Setting up a channel? Pick a name with the Channel Name Generator, check your thumbnail size, and find video ideas built on real outliers.
YouTube shows the same banner cropped differently on TVs, desktops, tablets and phones. Design on a 2560 × 1440 canvas and keep everything that matters inside the 1546 × 423 safe area in the middle.
That's the recommended size; the minimum upload is 2048 × 1152 and the file must be 6 MB or smaller. TVs show the whole image, so fill the canvas with something that looks fine full-screen.
A 1500 × 500 header from another platform
A 2560 × 1440 canvas with the key strip in the center
Phones only show the central 1546 × 423 strip. Your channel name, face, upload schedule or tagline must sit inside it, or mobile viewers never see them.
Upload schedule in the top-right corner
Name and schedule centered inside the safe area
The banner is one of the few places to tell a visitor why to subscribe. A short line about what they'll get works harder than a logo alone.
A logo on a gradient
"Honest budget travel guides — new video every Friday"
Rewrites are illustrative examples, not measured results.
2560 × 1440 pixels is recommended; the minimum is 2048 × 1152, with a 16:9 canvas and a file of 6 MB or smaller. The area visible on every device is 1546 × 423 in the center.
The central 1546 × 423 pixels. It's the only part shown on phones, so text and logos should sit inside it.
Each device shows a different crop of the same image: TVs show all of it, desktops a wide strip, phones only the safe area. Drop your banner above to see each crop.
No. The check runs in your browser and the image never leaves your device.