About this tool
Thumbnails are seen at phone size, so the canvas pushes you toward three to five big words with a thick outline, high contrast and one bright highlight. Add your own photo or use a gradient, preview at small size, and download a file that meets YouTube's 2 MB limit.
How to use it
- Add a background photo, or pick a gradient.
- Type two to five words, choose words to highlight and adjust size, outline and position.
- Check the small phone preview, then download the JPG and upload it in YouTube Studio.
Questions
What size is a YouTube thumbnail?
1280 × 720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 pixels wide, under 2 MB, in JPG, PNG or GIF.
How much text should a thumbnail have?
Three to five words at most. The title already explains the video; the thumbnail should add emotion or a hook that reads at a glance.
Are my images uploaded?
No. The thumbnail is drawn on a canvas in your browser and downloaded straight to your device.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026.