Video thumbnails let your audience view a quick snapshot of your video. You can choose from the options YouTube automatically generates, or upload your own if your account is verified.
You can also add thumbnails in the YouTube Studio app on your mobile device.
Add automatic or custom thumbnails
YouTube Android app
- Open the YouTube app
.
- Tap Library
Your videos.
- Next to the video you'd like to edit, tap More
.
- Select an auto-generated thumbnail or tap Custom thumbnail to create a custom video thumbnail from an image on your device.
- Confirm your thumbnail selection and tap SELECT.
- Tap SAVE.
.
Your videos.
Note: Vertical videos with 16:9 custom thumbnails will be replaced by an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail on the home, explore, and subscription pages. Your custom thumbnail will still appear on the watch feed, watch history, and non-mobile platforms.
Watch how to add a custom video thumbnail
Watch the following video from the YouTube Creators channel if you’d like a tutorial on how to add a custom video thumbnail on YouTube.
How to Add Custom Thumbnails to Your YouTube Videos
Custom thumbnail best practices
Image size & resolution
Your custom thumbnail image should be as large as possible. It will be used as the preview image in the embedded player. We recommend your custom thumbnails:
- Have a resolution of 1280x720 (with minimum width of 640 pixels).
- Be uploaded in image formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG.
- Remain under 2MB for videos or 10MB for podcasts.
- Try to use a 16:9 aspect ratio as it's the most used in YouTube players and previews.
- For podcasts, upload a thumbnail with an aspect ratio of 1:1 instead of 16:9 (1280 x 1280 pixels).
Thumbnail policies
- Nudity or sexually provocative content
- Hate Speech
- Violence
- Harmful or dangerous content