Every recommended YouTube image and player size in one reference table: channel banner, profile picture, video thumbnail, and the standard embed dimensions.
Channel branding sizes
| Asset | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Channel banner (full upload) | 2560 × 1440 px | Only the centre ~1546 × 423 px is guaranteed visible on every device; keep logos and text inside that safe area. |
| Channel banner (TV safe area) | 2048 × 1152 px | Minimum size YouTube accepts for the banner upload. |
| Profile picture | 800 × 800 px | Displayed as a circle; keep important details centred. |
| Video watermark | 150 × 150 px | Shown in the corner of videos; transparent PNG recommended. |
Thumbnail sizes
| Asset | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Custom video thumbnail | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9 ratio, minimum width 640 px, under 2MB, JPG/GIF/PNG. |
| maxresdefault (auto-generated) | 1280 × 720 px | Largest official thumbnail; not available for every video. |
| sddefault | 640 × 480 px | Standard-definition preview. |
| hqdefault | 480 × 360 px | Most widely used preview size across YouTube’s own UI. |
| mqdefault | 320 × 180 px | Medium preview, used in compact layouts. |
| default | 120 × 90 px | Smallest preview, used in dense lists and search results. |
Want to see these applied to a real video? Try the thumbnail viewer.
Embed and player sizes
| Format | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard embed (fixed) | 560 × 315 px | YouTube’s own default embed size, 16:9 ratio. |
| Large embed (fixed) | 1280 × 720 px | Good for a dedicated video page. |
| Responsive embed | 100% width, 56.25% padding-bottom | Scales fluidly with its container; see our responsive embed guide. |
| Shorts embed | 9:16 ratio (e.g. 315 × 560 px) | Vertical format matching how Shorts are filmed. |
Shorts and Community post images
| Asset | Recommended size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts video | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 vertical ratio, under 60 seconds. |
| Community post image | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9 ratio recommended for consistent cropping. |
Ready to build the actual embed? Head to the embed code generator to get correctly sized, responsive code in seconds.
How to use this YouTube size guide
Find the asset you need in the tables above (banner, thumbnail, embed or Shorts), and use the listed pixel dimensions when exporting an image or setting up a player size in your own project. For thumbnails specifically, you can check a real video’s actual images with our thumbnail viewer rather than relying on dimensions alone.
Who this YouTube size guide is for
Channel owners preparing a new banner or profile picture, designers building thumbnail templates, and developers setting up embed players who need to know the standard 560×315 default or the correct responsive aspect ratio all use this page as a quick reference instead of searching for each dimension individually.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct YouTube banner size?
Upload at 2560 × 1440 pixels; only the centre area, roughly 1546 × 423 pixels, is guaranteed visible on every device, so keep logos and text inside that safe zone.
What is the ideal YouTube thumbnail size?
1280 × 720 pixels, a 16:9 ratio, with a minimum width of 640 pixels and a file size under 2MB.
What size should a YouTube embed be?
YouTube’s own default is 560 × 315 pixels, but a responsive, percentage-based wrapper (56.25% padding-bottom for 16:9 video) is generally a better choice for modern, mobile-friendly websites. Build one with our embed code generator.
What size are YouTube Shorts?
1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio, under 60 seconds long.
See our guide to responsive YouTube embeds for how to make any of these sizes scale correctly, and browse the aspect ratio entry in our knowledge base for background on why these ratios matter.