YouTube Shorts guide
How to add or change a YouTube Shorts thumbnail
Make it 9:16 at 2160 × 3840 px (at least 640 px tall), as a JPG or PNG. Then add it on a computer: in YouTube Studio, open Content, then the Shorts tab, click the edit icon of the Short, choose Upload file under Thumbnail, and Save. YouTube allows this only in YouTube Studio on a computer, and only for verified accounts. For the image: one big face, one plain colour behind it, two or three words. AwaCut does the cutout, 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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Cut out the face with AwaCut
Drop the photo, or a folder of them, into AwaCut. Choose Custom and type your channel's colour, such as #EA580C, or Alpha for a transparent PNG. About 4 seconds a photo on a Mac Studio (M4 Max), at the photo's full size.
Build a 9:16 image
In any editor, free ones included, make a 2160 × 3840 canvas. Put the face large in the lower half and two or three words above it, in a heavy font with a dark outline. Export as JPG or PNG.
Upload it in YouTube Studio
On a computer, open YouTube Studio, choose Content, then the Shorts tab. Click the edit icon of the Short, choose Upload file under Thumbnail, pick your image and click Save. The new thumbnail can take a while to show.
The finished Shorts thumbnail
The AwaCut cutout on the same orange (Custom, #EA580C), then in the editor: the cutout made bigger and set low, a soft light behind the head, and two lines of text at the top. Exported at 1080 × 1920, because the source photo was smaller than 2160 px wide.
Check it small
Shorts are often shown as narrow tiles, several in a row. At 160 px wide the face and the words still read; small text would not.
YouTube Shorts thumbnail size and rules in 2026
Resolution
- YouTube's rule
- 2160 × 3840 px recommended for Shorts
- What to do
- Export at 2160 × 3840, or 1080 × 1920 if your photo is smaller.
Minimum height
- YouTube's rule
- 640 px
- What to do
- Anything shorter is under YouTube's minimum.
Aspect ratio
- YouTube's rule
- 9:16
- What to do
- On a vertical video, a 16:9 thumbnail is replaced by an automatic 4:5 one on Home, Explore and Subscriptions. Upload 9:16.
File type
- YouTube's rule
- JPG or PNG
- What to do
- JPG for photos (smaller files), PNG for flat colour and sharp text.
File size
- YouTube's rule
- 50 MB from a computer
- What to do
- Plenty for a full-size JPG.
Where to add it
- YouTube's rule
- YouTube Studio on a computer only
- What to do
- The phone app does not offer it for Shorts.
Who can add one
- YouTube's rule
- Verified accounts
- What to do
- Verify the channel in YouTube Studio first.
Your cutout (AwaCut)
- YouTube's rule
- Keeps the photo's own size
- What to do
- A 12 MP phone photo held upright is about 3000 × 4000, tall enough for 2160 × 3840.
| What | YouTube's rule | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 2160 × 3840 px recommended for Shorts | Export at 2160 × 3840, or 1080 × 1920 if your photo is smaller. |
| Minimum height | 640 px | Anything shorter is under YouTube's minimum. |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 | On a vertical video, a 16:9 thumbnail is replaced by an automatic 4:5 one on Home, Explore and Subscriptions. Upload 9:16. |
| File type | JPG or PNG | JPG for photos (smaller files), PNG for flat colour and sharp text. |
| File size | 50 MB from a computer | Plenty for a full-size JPG. |
| Where to add it | YouTube Studio on a computer only | The phone app does not offer it for Shorts. |
| Who can add one | Verified accounts | Verify the channel in YouTube Studio first. |
| Your cutout (AwaCut) | Keeps the photo's own size | A 12 MP phone photo held upright is about 3000 × 4000, tall enough for 2160 × 3840. |
Source: YouTube Help, “Add video thumbnails”, read on 25 October 2026.
Three mistakes on Shorts thumbnails
Uploading a 16:9 image
On a vertical video, YouTube swaps a 16:9 thumbnail for an automatic 4:5 one on Home, Explore and Subscriptions. Make it 9:16.
Small text
A Short is often seen as a narrow tile. Two or three big words read; a sentence turns into noise.
Looking for it on the phone
The custom Shorts thumbnail is only in YouTube Studio on a computer. If it is not there either, the channel is not verified yet.
Cut out a month of Shorts at once
A channel that posts a Short a day needs 30 thumbnails a month. Shoot the faces in one session, drop the folder into AwaCut, and every one comes back cut out, on your channel's colour if you set it under Custom. 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 Shorts thumbnail?
YouTube recommends 2160 × 3840 pixels, in 9:16, with a minimum height of 640 pixels, as a JPG or PNG of up to 50 MB.
How do I add a thumbnail to a YouTube Short?
On a computer, open YouTube Studio, choose Content, then the Shorts tab. Click the edit icon of the Short, choose Upload file under Thumbnail, pick the image and click Save.
How do I change the thumbnail of a Short I already posted?
The same way: YouTube Studio on a computer, Content, the Shorts tab, the edit icon of the Short, Upload file under Thumbnail, Save. The new thumbnail can take a while to appear.
Can I add a Shorts thumbnail from my phone?
Not your own image. YouTube Help says custom Shorts thumbnails can currently be added only in YouTube Studio on a computer.
Why don't I see the thumbnail option for my Short?
Custom thumbnails need a verified account, and for Shorts they are only in YouTube Studio on a computer, not in the app. Verify the channel, then open the Short from Content on a computer.
Do YouTube Shorts have thumbnails?
Yes. Verified channels can upload their own for each Short in YouTube Studio on a computer, at 9:16.
How do I remove the background from a photo for a Shorts thumbnail?
Drop the photo into AwaCut and choose Alpha for a transparent PNG, or Custom to put it on a solid colour. It runs offline on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Cut out a month of Shorts thumbnails
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.