Checked against the source
YouTube channel banner size
Short answer
Upload 2560 x 1440 px. YouTube recommends that size especially for TV, accepts 2048 x 1152 px at 16:9 as the minimum, and states that 1235 x 338 px of the minimum is the area that displays on every device. Scaled to 2560 x 1440 that is about 1544 x 423 px, centered.
Key takeaways
- YouTube recommends 2560 x 1440 px, especially for TV, and gives 2048 x 1152 px at 16:9 as the minimum.
- YouTube publishes the safe area: 1235 x 338 px at the 2048 x 1152 minimum.
- Scaled to 2560 x 1440 px that is about 1544 x 423 px (computed: multiply by 2560 / 2048 = 1.25).
- The file must be 6 MB or smaller.
- One image serves computer, mobile and TV, which is why YouTube publishes a safe area rather than three separate crops.
The size
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 2560 px |
| Height | 1440 px |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Where this comes from | YouTube Help: 2560 x 1440 px recommended, 2048 x 1152 px minimum, 1235 x 338 safe area |
What the platform publishes
| What | Published value |
|---|---|
| Recommended | 2560 × 1440 px (especially for TV) |
| Minimum upload | 2048 × 1152 px, 16:9 |
| Safe area for text and logos | 1235 × 338 px at the 2048 × 1152 minimum (computed: about 1544 × 423 px, centerd, if you design at 2560 × 1440) |
| File size | 6 MB or smaller |
| Display | One image for computer, mobile and TV; each device crops it differently |
Source: YouTube Help: Manage your channel branding (checked 2026-10-05)
To scale
What each viewport shows
| Viewport | Visible height | Width of the asset shown | Cropped away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop, 1440 px | 810 px | 1440 px of 2560 | 315 px top and bottom |
| Laptop, 1200 px | 675 px | 1200 px of 2560 | 382.5 px top and bottom |
| Tablet, 768 px | 432 px | 768 px of 2560 | 504 px top and bottom |
| Phone, 390 px | 219.4 px | 390 px of 2560 | 610.3 px top and bottom |
What this frame costs to upload
| Format | File size | Against PNG |
|---|---|---|
| PNG, lossless | 4,462,262 bytes (4358 kB) | the reference |
| JPEG, `-q:v 5` | 373,925 bytes (365 kB) | 8% of the PNG |
| WebP, `-q:v 75` | 146,262 bytes (143 kB) | 3% of the PNG |
| YouTube maximum file size, if that is the cap | 6,291,456 bytes (6144 kB) | the PNG is 71% of it |
ffmpeg 6.1.1. Upper bounds: a flat logo or a soft portrait compresses much further. The full method is in the evidence file.
Resize it now
2560 x 1440 px, the size YouTube recommends and the one its safe area scales to. Because a banner keeps 16:9 across every surface, the tool center-crops rather than pads, and everything outside the 1544 x 423 px safe area can disappear on a TV.
Batch is unlimited and free - every image is processed on your device, so there is no queue and no daily cap.
The specification, and the one number that matters
YouTube's channel branding Help page recommends 2560 x 1440 px, "especially for TV", gives 2048 x 1152 px at 16:9 as the minimum, and requires a file of 6 MB or smaller.
It also states the safe area for text and logos as 1235 x 338 px at the 2048 x 1152 minimum. That is the number worth remembering, because the branding article we read on 2026-10-07 gives a safe area rather than a per-device crop. It says one image is used for computer, mobile and TV and that each device displays it differently. It gives a safe area rather than three crop boxes, so no per-device crop is available to quote.
So the safe area is the honest answer to "what does YouTube crop". Anything outside it may be visible on one device and absent on another, and YouTube will not tell you which.
| What | Published value |
|---|---|
| Recommended | 2560 x 1440 px, especially for TV |
| Minimum upload | 2048 x 1152 px at 16:9 |
| Safe area for text and logos | 1235 x 338 px at the 2048 x 1152 minimum |
| File size | 6 MB or smaller |
| Display | one image for computer, mobile and TV; each device crops differently |
Manage your channel branding, checked 2026-10-07.
