Check your image before you upload

Check the size, shape, file type, transparency, safe area, and mobile crop before you upload.

Opens with YouTube thumbnail

Where will you upload it?

Result

Ready when your image is.

Add an image to see whether it is ready to upload.

Preview

16:9

Add an image to see the safe area and mobile crop.

White frame: safe zoneTeal frame: mobile crop risk

Safe area: keep important content inside the white frame.

Small-screen readability: Tiny text and edge details lose impact in mobile feeds.

Mobile framing

Add an image to see the mobile crop.

Checks the 16:9 thumbnail shape, recommended size, file type, file size, and whether the image should stay readable in small mobile previews.

YouTube thumbnails often fail by being too large, the wrong shape, or hard to read when they shrink in search, home, or suggested video cards.

The preview shows the main safe area so faces, titles, and key objects stay visible after YouTube scales the thumbnail down.

This gives a practical read before upload. Final sharpness can still depend on YouTube compression and the viewer's device.