YouTube banner size: 2560 × 1440 and the 1235 × 338 safe area
A YouTube channel banner is 2560 × 1440 pixels, as YouTube Help recommends; the minimum is 2048 × 1152 and the file must be 6 MB or smaller. The same image goes to computers, phones and TVs and is cropped differently on each, so only the central 1235 × 338 is guaranteed to show — that is where the channel name and logo go.
2560 × 1440recommended sizeMinimum 2048 × 1152, 16 : 9
1235 × 338safe areaVisible on every device — text and logo only here
6 MBmaximum file sizePer YouTube Help
| What | Size | File size |
|---|---|---|
| Channel banner | 2560 × 1440, minimum 2048 × 1152, 16 : 9 | Up to 6 MB |
| Banner safe area | 1235 × 338, centred | — |
| Profile picture | Renders at 98 × 98; square JPG, PNG, BMP, non-animated GIF | Up to 15 MB |
| Video watermark | Square, from 150 × 150 | Under 1 MB |
| Video thumbnail | 16 : 9 | Separate chapter |
What gets cropped
YouTube Help says it plainly: one banner goes to every device but is cropped on some. The only guarantee is the 1235 × 338 area; the older per-device crop sizes that guides still quote are no longer in the help.
Making a banner whose text survives
- Set a 1280 × 720 canvas. It exports at double density — exactly 2560 × 1440.
- Mark the safe area: a centred 618 × 169 on that canvas.
- Background by the model across the whole area, with no text near the edges.
- Name and logo as real text inside the zone, so it can be edited without a redraw.
- Check when uploading: in YouTube Studio, Customization → Profile → Change, pick a preview, adjust the crop, then Done and Publish.
Channel icon and other avatar sizes are in avatar sizes.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a YouTube banner?
Per YouTube Help, 2560 × 1440 pixels, minimum 2048 × 1152 at 16 : 9, up to 6 MB. Put text and logo in the central 1235 × 338 safe area: only that shows on every device.
What is the YouTube banner size for phones?
There is no separate size: one 2560 × 1440 banner is uploaded and YouTube crops it on phones. Keep anything that must be read inside the central 1235 × 338.
Try it yourself
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