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PlaylistTime / Creator tools / Banner size

YouTube banner size and safe area: see what every device shows

Pick your channel banner to see it on the 2560 x 1440 template with the areas TVs, computers, tablets and phones show. Check it against YouTube's rules and save a resized copy.

No image yet?

The YouTube banner size YouTube recommends is 2560 x 1440 pixels, and the part every device shows, the safe area for text and logos, is a strip in the middle about 1546 x 423 pixels. This checker puts your own image on that template and draws the areas TVs, computers, tablets and phones show, so you can see what gets cut before you upload. It also checks the rules from YouTube Help (at least 2048 x 1152, 16:9, 6 MB or smaller) and saves a resized 2560 x 1440 JPG, or a PNG with the guides. Use the blank template if you are starting from scratch. Everything runs in your browser.

What size is a YouTube banner?

YouTube Help (checked 26 October 2026) gives these banner image guidelines:

RuleValue
Recommended size (especially for TV)2560 x 1440 px
Minimum size for upload2048 x 1152 px, 16:9
Safe area for text and logos at the minimum size1235 x 338 px
File size6 MB or smaller
ExtrasNo shadows, borders or frames

YouTube's tips page puts it the same way: a banner of at least 2560 x 1440 for the best display on all devices.

What is the YouTube banner safe area?

The safe area is the middle part of the banner that shows on every device, including phones. YouTube Help states it for the minimum upload size: 1235 x 338 pixels on a 2048 x 1152 image. On the recommended 2560 x 1440 image the same box is 1.25 times larger, about 1544 x 423, which is why templates use 1546 x 423. Put your channel name, logo, upload schedule and any other text inside it. Anything outside may be cut on phones and tablets.

TV 2560 x 1440Desktop 2560 x 423Tablet 1855 x 423Phone (safe area) 1546 x 423

TVs show the whole 2560 x 1440 image. Everything else shows a 423 px tall strip from the middle; phones show the narrowest part, which is the safe area.

YouTube banner size for desktop, mobile, tablet and TV

DeviceArea shown (on a 2560 x 1440 banner)
TV2560 x 1440, the whole image
DesktopUp to 2560 x 423, the full width of a middle strip
Tablet1855 x 423
Phone1546 x 423, the safe area

YouTube Help no longer lists sizes per device; it says the same banner is used on computer, mobile and TV but shows differently on each. The per-device areas above are the long-standing channel art template figures, as published in Adobe Express's YouTube size guide, and the phone area matches YouTube's own safe area scaled to 2560 wide. On a computer the visible width depends on the window: a narrow window shows less, always from the middle.

How to check your YouTube banner

Step 1: Pick your banner

Choose the image or drop it on the box. It stays in your browser.

Step 2: Read the checks

The tool checks the minimum 2048 x 1152, the 16:9 shape and the 6 MB limit, and says whether you reached the recommended 2560 x 1440.

Step 3: Look at each device area

Turn the desktop, tablet and phone outlines on and off. Text and logos belong inside the green phone area, which every device shows.

Step 4: Save

Save the resized 2560 x 1440 JPG to upload, or a PNG with the guides to share with a designer.

Worked example: a 2560 x 1440 banner

From our test on 26 October 2026, a 2560 x 1440 JPG of 239,238 bytes passed every rule: above the 2048 x 1152 minimum, exactly 16:9, far under 6 MB and at the recommended size. The top and bottom 508 or 509 pixels (1440 minus 423, split in two) are shaded because only TVs show them, and 507 pixels on each side of the safe area are cut on phones ((2560 minus 1546) / 2). A logo placed 300 pixels from the left edge would show on a computer and be cut on a phone.

How to make a YouTube banner that fits

How to resize an image to a YouTube banner

Pick the image and press Save resized banner. The tool fills a 2560 x 1440 frame (or shows the whole image on a dark background if you choose that under More options), lets you move the crop, and saves a JPG at the highest quality under 6 MB. A smaller image is scaled up, which can look soft; YouTube will not accept anything under 2048 x 1152 at all.

Why is my YouTube banner cut off?

Because each device shows a different part of the same image, and phones show the least. If text near the edge disappears on a phone, it is outside the 1546 x 423 safe area. If the top and bottom are missing on a computer, that is normal: only TVs show the full height. YouTube Help also says banners get cropped on certain views and devices.

Profile picture and watermark sizes

From the same YouTube Help page: the profile picture is a JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG file (no animated GIFs), up to 15 MB, rendered at 98 x 98 pixels. The video watermark is a square image of at least 150 x 150 pixels and under 1 MB.

How accurate is this checker?

The size and file checks read your file directly, so they are exact, and the rules are from YouTube Help as of 26 October 2026. The device areas are the template figures, not measurements of every screen: YouTube adapts the banner to the window and app, so the exact cut can differ by a few pixels and changes with window width on a computer. The safe area is YouTube's own figure, so staying inside it is the reliable rule.

Sources

Why we built this banner checker

Banner guides list five sets of numbers and leave you to imagine them on your image, and most template downloads are files to open in a design app. Nitin Raja, who builds PlaylistTime, tested a lot of these pages before building this one: after testing out a lot of websites, he found what people need and what they do not, and built around that. People need to see their own banner with every device area on top, the rules from YouTube with the source, and a file that fits, without uploading anything.

What this tool does

Related: the thumbnail size checker does the same for video thumbnails, and the Shorts safe zone for vertical videos.

Why it is different

This checkerA typical banner size guide
Your own imageShown with every device areaA generic diagram
RulesYouTube Help, linked and datedNumbers without a source
FixResized 2560 x 1440 JPG under 6 MBNone, or an upload to a server
TemplateBlank PNG, one clickA file for a design app

Built by Nitin Raja. Last updated 26 October 2026.

Questions

What is the YouTube banner size?

YouTube recommends 2560 x 1440 pixels. The minimum is 2048 x 1152 at 16:9, and the file must be 6 MB or smaller.

What is the safe area of a YouTube banner?

The middle box that every device shows: 1235 x 338 pixels on a 2048 x 1152 image according to YouTube Help, about 1546 x 423 on a 2560 x 1440 image. Keep text and logos inside it.

Why is my banner cut off on mobile?

Phones show only the middle 1546 x 423 part of a 2560 x 1440 banner. Anything outside that box can be cut.

What does a YouTube banner look like on TV?

TVs show the whole 2560 x 1440 image, which is why YouTube recommends that size especially for TV.

What file size can a YouTube banner be?

6 MB or smaller. The checker saves the resized banner as a JPG under 6 MB.

Is my image uploaded?

No. The image is drawn and resized in your browser and never leaves your device.

All of them in one place: YouTube creator tools.