Recommended upload size
YouTube recommends 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio) with a minimum width of 640px. Maximum file size is 2 MB. Supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF (animated GIFs are not supported as thumbnails).
Resolutions YouTube serves
| Name | File | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Max (HD) | maxresdefault.jpg | 1280x720 (up to 1920x1080) |
| Standard (SD) | sddefault.jpg | 640x480 |
| High (HQ) | hqdefault.jpg | 480x360 |
| Medium (MQ) | mqdefault.jpg | 320x180 |
| Default | default.jpg | 120x90 |
Why maxresdefault is sometimes missing
Older videos or videos uploaded before custom thumbnails were enabled may not have a maxresdefault. YouTube falls back to hqdefault. Our tool detects this and shows the highest available quality automatically.
Best practices
- Use high contrast and readable text (3-5 words max)
- Test at 120x68px (mobile size) — all elements must stay readable
- Keep file under 2MB for fast loading
- Use 16:9 aspect ratio to avoid cropping