# YouTube Banner Size 2026: Dimensions and Safe Area

Canonical page: https://fuser.studio/articles/youtube-banner-size

The YouTube banner size is 2560 × 1440 px (min 2048 × 1152, max 6 MB). See the safe area that shows on every device, how TV, desktop and mobile crop it, and how to export one that fits.

[All guides](/articles) · [Social media image sizes](/articles/social-media-image-sizes)

**Quick answer:** upload your YouTube channel banner at **2560 × 1440 pixels** (16:9), no smaller than 2048 × 1152 and no larger than 6 MB. Keep the channel name, logo and any text inside the centred **1546 × 423 px** safe area, because that is the only part every device shows ([YouTube Help](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10456525)).

YouTube asks for a large 16:9 file because TVs display the whole thing. Every other screen crops it to a thin horizontal strip, which is why so many banners lose their logo on phones.

## YouTube banner dimensions

- **Recommended size:** 2560 × 1440 px. YouTube recommends this size "especially for TV".
- **Minimum size:** 2048 × 1152 px.
- **Maximum file size:** 6 MB.
- **Safe area:** 1235 × 338 px at the 2048 × 1152 minimum, which scales to about 1546 × 423 px on a 2560 × 1440 file ([YouTube Help](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12950272)).

YouTube notes that the image "will get cropped on certain views and devices", so treat everything outside the safe area as background.

## How each device crops the banner

![Fuser Compositor at 2560 by 1440 pixels showing the desktop, tablet and all-device safe crop regions of a YouTube channel banner.](https://statics.fuser.studio/cms/1279b54f-c483-4c90-93e9-78b6c2343229)

_One 2560 × 1440 file: TV shows all of it, desktop a full-width strip, mobile only the centre._

YouTube's help centre now publishes only the overall safe area. The per-device figures below are the widely used breakdown for a 2560 × 1440 file; they are not listed on YouTube's current page, but they line up with its official safe area once scaled.

- **TV:** the full 2560 × 1440 image.
- **Desktop:** a full-width strip, about 2560 × 423 px, through the vertical centre.
- **Tablet:** about 1855 × 423 px from the centre.
- **Mobile:** about 1546 × 423 px from the centre, the same as the all-device safe area.

In practice: design a full 16:9 scene for TV viewers, put the story in a horizontal band through the middle, and keep anything readable inside the central 1546 × 423 box.

## Design tips that survive every crop

1. **Centre the subject vertically.** Desktop and mobile only show a band roughly 29% of the banner's height. Skies and foregrounds are fine as atmosphere, not as the message.
2. **Keep text short.** A channel name plus one line ("New videos every Sunday") reads on mobile; a paragraph does not.
3. **Leave the corners empty.** Links, the channel name and the profile picture render around the banner on many layouts, so corner details rarely survive.
4. **Export under 6 MB.** A JPG at 2560 × 1440 comfortably fits; PNG is only worth it for flat graphics.
5. **Check the result on a phone.** YouTube shows a device preview when you upload; use it before you publish.

## Make a YouTube banner at the exact size in Fuser

1. **Generate a wide scene.** Ask for the subject in the middle band with calm sky and ground above and below. In Fuser, generate it with [GPT Image](/models/gpt-image), which offers a 2560 × 1440 output size, or any other image model on the canvas.
2. **Set the Compositor canvas to 2560 × 1440.** In the [Compositor](/features/compositor), enter the Width and Height (any size from 1 to 4095 px) and add the channel name and logo as separate text and image layers inside the safe area ([Compositor docs](https://docs.fuser.studio/docs/compositor/properties)).
3. **Export PNG.** Export renders the frame at the canvas dimensions and saves it to your project's media library ([export docs](https://docs.fuser.studio/docs/compositor/timeline-and-export)). Convert to JPG if the PNG is over 6 MB.

Keep the banner on the same canvas as your [thumbnails](/articles/youtube-thumbnail-size), [X header](/articles/twitter-header-size) and [LinkedIn banner](/articles/linkedin-banner-size), and a rebrand updates every channel from one source image.

## YouTube channel art at a glance.

Official YouTube figures, checked on 28 September 2026. Per-device crops are the widely used breakdown for a 2560 × 1440 file.

### Banner file

| Spec | Value | What it means |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recommended size | 2560 × 1440 px (16:9) | Shows in full on TV. |
| Minimum size | 2048 × 1152 px | Smaller uploads are rejected. |
| Maximum file size | 6 MB | Use JPG for photographic banners. |
| Safe area | 1546 × 423 px (1235 × 338 at minimum) | The only region every device shows. |

### Display crops

| Spec | Value | What it means |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TV | 2560 × 1440 px | Full image. |
| Desktop | about 2560 × 423 px | Full width, centre strip. |
| Tablet | about 1855 × 423 px | Centre strip, sides trimmed. |
| Mobile | about 1546 × 423 px | Matches the safe area. |

## Questions, answered.

### What size is a YouTube banner in 2026?

Upload 2560 × 1440 pixels (16:9). The minimum is 2048 × 1152 pixels and the file must be 6 MB or smaller.

### What is the YouTube banner safe area?

About 1546 × 423 pixels in the centre of a 2560 × 1440 banner (1235 × 338 at the 2048 × 1152 minimum). Keep text and logos inside it so they show on every device.

### Why is my YouTube banner cut off on mobile?

Phones only show a centred strip about 1546 × 423 pixels. Anything outside that strip, including text near the top, bottom or sides, is cropped away.

### Can I use the same image for my YouTube banner and thumbnail?

Both are 16:9, but they do different jobs: the banner must read in a thin strip, while a thumbnail is shown whole at small sizes. Start from the same image, then compose each at its own size.

### What file format should a YouTube banner be?

JPG or PNG both work. JPG keeps a photographic 2560 × 1440 banner well under the 6 MB limit.

## Build channel art that fits every screen.

Generate the scene, set the exact canvas size and export from one Fuser canvas.

[See social content workflows](https://fuser.studio/solutions/use-cases/social-content) · [All social image sizes](https://fuser.studio/articles/social-media-image-sizes)

## More articles

- [LinkedIn Banner Size (2026): Profile, Company and Event Covers](https://fuser.studio/articles/linkedin-banner-size.md)
- [Social Media Image Sizes (2026 Cheat Sheet)](https://fuser.studio/articles/social-media-image-sizes.md)
- [YouTube Thumbnail Size (2026): 3840 × 2160 and Shorts](https://fuser.studio/articles/youtube-thumbnail-size.md)