YouTube profile picture guide
YouTube profile picture: size and how to change it
YouTube shows your channel picture at 98 × 98 px, in a circle, and takes a JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG of up to 15 MB (no animated GIF). Our advice: upload a square of at least 1080 × 1080 px so it stays sharp everywhere. To change it: YouTube Studio, Customization, Profile, Change, Done, Publish. AwaCut puts you on a clean colour first, offline.
2 computers per licence. Full refund within 14 days, no reason needed.
- Works offline
- No account, no uploads
- As many photos as you want, all year
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Pick a photo that reads tiny
Your channel picture sits beside every video and comment, very small. Head and shoulders, good light.
Cut yourself out with AwaCut
Drop the photo into AwaCut and choose Custom, then type a colour such as #FECACA, a light red. You get the same photo on a plain background, at its full size, in about 4 seconds on a Mac Studio (M4 Max).
Upload it in YouTube Studio
In YouTube Studio, open Customization, then Profile. Click Change, choose the image, crop it, click Done, then Publish. It can take a few minutes to update across YouTube.
The finished channel picture
The AwaCut cutout on light red (Custom, #FECACA), cropped square with the face centred. At 98 px, the size YouTube draws it, the face still reads.
Check it small
The same picture as a circle at 110 px and at 40 px. YouTube draws it at 98 × 98 beside your channel name, and smaller beside comments; the face still reads at both sizes.
YouTube profile picture size and rules in 2026
Size
- YouTube's rule
- Shown at 98 × 98 px
- What to do
- Upload a square of at least 1080 × 1080 px (our advice), so it is sharp on every screen.
File type
- YouTube's rule
- JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG (no animated GIF)
- What to do
- JPG for a photo.
File size
- YouTube's rule
- Up to 15 MB
- What to do
- A full-size JPG fits.
Where to change it
- YouTube's rule
- YouTube Studio > Customization > Profile
- What to do
- Then Change, Done and Publish.
Google Account picture
- YouTube's rule
- Separate from the channel picture
- What to do
- Changing one does not change the other.
Your cutout (AwaCut)
- YouTube's rule
- Keeps the photo's own size
- What to do
- A 12 MP phone photo is about 4000 × 3000, far above any profile size.
| What | YouTube's rule | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Shown at 98 × 98 px | Upload a square of at least 1080 × 1080 px (our advice), so it is sharp on every screen. |
| File type | JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG (no animated GIF) | JPG for a photo. |
| File size | Up to 15 MB | A full-size JPG fits. |
| Where to change it | YouTube Studio > Customization > Profile | Then Change, Done and Publish. |
| Google Account picture | Separate from the channel picture | Changing one does not change the other. |
| Your cutout (AwaCut) | Keeps the photo's own size | A 12 MP phone photo is about 4000 × 3000, far above any profile size. |
Source: YouTube Help (“Manage your channel's branding”) and Google Account Help, read on 25 October 2026.
Three mistakes on YouTube channel pictures
Changing the wrong picture
The Google Account picture and the channel picture are separate. Change the channel one in YouTube Studio.
Forgetting Publish
After Done, the change is published only when you click Publish.
A logo with tiny text
At 98 px, small words vanish. A face or a bold mark reads; a slogan does not.
The same face as your thumbnails
Viewers who see the same face, on the same colour, in your thumbnails and your channel picture recognise you faster. Cut out one session of photos in AwaCut and use them for both. It runs on your computer, with no credits: as many photos as you want, all year.
Try it on your own photos: the first 10 are free, no account.
2 computers per licence. Full refund within 14 days, no reason needed.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a YouTube profile picture?
YouTube renders it at 98 × 98 px and accepts JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG of up to 15 MB; animated GIFs are not allowed. Upload a square of at least 1080 × 1080 px so it stays sharp.
How do I change my YouTube profile picture?
In YouTube Studio, open Customization, then Profile, and click Change. Choose an image, crop it, click Done, then Publish. It can take a few minutes to show across YouTube.
Does changing my YouTube picture change my Google picture?
No. The channel picture is shown only on YouTube, and changing your Google Account picture does not change your YouTube picture.
How do I change the background of my YouTube profile picture?
Drop the photo into AwaCut and choose Custom to put yourself on a plain colour, or White, or Alpha for a transparent PNG. It runs offline on Mac, Windows and Linux.
A clean profile picture, from the photo you already have
The first 10 photos are free on each computer, with no account and no card. Then one yearly licence for as many photos as you want.
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No AwaCut account. No credits. No uploads. 2 computers per licence, full refund within 14 days.