YouTube video thumbnail size (1280×720)
Quick answer
The recommended YouTube thumbnail is 1280×720 pixels (16:9). image cat pre-selects it so you can crop and upload right away.
YouTube thumbnails use a 1280×720, 16:9 standard. image cat crops your image to 1280×720 locally, meeting YouTube's thumbnail requirements — nothing uploaded.
Pick target sizes (multi-select)
X / Twitter
YouTube
Why 1280×720
YouTube recommends a minimum of 1280×720 at 16:9, matching the video frame ratio. This size stays crisp everywhere thumbnails appear — the watch page, search results and the recommendations rail — making it the safe choice.
Thumbnail design tips
Thumbnails shrink small on phones, so make text large, bold and high-contrast. Keep the subject and text centred and avoid the bottom-right corner, which is often covered by the video duration badge.
Frequently asked questions
1280×720 pixels at 16:9 is recommended, with a minimum width of 640 pixels. 1280×720 is the most universal safe size.
YouTube caps thumbnails at 2MB. After cropping, if it exceeds that, use image cat's compress tool to bring it under 2MB.
No. Cropping runs entirely in your browser; images are never uploaded.
Source-checked platform specs
Updated · image cat team