160?

YouTube's help page now recommends 3840 × 2160 with a minimum width of 640 pixels and doesn't mention 1280 × 720, the size many guides still give. A 1280 × 720 image is still well above the minimum. The card keeps your resolution and only scales an image wider than 3840 down to 3840 × 2160.

Why does the card say 2 MB when YouTube allows 50 MB?

50 MB is the limit when you upload from a computer. From a phone it is 2 MB, so a file under 2 MB works from either.

Can I make a thumbnail for a Short here?

Not with this card; it makes 16:9. YouTube recommends 9:16 for Shorts and takes custom Shorts thumbnails only in YouTube Studio on a computer. To make one, close the card with ✕, undo the crop if there was one (Ctrl+Z or Command+Z), select the Crop Tool, choose 9:16 in the options bar, drag the frame, press Enter and save with File > Export > Export As...

Will the words on my thumbnail stay readable?

Zoom the canvas out until the thumbnail is about as big as it looks in a phone feed. If the title is hard to read at that size, make it bigger before you download.

Updated 2026-10-24

More toolsCrop to 16:9Crop imageCompress image

YouTube's help page recommends custom thumbnails at 3840 × 2160 pixels with a minimum width of 640, as JPG or PNG, and asks you to try for 16:9. The upload limit is 2 MB from a phone and 50 MB from a computer (Add custom thumbnails on YouTube, checked 24 Oct 2026). It no longer mentions 1280 × 720. Choose an image and the card checks it against those numbers; if it isn't 16:9, the canvas shows where a 16:9 crop would go before anything is cut.

1. Click Choose an image, or drop a photo, screenshot or PNG on the page. The card checks the ratio, the width and the file size.
2. If the image isn't 16:9, the canvas shows a 16:9 frame placed around the face, or around the most detailed area when there is no face. What is inside the frame stays. Drag the frame to move it, then click Crop to 16:9 or press Enter. For the 896 × 1152 sample the card then reads 16:9 · 896 × 504 · JPG 112 KB (limit 2 MB).
3. If the image is less than 640 px wide, the card marks it with ! and the main button becomes Enlarge 2×. It resamples and sharpens the pixels; it can't add detail the image never had.
4. Click Download JPG. The file name ends in -16x9.jpg; on an iPhone or iPad the share sheet opens instead, and Save Image puts it in Photos. In YouTube Studio on a computer, choose Content, open the video and click Upload file under Thumbnail.

One image at a time. Enlarge 2× resamples and sharpens; it doesn't invent detail. A transparent background comes out white, because JPG has no transparency. Custom thumbnails need a verified YouTube account, and YouTube makes the final call when you upload. Photopip is not affiliated with YouTube.

Is it 1280 × 720 or 3840 × 2160?

YouTube's help page now recommends 3840 × 2160 with a minimum width of 640 pixels and doesn't mention 1280 × 720, the size many guides still give. A 1280 × 720 image is still well above the minimum. The card keeps your resolution and only scales an image wider than 3840 down to 3840 × 2160.

Why does the card say 2 MB when YouTube allows 50 MB?

50 MB is the limit when you upload from a computer. From a phone it is 2 MB, so a file under 2 MB works from either.

Can I make a thumbnail for a Short here?

Not with this card; it makes 16:9. YouTube recommends 9:16 for Shorts and takes custom Shorts thumbnails only in YouTube Studio on a computer. To make one, close the card with ✕, undo the crop if there was one (Ctrl+Z or Command+Z), select the Crop Tool, choose 9:16 in the options bar, drag the frame, press Enter and save with File > Export > Export As...

Will the words on my thumbnail stay readable?

Zoom the canvas out until the thumbnail is about as big as it looks in a phone feed. If the title is hard to read at that size, make it bigger before you download.

Updated 2026-10-24

More toolsCrop to 16:9Crop imageCompress image