What is the YouTube thumbnail size in 2026?

YouTube Help asks for a 16:9 JPG or PNG with a minimum width of 640 px and allows a resolution up to 3840 × 2160 px. The file limit is 2 MB when you upload from the mobile app and 50 MB on desktop. 1280 × 720 px remains the safe standard because it meets the minimum and stays small enough for the 2 MB limit.

What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?

Shorts thumbnails are vertical 9:16: YouTube Help allows up to 2160 × 3840 px with a minimum height of 640 px, so 1080 × 1920 px is a practical export. Note that a vertical video with a 16:9 custom thumbnail is shown with an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail on Home, Explore and Subscriptions.

What is the YouTube channel banner size?

Upload at least 2048 × 1152 px at 16:9; 2560 × 1440 px is recommended, especially for TV. Keep text and logos inside the 1235 × 338 px safe area at the minimum size (about 1546 × 423 px at 2560 × 1440), and keep the file at 6 MB or less.

What is the difference between a thumbnail and a cover photo?

A thumbnail is a small preview image representing a video or post (e.g. a YouTube video thumbnail). A cover photo is the large banner image at the top of a profile or page.

Are these dimensions mandatory platform specifications?

Only rows marked Official come from the platform's help page, and even those can change. Rows marked Preset are common working sizes for placements where the platform does not publish an exact figure. Verify critical campaign assets in the platform's current documentation.

What file format should I use?

JPEG is best for photos (smaller file size). PNG is better for graphics with text or transparent backgrounds. YouTube thumbnails accept JPG or PNG; LinkedIn Page images must be PNG or JPEG under 3 MB.

What does "safe zone" mean?

A safe zone is a conservative central area used to reduce the risk of important content being covered or cropped. It is not a guarantee across every device, placement, or future interface.

What size is a Facebook thumbnail?

For a video thumbnail, use 1280 × 720 px (16:9). For the image shown with a shared link, use 1200 × 630 px (1.91:1). Keep text and faces near the center, because Facebook resizes previews for each placement.

What size is an Instagram thumbnail?

A Reel cover is 1080 × 1920 px (9:16). The profile grid shows a cropped version of that cover, so keep the subject and any text in the middle of the frame. Feed posts use 1080 × 1080 px (1:1) or 1080 × 1350 px (4:5).

What size is a Pinterest pin?

Pinterest recommends a 2:3 aspect ratio, 1000 × 1500 px, as a PNG or JPEG up to 20 MB on desktop or 32 MB in the app. Pins wider than 2:3 may be cut off in feeds.

Thumbnail Size Reference

Search, filter by aspect ratio, and copy pixel sizes for seven social platforms. Rows marked Official follow the platform's help page as of October 2026; drop in an image to see which sizes it already fits.

Aspect ratio

Platform	Format	Dimensions (px)	Ratio	Notes
YouTube	Video Thumbnail Official	1280 × 720 px	16:9	Standard size; YouTube Help: min width 640 px, JPG or PNG, 2 MB on mobile / 50 MB on desktop
YouTube	Video Thumbnail (maximum) Official	3840 × 2160 px	16:9	Highest resolution YouTube Help lists; check the 2 MB limit if uploading from a phone
YouTube	Shorts Thumbnail Official	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	9:16; YouTube Help allows up to 2160×3840 px, min height 640 px
YouTube	Channel Banner Official	2560 × 1440 px	16:9	Recommended size; min 2048×1152 px; safe area 1235×338 px at min size (≈1546×423 at 2560×1440); 6 MB max
YouTube	Profile Picture Preset	800 × 800 px	1:1	Renders at 98×98 px (YouTube Help); JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG up to 15 MB; shown as a circle
YouTube	Community Post Image Preset	1080 × 1080 px	1:1	Square recommended; also supports 16:9
YouTube	End Screen Overlay Preset	1280 × 720 px	16:9	Placed in final 20 sec; element areas specified in YouTube Studio
Facebook	Cover Photo (Page) Preset	851 × 315 px	~2.7:1	Shown at 820×312 on desktop, 640×360 on mobile; PNG recommended for logos
Facebook	Profile Photo Preset	180 × 180 px	1:1	Displayed as a circle; upload a larger square for sharp high-DPI display
Facebook	Shared Link Image Preset	1200 × 630 px	1.91:1	Open Graph image for link previews and feed posts
Facebook	Square Post Image Preset	1080 × 1080 px	1:1	Best for photos without link attachment
Facebook	Story Preset	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	Keep content in center 1080×1420 safe zone; 250 px top/bottom for UI
Facebook	Event Cover Preset	1920 × 1005 px	~1.91:1	Cropped to 1640×859 in event view
Facebook	Video Thumbnail Preset	1280 × 720 px	16:9	Same 16:9 frame as YouTube
Facebook	Group Cover Photo Preset	1640 × 856 px	~1.91:1	Cropped on mobile; keep key content centered
Twitter / X	Header / Banner Preset	1500 × 500 px	3:1	Cropped on mobile; safe zone ~1265×500 center; max 5 MB
Twitter / X	Profile Photo Preset	400 × 400 px	1:1	Displayed as circle; max 2 MB; JPG/PNG/GIF
Twitter / X	In-Feed Single Image Preset	1600 × 900 px	16:9	Also supports 1:1 and 4:3; max 5 MB JPG/PNG or 15 MB GIF
Twitter / X	In-Feed Square Image Preset	1200 × 1200 px	1:1	Crops to 2:1 in some contexts; use square to be safe
Twitter / X	Card (Summary Large) Preset	1200 × 628 px	~1.91:1	Open Graph image used by link cards; min 300×157 px
Instagram	Square Post Preset	1080 × 1080 px	1:1	The classic feed format
Instagram	Portrait Post Preset	1080 × 1350 px	4:5	Takes up most feed space; recommended for photos
Instagram	Landscape Post Preset	1080 × 566 px	1.91:1	Widest supported format; cropped in profile grid
Instagram	Story Preset	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	Keep text clear of the top and bottom ~250 px used by the interface
Instagram	Reel (Cover) Preset	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	Profile grid shows a cropped version; keep faces/subject centered
Instagram	Profile Photo Preset	320 × 320 px	1:1	Shown as a small circle; upload 320×320 or larger
Instagram	Carousel Post Preset	1080 × 1080 px	1:1	Each slide same ratio; 1080×1350 also accepted per slide
LinkedIn	Personal Background (Banner) Official	1584 × 396 px	4:1	LinkedIn Help recommended size; JPG or PNG under 8 MB; framing varies by screen size
LinkedIn	Page Cover Image Official	1512 × 256 px	~5.9:1	LinkedIn Help minimum and recommended; PNG or JPEG, max 3 MB
LinkedIn	Profile Photo Official	400 × 400 px	1:1	Min 400×400 px, max 7680×4320 px; PNG or JPG up to 8 MB; displayed as circle
LinkedIn	Page Logo Official	400 × 400 px	1:1	Recommended 400×400, minimum 268×268 px; PNG or JPEG, max 3 MB
LinkedIn	Life Tab Main Image Official	1128 × 376 px	3:1	Career Pages; PNG or JPEG, max 3 MB
LinkedIn	Life Tab Company Photo Official	900 × 600 px	3:2	Recommended size; minimum 264×176 px
LinkedIn	Post Link Image Official	1200 × 627 px	~1.91:1	Custom image on a Page post with a URL; must be more than 200 px wide
LinkedIn	Article Cover Preset	1920 × 1080 px	16:9	Use high resolution for retina screens
TikTok	Video Cover / Thumbnail Preset	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	Cropped in some grid placements; keep subject centered
TikTok	Profile Photo Preset	200 × 200 px	1:1	Displayed as circle; upload a larger square for sharpness
TikTok	In-Feed Video Frame Preset	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	Full-screen vertical; safe zone roughly 1080×1420 (top/bottom UI)
TikTok	Spark Ad Image Preset	1080 × 1920 px	9:16	Native/sponsored post; same as organic video frame
Pinterest	Standard Pin Official	1000 × 1500 px	2:3	Pinterest recommended; PNG or JPEG up to 20 MB desktop / 32 MB app; wider than 2:3 may be cut off

