AnyTool
Your files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.

What size should a YouTube channel banner (channel art) be?

Upload your YouTube banner at 2560×1440 pixels — a 16:9 image — and keep every logo, title and call-to-action inside the centre 1546×423-pixel “TV-safe” area. That 1546×423 rectangle is the ONLY part guaranteed to stay visible on every screen: YouTube shows the full 2560×1440 on a TV, roughly a 2560×423 slice on desktop, about 1855×423 on a tablet and only the central 1546×423 strip on a phone, so anything outside the safe area is cropped on smaller devices. The minimum YouTube accepts is 2048×1152, the file must be a JPG or PNG no larger than 6 MB, and the outer regions are best used for background texture or imagery that looks fine when trimmed. Upload your artwork, tap the YouTube banner preset, choose cover to fill the 16:9 frame (with a crop-position nudge) or contain to pad it, and export at exactly 2560×1440 — all in your browser, so the file is never uploaded to a server.

  • Recommended upload: 2560×1440 pixels (16:9); minimum 2048×1152
  • TV-safe area is the centre 1546×423 — keep all logos, text and CTAs inside it
  • Multi-device crop: TV shows 2560×1440, desktop ~2560×423, tablet ~1855×423, mobile only 1546×423
  • File must be JPG or PNG (GIF/BMP accepted) and under 6 MB
  • 100% client-side — your artwork is resized on a local canvas and never leaves the browser

What is

Resize Image for YouTube Banner

Resizing an image for a YouTube banner (channel art) means scaling and cropping it to 2560×1440 pixels — YouTube’s recommended 16:9 channel-art size — while keeping the important content inside the central 1546×423-pixel TV-safe area that stays visible on every device. YouTube uses a single master file and crops it differently per screen: a TV shows the whole 2560×1440, desktop browsers show a wide horizontal band of about 2560×423, tablets show roughly 1855×423, and phones show only the centre 1546×423 strip, so logos, channel names and calls-to-action must sit inside that safe rectangle. The minimum accepted size is 2048×1152 and the file must be a JPG or PNG (GIF and BMP are accepted too) no larger than 6 MB. This tool is 100% client-side: it loads your artwork into a browser canvas, crops it to the fit mode you pick (cover, contain or stretch), downscales it with pica’s Lanczos filter for a clean result, and exports a PNG or JPEG at exactly 2560×1440 without ever uploading the file. Enlarging artwork narrower than 2560 px cannot add real detail, and YouTube can change its specs without notice.

Social Media

Related terms

YouTube banner sizeYouTube channel art 2560x1440TV-safe area 1546x42316:9 channel artYouTube banner minimum 2048x1152multi-device cropsafe zone6MB banner limitchannel banner resizepica downscalecanvas resizeno-crop YouTube banner

Frequently Asked Questions

Use 2560×1440 pixels (16:9). Keep all text and logos inside the centre 1546×423 safe area, and keep the file under 6 MB.

YouTube’s recommended channel-banner size in 2026 is 2560×1440 pixels, a 16:9 aspect ratio, uploaded as a JPG or PNG no larger than 6 MB (the minimum it accepts is 2048×1152). Because YouTube crops that one image differently on TVs, desktops, tablets and phones, keep every logo, channel name and call-to-action inside the centre 1546×423-pixel TV-safe area — that rectangle is the only part guaranteed to show on all devices. This tool has a one-tap YouTube banner preset that exports at exactly 2560×1440, so you hit the master canvas size while framing your branding inside the safe zone.

The safe area is the centre 1546×423 pixels of the 2560×1440 canvas — the only region visible on every device, so keep text and logos there.

The TV-safe area is a 1546×423-pixel rectangle in the dead centre of the 2560×1440 banner. It matters because YouTube never shows your full banner everywhere: a TV renders the whole 2560×1440, a desktop shows a band of about 2560×423, a tablet roughly 1855×423, and a phone only the central 1546×423 strip. Anything outside that safe rectangle gets cropped on smaller screens, so your logo, channel name and any call-to-action must live inside it, while the outer edges are best used for background imagery or texture that still looks fine when trimmed. Design at 2560×1440 but treat the inner 1546×423 as the real stage.

