The exact size
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16); 2160 × 3840 is accepted and scaled down |
| File | JPG or PNG, under 2 MB |
| Displayed at | About 160 to 200 pixels wide on the channel's Shorts tab and in search on a phone |
| Covered by the interface | Roughly the bottom fifth (title, channel name, audio line) and a strip on the right edge (like, comment, share, remix) |
The displayed width is the number to design for. On the channel page, three Shorts covers sit side by side on a phone screen, so each is narrower than a video thumbnail in the home feed. Anything smaller than about an eighth of the cover's width is not readable there.
Where the cover is shown, and where it is not
In the Shorts feed the next video starts playing as soon as the viewer swipes, so the cover is never shown there. It appears where someone chooses which Short to open: the Shorts tab on your channel, YouTube search, the Shorts shelf on the home page, and suggested videos. That changes the job of the cover. It does not compete with a thumbnail next to a title; it competes with a grid of other vertical covers, most of them a raw frame from the video. A cover with one large face and three readable words stands out in that grid because almost nobody bothers.
Safe zones
- Upper two thirds: headline and the accent word. This is the only area that is reliably visible in every placement.
- Lower third: the person. On the channel grid the cover is shown in full, so the face is visible; in the player the bottom is under the title, which is fine because the video is playing anyway.
- Right edge, about 15 percent: keep it free of text. The action buttons sit there in the player and in some previews.
- Bottom fifth: no text. The title, channel name and audio line are printed over it.
Test it the same way as a normal thumbnail: shrink the cover to 180 pixels wide and look at it next to five real Shorts from your niche.
How to upload a custom cover
- Upload the Short from YouTube Studio in a desktop browser, not from the mobile app. Drag the vertical video in as usual.
- On the details step, under Thumbnail, choose Upload file and pick the 9:16 image. If you only see three auto-generated frames, the channel is not verified yet: verification takes a phone number and a few minutes under Settings, Channel, Feature eligibility.
- Publish. The custom cover is used on the channel page, in search and in the shelf.
In the YouTube mobile app you can only pick a frame from the video as the cover, and once a Short is published the cover cannot be changed from the app. If you already published from the phone, the desktop Studio editor lets you replace the thumbnail afterwards for most Shorts, but not for all, so the reliable route is to upload from the desktop in the first place.
Making the cover from the same photo as the thumbnail
The 16:9 thumbnail and the 9:16 cover want the same ingredients in a different arrangement: person cut out, blurred background, big outlined headline, one accent word. Cropping the wide thumbnail to vertical does not work, because either the text or the face falls off the edge. The layout has to be built again for the tall canvas, with the text on top and the person at the bottom.
The YouTube Thumbnail Maker does both from one upload. Choose "Both" under Outputs and the package contains the 3840 × 2160 video thumbnail and the 2160 × 3840 Shorts cover, each with a compact JPG under 2 MB for uploading from a phone. On the Shorts cover the headline sits in the upper third, the person is placed at the bottom and centred, and the badge goes to the top corner. The inset picture is left out on the vertical canvas because the person already uses the lower half. Three renders a day are free, without an account and without a watermark. For the full method behind the recipe, see how to make a YouTube thumbnail that gets clicks.
YouTube Shorts thumbnail FAQ
What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
1080 by 1920 pixels at 9:16, under 2 MB as JPG or PNG. Larger files with the same ratio are accepted and scaled down.
Can I upload a custom thumbnail for a Short?
Yes, when uploading from YouTube Studio on a desktop browser. In the mobile app you can only pick a frame from the video, and after publishing the cover cannot be changed from the app.
Where is the Shorts thumbnail actually shown?
On the channel's Shorts tab, in search, in the Shorts shelf and in suggestions. In the swipe feed the video plays immediately, so the cover is not shown there.
Which part of the Shorts cover is covered by the interface?
Roughly the bottom fifth and a strip on the right edge. Text belongs in the upper two thirds, away from the right edge.
Video thumbnail and Shorts cover from one photo
Upload the frame, type the words, choose "Both". The 16:9 and the 9:16 file come back together in a few seconds.
Open the YouTube Thumbnail Maker