Official = platform help page as of October 9, 2026. Preset = common working size.

40 formats shown

Check your image against these sizes

Reads the pixel size, ratio and file size locally; nothing is uploaded.

Sources and cropping

Official rows were checked on October 9, 2026 against YouTube Help: custom thumbnails, YouTube Help: channel banner and picture, LinkedIn Pages image specs, LinkedIn background photo and Pinterest product specs. Platforms rescale, recompress and crop the same upload differently by placement, so keep important content centered.

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Quick answer

A YouTube video thumbnail is 16:9: 1280 × 720 px is the standard size, YouTube Help now accepts up to 3840 × 2160 px with a minimum width of 640 px, and the file must be JPG or PNG under 2 MB when uploaded from a phone (50 MB on desktop). Vertical covers for Shorts, Reels and TikTok are 1080 × 1920 px (9:16), and a link-preview image is 1200 × 630 px.

Examples

Placement	Size (px)	Ratio
YouTube video thumbnail	1280 × 720 (up to 3840 × 2160)	16:9
YouTube Shorts thumbnail	1080 × 1920 (up to 2160 × 3840)	9:16
Facebook link image	1200 × 630	1.91:1
Instagram Reel cover	1080 × 1920	9:16
LinkedIn post link image	1200 × 627	1.91:1
Pinterest standard pin	1000 × 1500	2:3

Filter by platform or aspect ratio, copy any size in one click, or check your own image against every preset.

Summary

Social networks scale and crop uploads across placements and viewports. This reference collects thumbnail and image sizes for YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Pinterest. Rows marked Official were checked against the platform's own help page on October 9, 2026; rows marked Preset are common working sizes where the platform publishes no exact figure. Filter by platform or aspect ratio, search using pixel notation, copy a dimension in one click, or drop in an image to see its ratio, file size and which presets it matches.

How it works

Browse the table or search by format, platform, ratio, or dimensions such as 1280x720.
Combine a platform tab with the aspect-ratio filter to narrow the list.
Check the Basis badge: Official rows follow the platform help page; Preset rows are common working sizes.
Click the copy icon next to any dimension to copy it to your clipboard.
Optionally choose an image: the checker reads its pixel size, ratio and file size in your browser and lists the presets it already fits, needs downscaling for, or is too small for.

Use cases

Export a YouTube thumbnail at 1280×720 or 4K and confirm it stays under the 2 MB mobile upload limit.
Check whether a Shorts or Reels cover is a true 9:16 frame before uploading.
Design a Facebook cover photo that fits both desktop and mobile crop areas.
Export a LinkedIn banner, Page cover or Life tab image at the size LinkedIn Help lists.
Size a Pinterest pin at the recommended 2:3 ratio.
Build a consistent asset export checklist for a social media team.
Verify existing assets before scheduling a campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-10-09 · Reviewed by Nham Vu