Resize an image to YouTube thumbnail size
Make a thumbnail that meets YouTube’s 1280 × 720 recommendation in one step. Your image is processed on your device.
Files never leave your deviceNeed more settings? Open the full Resize Image tool.
How to resize an image to YouTube thumbnail size
- Drop your image onto the box above: a screenshot, a photo or a design export.
- The size is preset to 1280 × 720 pixels with Crop to fill on.
- Press Resize. The image is centred, trimmed to 16:9 and scaled to exactly 1280 × 720.
- Download and upload it in YouTube Studio under Thumbnail.
YouTube thumbnail requirements
- Size: 1280 × 720 pixels is recommended. The minimum width is 640 pixels.
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, the same as the video player.
- Format: JPG, PNG or GIF (non-animated).
- File size: under 2 MB.
A thumbnail at exactly 1280 × 720 looks sharp on TVs and desktops and is downscaled cleanly for phones and search results.
Keeping the file under 2 MB
A 1280 × 720 JPG is usually 150 to 400 KB, far below the limit. PNG thumbnails with photographs in them can be larger. The resizer keeps the original format, so if you start from a big PNG and the result is over 2 MB:
- convert it with PNG to JPG, or
- shrink it with compress to 100 KB, which keeps it sharp while leaving plenty of room.
Getting the framing right
Crop to fill trims equally from both sides, so nothing is stretched or squashed. If your source image is square or portrait, a good part of the top and bottom will be removed. To choose exactly which part stays, open the crop tool, pick 16:9, position the frame and then resize here.
Remember that YouTube overlays the video length in the bottom-right corner, so keep faces and text away from that area.
Other sizes
For channel art, social posts and custom dimensions, use the full resize image tool, which also has presets for Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
Private and offline
Your image is resized on your own device with a WebAssembly Lanczos filter and is never uploaded. After the first visit the tool works offline too.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube thumbnail size?
YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 pixels, a 16:9 ratio, with a minimum width of 640 pixels. The file must be JPG, PNG or GIF and under 2 MB.
My thumbnail is over 2 MB. What should I do?
Save it as JPG rather than PNG, or run it through the image compressor. A 1280 × 720 JPG is usually well under 500 KB.
Will a 4:3 or square image be stretched?
No. Crop-to-fill trims the edges to 16:9 so nothing is distorted. Use the crop tool first if you want to choose the framing yourself.
Are my files uploaded anywhere? How can I check?
No. The image resizer runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device. You can verify it: open your browser's DevTools (F12, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac), switch to the Network tab, tick "Preserve log", clear the list and process a file. You will only see requests for this site's own static files, never one that carries your data. You can also turn on "Offline" in the Network tab (or disconnect from the internet) once the page has loaded, and the tool keeps working.
Does it work offline?
Yes. After your first visit a service worker saves the tool to your device, so it opens and works without a connection. Only advertising needs the internet; the processing never does.