The safe area at the size you should actually use
The safe area is stated at the minimum, and most people design at the recommendation. The conversion is one multiplication: 2560 / 2048 = 1.25.
Applying 1.25 to both dimensions gives 1235 x 1.25 = 1543.75, which is 1544 px, and 338 x 1.25 = 422.5, which is 423 px. Those are the numbers to design inside at 2560 x 1440 px, and they are computed here rather than published, because YouTube states the safe area only at the minimum.
As a share of the canvas, 1544 of 2560 px is 60.3% of the width and 423 of 1440 px is 29.4% of the height. The remaining 39.7% of the width and 70.6% of the height is where the design bleeds off, appearing on some devices and not others.
Why TV is the constraint that sets the safe area
YouTube recommends the larger canvas "especially for TV", and TV is what produces a safe area: a television shows the widest crop of the three surfaces because the screen is wide and the video sits in the middle of it.
That has a blunt consequence. The middle 423 px of height at 2560 x 1440 px is the part that survives everywhere, and it is a horizontal band rather than a box. A logo wider than 1544 px will be cut on a TV even though it looks fine on a desktop.
The viewport table above computes what each device keeps from the 16:9 canvas, which is a different question from the safe area: the table is about the aspect ratio, the safe area is about YouTube's published guarantee, and the safe area is the binding one.
Laying out inside the band
- Put the channel name and any key text inside the central 1544 x 423 px at 2560 x 1440 px.
- Fill the rest with imagery that can be cut without losing meaning: a background color, a gradient, a pattern.
- Avoid a face or a logo in the top or bottom fifth. That is outside the published safe area.
- Do not design at 2048 x 1152 px because it is the "minimum". The minimum is a floor; the safe area scales with the canvas.
- Keep the file under 6 MB. A wide strip shows JPEG artifacts in gradients more than a small avatar does, so check a flat gradient at full width before publishing.
What the frame costs, and what 6 MB means
In the measured run on this page, 2560 x 1440 px is 365 kB as JPEG and 143 kB as WebP, against 4.3 MB as PNG. The 6 MB limit is therefore not the binding constraint on a banner at the recommended size; the crop is.
If you find yourself compressing a banner hard to fit 6 MB, the source is more detailed than the format needs at strip width, and a gradient or a flatter image will look better at a larger file than a detailed one does when squeezed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube banner size?
2560 x 1440 px is what YouTube recommends, especially for TV. The minimum is 2048 x 1152 px at 16:9, and the file must be 6 MB or smaller.
What is the YouTube banner safe area?
YouTube gives 1235 x 338 px at the 2048 x 1152 minimum. Scaled to the recommended 2560 x 1440 px that is about 1544 x 423 px, computed by multiplying both by 2560 / 2048 = 1.25.
Why does my YouTube banner look cut off?
One image serves computer, mobile and TV, and each crops it differently. The article we read on 2026-10-07 gives a safe area rather than a per-device crop, so anything outside it, 1235 x 338 px at the minimum or 1544 x 423 px at the recommended size, can be cropped away.
Do I need a different banner for mobile, desktop and TV?
No. YouTube states it uses one image for all three and crops each surface differently. That is exactly why it publishes a safe area rather than three separate sizes.
How big can a YouTube banner file be?
6 MB or smaller, which YouTube states directly. At 2560 x 1440 px a normal JPEG export is well under that; the measured run on this page produced 365 kB.
Where does the profile picture sit on a YouTube banner?
The branding article we read on 2026-10-07 does not say where the profile picture overlaps the banner or how large it is. Treat the lower left as covered regardless, which is why the safe area is a centered band rather than the full frame.
Other YouTube sizes
Sources
- YouTube Help: Manage your channel branding (checked 2026-10-05)
- YouTube Help: Add custom video thumbnails (checked 2026-10-07)
Every figure here is YouTube's, from the channel branding article. The 1544 x 423 px safe area at 2560 x 1440 px is computed on this page by scaling YouTube's own 1235 x 338 px, which it states only at the minimum size.