YouTube banner size in 2026: 2048 x 1152 minimum, 2560 x 1440 recommended, and the safe area that survives every screen
The YouTube banner size that works on every device is a 2560 x 1440 pixel image whose text and logo sit inside a 1235 x 338 pixel area in the exact centre. Those numbers are YouTube's, from its channel branding help page as checked in September 2026: the minimum upload is 2048 x 1152 pixels at 16:9, the recommended size (especially for televisions) is 2560 x 1440, the safe area for text and logos at the minimum size is 1235 x 338 pixels, the file must be 6 MB or smaller, and the image should carry no shadows, borders or frames (support.google.com/youtube/answer/10456525). The reason a banner needs a huge image and a tiny safe area is that the same file is cropped four different ways, and this guide shows exactly where.
What is the official YouTube banner size?
YouTube requires at least 2048 x 1152 pixels at 16:9, recommends 2560 x 1440, keeps text and logos safe only inside a central 1235 x 338 pixel area, and caps the file at 6 MB, as of September 2026.
| Spec | YouTube's figure (checked Sept 2026) |
|---|---|
| Minimum upload | 2048 x 1152 pixels, 16:9 |
| Recommended | 2560 x 1440 pixels (noted for TV) |
| Safe area for text and logos | 1235 x 338 pixels, at the minimum dimension |
| Maximum file size | 6 MB |
| Embellishments | None: no shadows, borders or frames |
| Cropping | The image is cropped on certain views and devices |
Source: YouTube Help, "Manage your channel branding".
Why is the safe area so small?
A television shows the whole 2560 x 1440 image; a desktop browser shows a wide strip through the middle; a phone shows an even shorter strip; and only the central 1235 x 338 area is visible on all of them.
The banner is one file rendered four ways. On a TV the full 16:9 image is displayed. On a desktop the channel header is a wide letterbox cut from the middle, so the top and bottom bands vanish. On a tablet the strip is slightly shorter, and on a phone it is shorter still and also narrower, so the left and right edges go too. YouTube's 1235 x 338 figure is the intersection of all four crops at the minimum image size; scale it up proportionally for a 2560 x 1440 upload and the safe area becomes roughly 1546 x 423, still in the exact centre.
Practically: the channel name, a tagline, a schedule, a logo, anything that must be readable, lives inside that centre box. The rest of the 2560 x 1440 canvas is atmosphere, colour and texture, which is exactly what makes a banner look good on a TV without breaking on a phone. The aspect ratio resizer and safe-zone preview can crop a candidate banner to wide strips in the browser so you can check what the desktop and phone views remove before uploading.
How do you design a banner that reads on a phone?
- Start from the safe area, not the canvas. Draw the 1546 x 423 centre box first on a 2560 x 1440 canvas and design inside it; then extend the background outward.
- Keep the text large. Text that is 60 pixels tall on the full canvas is about 15 pixels tall on a phone. Aim for 90 pixels or more for the channel name and 60 for a tagline.
- Put the subject on a plain field. Faces and logos need contrast with what sits behind them on every crop; a busy background that looks fine on TV becomes noise behind text on mobile.
- Do not repeat the channel name. YouTube prints the name under the banner on every device; the banner should say what the channel is about instead.
- Match the profile picture. The circular profile picture sits below the banner, not on it, but the two are read together; share a palette, which the colour palette extractor pulls from any image.
- Export under 6 MB. A 2560 x 1440 PNG of flat graphics is small; a photographic banner should be a JPG at quality 85 to stay under the limit.
How do you make a YouTube banner with AI?
Generate the background at 16:9 in the AI image generator, describing an empty centre ("wide cinematic scene, the middle third left calm and low-contrast for text") so the safe area is clean by design, then add the wordmark in an editor. If the render's centre is busy, Magic Edit can inpaint a calmer field where the text goes, and the 4K upscale rebuilds detail if the render comes back below 2560 x 1440; never stretch a small image to the minimum size, because YouTube's minimum is a resolution floor that upscaling only pretends to meet. Channels built around generated visuals can keep the banner, the thumbnails and the video's look in one style, which how to make faceless YouTube videos with AI covers, and the thumbnail spec is in YouTube thumbnail size.
What are the other YouTube channel image sizes?
The banner is the only image with a published safe area. The profile picture is a square cropped to a circle; keep the subject inside the inscribed circle. The video watermark, which appears in the corner of the player, is a small square graphic, and thumbnails follow their own spec (3840 x 2160 recommended, 16:9, under 2 MB on mobile, per YouTube's thumbnail page). Check every export's dimensions and size with the image metadata viewer before uploading.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size should a YouTube banner be?
At least 2048 x 1152 pixels at 16:9, with 2560 x 1440 recommended, per YouTube's channel branding help page as checked in September 2026. The file must be 6 MB or smaller.
What is the YouTube banner safe area?
1235 x 338 pixels in the centre of a 2048 x 1152 image, per YouTube; about 1546 x 423 in the centre of a 2560 x 1440 image. Only that area is visible on TV, desktop, tablet and phone at once.
Why is my YouTube banner cropped on mobile?
Phones show a short, narrow strip through the middle of the banner. Anything outside the central safe area is cut on mobile even though it shows on a TV. Move text and logos into the centre box.
Can a YouTube banner have a border or frame?
YouTube's guidelines say not to include shadows, borders or frames. Because the image is cropped differently per device, a border would be cut unevenly and look broken.
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