YouTube Banner Size Checker and Template
The YouTube banner size is 2560 × 1440 pixels, and only the middle 1546 × 423 shows on every screen. Upload your banner to see exactly what TV, desktop, tablet and phone viewers get, or download a free template with the zones marked.
Rules: 2560 × 1440 recommended, 2048 × 1152 minimum, 16:9, 6 MB or smaller.
YouTube banner size and rules
From YouTube Help, Manage your channel branding (checked November 2026).
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Recommended size | 2560 × 1440 px (16:9), “especially for TV” |
| Minimum size | 2048 × 1152 px (16:9) |
| Safe area for text and logos | 1235 × 338 px at the minimum size, which is 1546 × 423 px at 2560 × 1440 |
| Maximum file size | 6 MB |
| Avoid | Shadows, borders and frames added to the image |
YouTube states the safe area at the minimum upload size. Scaled up by 1.25 to the recommended size, 1235 × 338 becomes about 1544 × 423. YouTube’s older help page and template used 1546 × 423, so that is the figure designers still work to.
What each device shows
YouTube uses one image everywhere and crops it to fit the screen. The current help page only says the banner “will get cropped on certain views and devices”. The crop sizes below come from YouTube’s earlier banner guidance, which the checker above draws.
| Screen | Visible area | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| TV | 2560 × 1440 (the whole image) | Fill the full frame with background; it is all visible |
| Desktop | Up to 2560 × 423 | A thin strip across the middle; the top and bottom are cut |
| Tablet | 1855 × 423 | The strip, cut further at the sides |
| Phone | 1546 × 423 (the safe area) | Only the center. Put your name, logo and text here |
Desktop crops vary with window width; on narrow windows you see less of the sides. Check the result on your own channel after uploading.
How to make a YouTube banner that fits every screen
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Start from the template
Download the PNG above and open it in Canva, Photoshop, Figma or Photopea as the bottom layer at 2560 × 1440. The colored bands show what each screen cuts off.
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Put the important parts in the safe area
Your channel name, logo, upload schedule or tagline all go inside the 1546 × 423 box in the middle. Anything outside it disappears on phones, where most people see your channel.
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Fill the rest with background
Extend the color, pattern or photo to the full 2560 × 1440 so TVs do not show empty space. Avoid faces or text in the outer areas, since they get cut mid-word on desktop.
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Export and check it here
Hide the template layer, export at 2560 × 1440 as JPG (or PNG for flat graphics), and upload the result above. The checker flags the wrong size, the wrong ratio and files over 6 MB.
Common banner mistakes
- Text near the edges of the strip. It looks fine on a wide monitor and gets cut on a phone. Keep a little margin inside the safe area too.
- Designing at 1546 × 423. YouTube rejects images under 2048 × 1152. Design the full canvas and place your content in the middle.
- A 16:10 or 3:1 image. YouTube fills the 16:9 frame, so anything else gets cropped. The checker shows how much you lose.
- A huge PNG photo. Photographs saved as PNG often go over 6 MB. Save as JPG at 85 to 90 percent quality instead.
- Repeating the profile picture. Your profile picture already shows just below the banner. Use the banner for something new, like what you post and when.
Your banner stays on your computer
The checker reads the image size and file size in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and the template is drawn on your device. If you also need thumbnails that match your channel art, the thumbnail preview tool shows them in a mock YouTube feed, and the thumbnail size guide lists YouTube’s rules.
Banner done. Now the thumbnails.
Short.now’s AI thumbnail studio makes YouTube thumbnails from your video title, with your face from a photo, and rates each one for phone-size legibility. Included in paid plans.
Questions
2560 × 1440 pixels, a 16:9 image, is what YouTube recommends. The minimum is 2048 × 1152 and the file must be 6 MB or smaller.
The middle 1546 × 423 pixels of a 2560 × 1440 banner. YouTube Help gives it as 1235 × 338 at the 2048 × 1152 minimum, which is the same area scaled down. It is the only part every device shows.
Phones show only the 1546 × 423 center of the image. Move your text and logo into that area. Upload your banner above to see exactly what gets cut.
Yes. Press "Download template PNG" above to get a 2560 × 1440 image with the TV, desktop, tablet and safe areas marked. Use it as a guide layer in any editor.
JPG for photos, PNG for flat graphics and text. Either way, keep it at 6 MB or smaller, YouTube’s limit.
This page checks and templates a banner; it does not design one. Build it in any editor with the template underneath, then come back and check it before uploading.
