YouTube Thumbnail Size

Crop any image to a 1280 × 720 YouTube thumbnail in one step.

Runs in your browser — big or special files in server memory, never stored

Drop a file here

or

Select file

About YouTube Thumbnail Size

Turn any picture or video screenshot into a YouTube thumbnail: crop it to 16:9 and get a 1280 × 720 pixel image in one step, as JPG or PNG. Your image is processed in your browser.

How YouTube Thumbnail Size works

Crop Image cuts your picture down to the area you choose. Drag the crop box over the photo, or type exact pixel values for its position and size. Aspect-ratio presets lock the box to the shape each platform expects, so the image isn't cropped again when you upload it.

Cropping keeps the remaining pixels at full quality. It runs in your browser; only special formats or very large files are processed in our server's memory and never stored.

When to use YouTube Thumbnail Size

  • Make square 1:1 posts and 4:5 portraits for Instagram.
  • Crop 16:9 thumbnails for YouTube and 9:16 images for Stories, Reels and Shorts.
  • Cut a person, product or document out of a larger photo.
  • Remove distracting edges before printing or sharing.

How to use YouTube Thumbnail Size

  1. Add your photo. Drop a JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC image into the box above.
  2. Pick a preset or drag. Choose an aspect ratio, then drag and resize the crop box — or type exact pixels.
  3. Download. Download the cropped image.

Aspect ratio presets explained

1:1 and 4:5
Square and portrait Instagram posts.
16:9 and 9:16
Widescreen for YouTube and presentations; tall for Stories, Reels and Shorts.
4:3 and 3:2
Classic photo and camera shapes, good for prints.
Free and Original
Free lets you crop any shape; Original keeps the photo's own proportions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the right YouTube thumbnail size?

1280 × 720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 pixels wide, as JPG, PNG or GIF and under 2 MB. Choose JPG in the format options if a PNG comes out larger than that.

Can I add text to the thumbnail here?

No. This page crops and sizes the picture; add the title text in your editing app before or after.

Does cropping reduce quality?

No. The pixels you keep are unchanged; the image only gets smaller because there is less of it.

How do I crop to an exact size like 1080 × 1080?

Choose 1:1 to crop the shape, then resize to 1080 px with Resize Image.

Can I crop several images at once?

Crop Image works on one image at a time so you can position each crop precisely.

Are my files safe with YouTube Thumbnail Size?

Yes. YouTube Thumbnail Size usually runs in your web browser, so the file never leaves your device. Files your browser can't handle well — such as HEIC photos in browsers other than Safari, or very large files — are sent over an encrypted connection and processed in our server's memory only, never written to disk. The result screen tells you which happened.

Is there a file size limit?

Files up to 25 MB each can be processed.

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