Resize an Image to YouTube Thumbnail Size
YouTube recommends a 1280 × 720 thumbnail (16:9), and staying under the 2 MB limit keeps it sharp. Crop to 16:9 and resize, and your thumbnail looks crisp on every device — all in your browser.
The requirement
- Dimensions
- 1280 × 720 px
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9
- Max file size
- 2 MB
- Format
- JPG, PNG or GIF
These are typical published values and can change from year to year and from one portal to another. Always confirm the exact requirement in the official notification or upload portal before you submit — the official source takes precedence over anything here.
Step by step
- 1Crop your image to a 16:9 aspect ratio.
- 2Resize it to exactly 1280 × 720 px.
- 3If it's over 2 MB, compress it, then upload it as your thumbnail.
The free tools you need
Need something else? Try our free image resizer or crop an image online. You can also browse all free image tools — everything runs in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
1280 × 720 px at a 16:9 ratio, kept under 2 MB, as JPG, PNG or GIF.
YouTube recommends at least 640 px wide, but 1280 px keeps it sharp on large screens.
No. Cropping, resizing and compression all run in your browser.