A JPG or PNG (GIF and BMP also work) no larger than 6 MB. JPG at quality 85–90 usually matches PNG at a much smaller size.

YouTube caps the banner file at 6 MB and accepts JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP, but in practice PNG and JPG are the only two worth using. For a photographic or gradient-heavy banner, export JPG at quality 85–90 — it usually looks identical to PNG while staying well under the 6 MB limit; for flat graphics, sharp text or logos, PNG keeps edges crisp. This tool exports at exactly 2560×1440 and shows a live file-size read-out so you can confirm you are under 6 MB before you upload to YouTube. If a JPG banner ever exceeds 6 MB, lower the quality slider slightly rather than shrinking the pixel dimensions.

No. Your artwork is decoded and resized entirely in your browser on a local canvas — there is no upload or server, and it never leaves your device.

Nothing is uploaded. When you choose an image the tool creates a local object URL, decodes it, crops and composites it on an in-page canvas, and downscales it with pica — all on your device. There is no server, API, database or tracking anywhere in the processing path, so your banner artwork never leaves the browser. Object URLs are revoked when you reset or replace the image, the tool works offline once cached, and closing the tab discards everything. The only optional network use anywhere on the site is consent-gated advertising, which never sees your image. You then upload the finished 2560×1440 file to YouTube yourself, so unreleased branding or channel art stays private until you publish it.

Detailed Explanation

How It Works

Resizing Channel Art for a YouTube Banner, in Your Browser

This preset locks the Social Media Image Resizer to YouTube’s channel banner so you hit the exact size YouTube expects. Upload artwork, tap the YouTube banner preset — 2560×1440 pixels (16:9) — choose a fit mode, and export a PNG or JPEG at exactly those pixels. 2560×1440 is YouTube’s recommended channel-art size in 2026 (the minimum it accepts is 2048×1152, and the file must be a JPG or PNG under 6 MB). Crucially, YouTube crops that one master image differently on every device, so the tool is built around the central 1546×423 TV-safe area where your branding must live. The whole thing runs on an in-browser canvas: the image is decoded to a local object URL, cropped, downscaled with pica and re-encoded locally — nothing is uploaded.

  • Locks to YouTube’s recommended banner size: 2560×1440 (16:9)
  • Minimum 2048×1152; file must be JPG or PNG under 6 MB
  • Central 1546×423 TV-safe area is the only region visible on every device
  • 100% client-side — the artwork never leaves the browser
Use Cases

The 1546×423 Safe Area and the Multi-Device Crop

The banner is 2560×1440, but the way YouTube crops it per device drives the whole design. From a single upload, YouTube shows the full 2560×1440 on a TV, a wide band of about 2560×423 on desktop, roughly 1855×423 on a tablet, and only the central 1546×423 strip on a phone. That inner 1546×423 rectangle is the ONLY part guaranteed to appear on every screen, so keep your channel name, logo, upload schedule and any call-to-action inside it. Use the outer regions — especially the top and bottom bands and the far left and right — for background imagery, colour or texture that still looks fine when cropped, never for critical content. Use the cover fit mode with its crop-position nudge to slide your artwork so the important part lands inside the safe zone before exporting at exactly 2560×1440.

