Checked against the source
YouTube Community Post Image Size: 1:1, 16 MB, 10 Images
Short answer
YouTube says to upload up to 10 images per post as JPG, PNG, GIF or WEBP, up to 16 MB each, and suggests a 1:1 ratio because that is how images are shown in the feed. It gives no pixel dimensions. We use 1080 × 1080 px.
Key takeaways
- YouTube Help gives a file limit and a shape, and no pixel size. This page does not present a pixel size as a YouTube rule.
- Images per post: up to 10. File types: JPG, PNG, GIF or WEBP. Size: up to 16 MB.
- YouTube suggests 1:1 because that is how images are shown in the feed. Viewers can click to expand and see the full image.
- YouTube does not say how a non-square image is fitted into the square. The crop table on this page assumes a center crop.
- Images that violate the Community Guidelines can lead to removal of the post and a strike on the channel.
The size
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 1080 px |
| Height | 1080 px |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 |
What the platform publishes
| What | Published value |
|---|---|
| Images per post | Up to 10 |
| File types | JPG, PNG, GIF or WEBP |
| Size | Up to 16 MB |
| Suggested aspect ratio | 1:1, because that is how images are shown in the feed |
| Expanded view | Viewers can see the full image by clicking to expand it |
| Koldflux recommendation | 1080 × 1080 px (1:1) |
YouTube Help calls these "posts". It gives a file limit and an aspect ratio, and no pixel dimensions.
Source: YouTube Help: Create a post (checked 2026-10-09)
What your photo loses
| Source | Scale to fill | Lost each side | Lost top and bottom | Source area kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone photo, 16:9 (4032 x 2268) | 0.476 (max(1080 / 4032, 1080 / 2268)) | 420 px ((1920 - 1080) / 2) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 12.8% |
| Phone photo, 4:3 (4032 x 3024) | 0.357 (max(1080 / 4032, 1080 / 3024)) | 180 px ((1440 - 1080) / 2) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 9.6% |
| Camera, 3:2 (6000 x 4000) | 0.27 (max(1080 / 6000, 1080 / 4000)) | 270 px ((1620 - 1080) / 2) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 4.9% |
| Vertical clip, 9:16 (1080 x 1920) | 1 (max(1080 / 1080, 1080 / 1920)) | none ((1080 - 1080) / 2) | 420 px ((1920 - 1080) / 2) | 56.3% |
What this frame costs to upload
| Format | File size | Against PNG |
|---|---|---|
| PNG, lossless | 1,283,743 bytes (1254 kB) | the reference |
| JPEG, `-q:v 5` | 142,513 bytes (139 kB) | 11% of the PNG |
| WebP, `-q:v 75` | 52,936 bytes (52 kB) | 4% of the PNG |
| YouTube maximum post image size, if that is the cap | 16,777,216 bytes (16384 kB) | the PNG is 8% 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
Scales and center-crops any image to exactly 1080 x 1080 px, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, there is no file size cap and no daily limit.
Batch is unlimited and free - every image is processed on your device, so there is no queue and no daily cap.
What YouTube publishes
The Create a post page covers every kind of post and has a section for image and GIF posts. It says you can upload up to 10 images with your post, selecting images or animated GIFs from your computer, and that in the YouTube app you can also add music, text, stickers and filters.
| What | Published value |
|---|---|
| Images per post | Up to 10 |
| File types | JPG, PNG, GIF or WEBP |
| Size | Up to 16 MB |
| Suggested aspect ratio | 1:1, because that is how images are shown in the feed |
| Full view | Viewers can see the full image by clicking to expand it |
Why 1:1, and what a wider photo loses
The feed shows images as squares, and the expanded view shows the whole image. A 16:9 photo has a width 1.78 times its height. If the feed takes a center square from it, only 56.25% of the width remains (9 / 16), so 43.75% of the photo is not in the feed tile, even though viewers can expand it to see the whole image.
YouTube does not describe the feed crop, so this is an assumption: it is the usual behavior of a square tile. The table on this page applies it to a 4:3 phone photo, a 3:2 camera photo and a vertical clip. If you want a specific part kept, crop it to 1:1 yourself.
The size limit, computed
Up to 10 images at 16 MB is at most 160 MB per post. A 1080 × 1080 px image is 3,499,200 bytes uncompressed (1080 × 1080 × 3), which is 3.3 MiB, so the 16 MB cap is reached only by an unusually heavy file. GIFs are the likelier case, because animation multiplies frames.
Community posts are not thumbnails
A post image is separate from the video thumbnail and the channel banner, which have their own sizes.
Free tools:YouTube thumbnail sizeYouTube banner sizeYouTube Shorts thumbnail size
Frequently asked questions
What size is a YouTube community post image?
YouTube gives no pixel size. It suggests a 1:1 ratio, allows JPG, PNG, GIF or WEBP up to 16 MB, and up to 10 images per post.
How many images can I add to a YouTube post?
Up to 10 images with one post.
Does YouTube crop community post images?
YouTube says images are shown 1:1 in the feed and that viewers can click to expand them. It does not say how non-square images are fitted.
Can I post a GIF on YouTube?
Yes. GIF is one of the four file types YouTube lists, along with JPG, PNG and WEBP, with the same 16 MB limit.
Can I add text or music to a post image?
YouTube says that in the YouTube app you can add music, text, stickers and filters to an image post.
Other YouTube sizes
Sources
- YouTube Help: Create a post (checked 2026-10-09)