Creator tool / 18
YouTube Thumbnail Preview
See your thumbnail and title the way viewers will, at home-feed, sidebar, and phone sizes, before you upload.
YouTube Thumbnail Preview: TOEA shows your image in home-feed, sidebar and phone mock-ups. It compares ordinary video thumbnails with the recommended 3840 × 2160 resolution, minimum width, 16:9 ratio and desktop/mobile file limits, and reports the image format. Preview files must be under 30 MB. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- YouTube tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
JPG or PNG · recommended 3840 × 2160 · preview files under 30 MB
57 of 100 title characters. Around the first 60 to 70 show before the title is cut off in most places.
How I built a workshop in a weekend (and what went wrong)
How I built a workshop in a weekend (and what went wrong)
How I built a workshop in a weekend (and what went wrong)
How I built a workshop in a weekend (and what went wrong)
What reads at small sizes
Most thumbnails are seen at the size of a phone card or a sidebar row. At that size, three or four large words are the practical maximum, faces read better in close-up than as full figures, and thin fonts and outlines vanish. High contrast between subject and background does more than detail.
The title is shown beside the image, so the picture need not repeat it; use the image for what the title cannot say, such as the result, the product, or a reaction. Plain white or black edges can blend into YouTube's light or dark background, so give the image a clear border of colour or contrast.
Before uploading
Export from the original design at the recommended 3840 × 2160 rather than enlarging a smaller image. Video thumbnails must be under 50 MB for desktop uploads or under 2 MB for mobile uploads. If needed, use image compressor at a high JPG quality instead of reducing the dimensions.
YouTube Studio can also test up to three thumbnails against each other on a published video, where eligible, and report which is watched most. Previewing here first helps pick the candidates worth testing.
How to use it
- Choose the thumbnail image.
- Type the title, channel name, and the duration badge.
- Compare the three sizes, in light and dark, and adjust the artwork.
Privacy & limitations
The image stays in your browser and is never uploaded. The mock-ups are ordinary page layout; nothing is fetched from YouTube.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
What about Shorts and podcast thumbnails?
For Shorts, the recommendation is 2160 × 3840 pixels, a minimum height of 640 pixels and a 9:16 aspect ratio. Podcast thumbnails have a 10 MB size limit.
What size should a thumbnail be?
YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels for custom video thumbnails, with a minimum width of 640 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It lists image formats such as JPG or PNG. Video thumbnails must be under 50 MB on desktop or under 2 MB on mobile.
Why does the sidebar version matter most?
It is the smallest place the thumbnail appears, and a large share of views come from suggested videos. Text that reads at 1280 pixels often vanishes at 168.
Is this exactly what YouTube shows?
It is a close likeness of the three common layouts, not YouTube itself, which changes its design and varies it by device. Use it to judge legibility and crop, not pixel placement.
Does the duration badge cover part of the image?
Yes, the bottom-right corner, as it does on YouTube. Keep anything important out of that corner.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required