Resize a YouTube thumbnail
Build a 1280×720 thumbnail that stays sharp in search results, on the watch page and on TV apps.
Processed in your browser
Drop your image here
or choose an image from your device
Accepts JPG, PNG or WEBP · max 25.00 MB
How to use it
- 1Drop the frame or artwork you want as a thumbnail into the upload area.
- 2Choose a preset: thumbnail 1280 × 720, large thumbnail 1920 × 1080, channel art 2560 × 1440 or channel icon 800 × 800.
- 3Use Crop to fill the 16:9 frame from the centre, or Fit if the whole composition must stay visible.
- 4Resize, then check the result size — YouTube rejects thumbnail files above 2 MB, so compress afterwards if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Why 1280 × 720 specifically?
It's YouTube's recommended thumbnail size: 16:9, above the 640 px minimum width, and large enough to stay sharp on a TV app while small enough to stay under the file-size cap.
My thumbnail is over YouTube's 2 MB limit. What now?
Run the resized file through the JPG Compressor at quality 80 — a 1280 × 720 JPG normally lands well under 500 KB with no visible difference.
Why does the channel art preset use 2560 × 1440?
Channel banners are cropped differently on TV, desktop and mobile. 2560 × 1440 is the full TV-safe canvas; keep logos and text within the central area so they survive the mobile crop.
Should I use Crop or Fit for a thumbnail?
Crop, in almost every case — letterbox bars from Fit waste the small space you get in search results and look unintentional.
Related tools
- Instagram Image ResizerCrop or scale a photo to Instagram's exact post, story and reel dimensions so the app re-compresses it as little as possible.
- Image CompressorReduce JPG, PNG or WEBP file size with a quality slider you control. Compression happens in your browser.
- Resize ImageSet exact pixel dimensions or aim for a target file size in KB. Everything runs in your browser.
- Crop ImageTrim an image to the exact area you want, using pixel-accurate crop values.