Free Tool · Runs in your browser

Thumbnail
Safe Zone Preview

See exactly what gets cropped on mobile, covered by the duration badge, and clipped by TV overscan — before you upload.

Quick answer: YouTube’s recommended thumbnail is 1280×720 (16:9, under 2 MB). Keep faces and key text inside the inner 80% on mobile feeds and away from the bottom-right corner where the duration badge lives.
SAFE ZONE
MOBILE CROP (~8% each side)
10:24

Overlays

Upload

Drop an image on the canvas, or paste a YouTube URL below to import its thumbnail.

How it helps

What each overlay means

Safe zone

Inner ~80% area that survives cropping across feeds, shelves, and notifications.

Mobile crop

Center-crop YouTube often applies in mobile feed placements — edges get trimmed.

Duration badge

Bottom-right black pill showing video length. Avoid important elements behind it.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

A thumbnail safe zone is the inner area of a 1280×720 thumbnail that stays visible across all YouTube surfaces. The outer edges can be cropped on mobile feeds, partially covered by the duration badge in the bottom-right, or cut off by TV overscan. Keep faces and key text inside the safe zone.

YouTube's mobile app uses a center-crop for many feed placements, trimming roughly 8–10% off the left and right of your 1280×720 image. If you place faces or text near the edges they can get cut off. Use this preview to check exactly how much is lost.

The duration badge sits in the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail, roughly 90×34 pixels at standard scale. Avoid putting important subjects or text within about 150×60 pixels of that corner.

Older smart TVs trim 2–5% off every edge of an image — "overscan". Keep essential elements inside the inner 96% of the thumbnail if you expect TV views. YouTube's TV app covers most modern TVs, so this is a secondary concern compared to mobile crop.

YouTube requires thumbnails to be under 2 MB in JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP format. The recommended resolution is 1280×720 pixels (16:9). This tool warns you if your file is over 2 MB or not 16:9.

Yes. Everything runs in your browser — your thumbnail never leaves your device. No sign-up, no uploads to any server.

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