  • TV shows 2560×1440, desktop ~2560×423, tablet ~1855×423, mobile only 1546×423
  • Keep logo, channel name and CTA inside the centre 1546×423 safe area
  • Use the outer edges for background/texture that survives cropping
  • Cover mode has a crop-position nudge to line artwork up with the safe zone
Methodology

How the Resize Stays Sharp (Canvas + pica)

A pure, typed engine does the geometry and pica does the pixels. For the 2560×1440 target, coverCropRect() computes the source rectangle that matches the 16:9 ratio (honouring a −1..1 crop-position nudge) or containLayout() computes a fitted, centred layout for padding. The browser crops into an intermediate canvas at source resolution and calls pica.resize(), which uses a Lanczos filter to resample with proper filtering and light sharpening rather than the browser’s default bilinear shrink — that is what keeps a large 4K poster or export crisp when it is brought down to 2560×1440 instead of aliased and soft. Finally canvas.toBlob() emits a PNG (lossless, best for flat graphics, logos and sharp text) or a JPEG with a quality factor (best for photographic or gradient-heavy banners, typically quality 85–90). A live file-size read-out lets you confirm the export stays under YouTube’s 6 MB banner limit.

  • coverCropRect() / containLayout() are pure, typed geometry helpers
  • pica.resize() (Lanczos) downscales into a canvas of exactly 2560×1440
  • canvas.toBlob() exports PNG (lossless) or JPEG (quality 85–90)
  • Live file-size read-out helps keep the export under the 6 MB limit
Limitations

Honest Limitations

Three caveats. First, the tool resizes to the master 2560×1440 canvas but it cannot control YouTube’s per-device cropping — that is why the 1546×423 safe area matters; anything you place outside it will be trimmed on phones and tablets no matter how the file is exported. Second, enlarging small artwork cannot add real detail: if your source is narrower than 2560 px the tool must upscale and the result will look softer than natively-large art, so it warns you when a target would enlarge the source — start from a bigger original or a vector export. Third, cover crops content by design and stretch can distort, so pick the fit mode deliberately; and if a JPEG banner exceeds 6 MB, lower the quality slightly rather than shrinking the pixels. YouTube can also change its recommended sizes and crop behaviour without notice, so treat 2560×1440 and the 1546×423 safe area as the current 2026 best estimates.

  • The tool sizes the master canvas; YouTube still crops per device — respect the 1546×423 safe area
  • Upscaling can’t invent detail; the tool warns when a target enlarges the source
  • Cover crops and stretch can distort — choose the fit mode deliberately
  • JPG over 6 MB: lower quality rather than shrink pixels; specs can change without notice
Privacy & Security

Privacy: Your Artwork Stays on Your Device

Channel art is often unreleased branding — a new logo, a rebrand, a sponsor banner — and this resizer never sends it anywhere. The image is decoded into a local object URL, cropped and composited on an in-page <canvas>, downscaled by pica and re-encoded with canvas.toBlob(), all on your device, with no server, upload, database, logging, API or CDN anywhere in the processing path. Object URLs for both the source and the result are revoked when you reset or replace the image, so nothing lingers, and the tool works offline once cached; closing the tab discards everything. You upload the finished 2560×1440 file to YouTube yourself, so it stays private until you publish it. The only optional network use anywhere on the site is consent-gated advertising, which never sees your image or its contents.

  • Decoded, cropped, resized and encoded entirely in the browser
  • No server, upload, database, API or CDN in the processing path
  • Object URLs revoked on reset / replace; works offline once cached
  • Only optional network use is consent-gated ads, which never see your artwork
YouTube banner specs and per-device crop 2026 (current best estimates)
Attribute / deviceSize (px)Notes
Recommended upload2560×144016:9 master canvas — design at this size
Minimum size2048×115216:9; below this YouTube may reject the upload
TV-safe area1546×423Centre zone visible on ALL devices — keep logo & text here
Desktop crop~2560×423Wide horizontal band of the full width
Tablet crop~1855×423Narrower than desktop, wider than mobile
Mobile crop1546×423Shows only the central safe-area strip
File limit≤6 MBJPG or PNG (GIF/BMP accepted); JPG 85–90 recommended

YouTube takes one 2560×1440 master file and crops it differently for TV, desktop, tablet and mobile; only the centre 1546×423 shows everywhere. Sizes reflect its 2026 recommendations and can change without notice. The tool always exports at exactly 2560×1440.