YouTube
YouTube Banner Size: The Safe Area for Every Device
YouTube banner dimensions, the 1235×338 safe area and exactly how TVs, desktops, tablets and phones crop it — with a layout that never gets cut off.
By The Mocknex team · Published · 6 min read
A YouTube banner is one image that has to work in four very different shapes: a full 16:9 picture on a TV, a thin strip across a desktop screen, a slightly narrower strip on a tablet and an even narrower one on a phone. That’s why so many banners have their channel name cut in half on mobile. The fix isn’t a different image for each device — it’s knowing which part of the image every device keeps.
Banner size and file limits
| Size | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended upload | 2560×1440 px | The full image; shown complete only on TVs |
| Minimum upload | 2048×1152 px | Smaller images are rejected |
| Maximum file size | 6 MB | JPG keeps photo banners well under this |
| Safe area | 1235×338 px, centred | The only part visible on every device — put text and logos here |
How each device crops it
Every crop is centred on the middle of the image. Only the width changes much; the visible height is the same strip on computers, tablets and phones.
| Device | Visible area | What gets cut |
|---|---|---|
| TV | 2560×1440 (everything) | Nothing |
| Desktop | 2560×423 | Everything above and below a thin horizontal band |
| Tablet | 1855×423 | The band, minus the far left and right |
| Phone | 1546×423 | The band, minus even more from the sides |
| Every device | 1235×338 | This is the safe area |
Put differently: about 70% of your banner is only ever seen on TVs. That part is a background, not a place for information.
A layout that survives every crop
- Background across the whole 2560×1440. A gradient, a texture or a photo that still looks good when you only see a strip of it. Avoid a background whose main subject sits at the top or bottom — desktop will never show it.
- Text and logo inside the central 1235×338. That’s roughly the middle half of the width and the middle quarter of the height. Centre it for the safest result.
- Decoration in the desktop band but outside the safe area. Shapes, extra photos or patterns can sit to the left and right of the safe area — desktop shows them, phones crop them, and nothing is lost if they go.
What to put on a banner
The banner is the first thing people see on your channel page. It should answer “what is this channel?” in a couple of seconds.
- ✓The channel name — big, high contrast, in the safe area.
- ✓One line about what you post (“Weekly builds and honest tool reviews”).
- ✓Optional: your upload schedule, if you keep one.
- ✓Colours and fonts that match your thumbnails and profile picture, so the page looks like one brand.
Skip social media handles and URLs: they’re small, often cropped, and YouTube already shows your links under the channel name. Want to see the banner together with your profile picture and video grid? The channel mockup puts all three on one page.
How to upload or change it
- Open YouTube Studio on a computer.
- Go to Customization and open the Profile tab (called Branding in older versions of Studio).
- Next to Banner image, choose Upload or Change.
- Check the preview, adjust the crop if offered, and publish.
Changes can take a little while to show everywhere, and your browser may keep the old banner cached for a few minutes.
Mistakes that make banners look broken
- Text near the edges. The most common one. If it’s outside 1235×338, assume phones won’t show it.
- Designing at the wrong shape. A 1500×500 header from another platform gets stretched or rejected. Start at 2560×1440.
- Small text. On a phone the whole banner is only a couple of centimetres tall. If the channel name isn’t clearly readable at that size, it isn’t big enough.
- Busy photos behind text. Darken or blur the background behind the safe area, or put the text on a solid shape.
- Huge PNG files. A photographic PNG at 2560×1440 can be over 6 MB. Export JPG.
FAQ
What size is a YouTube banner in 2026?
2560×1440 pixels recommended, 2048×1152 minimum, under 6 MB, with text and logos inside the central 1235×338 area.
Why is my YouTube banner cut off on mobile?
Phones show only a 1546×423 strip from the middle of the image. Anything outside the 1235×338 safe area may be cropped.
Can I use a different banner on mobile?
No — one image is used everywhere, cropped differently on each device. That’s why the safe area matters.
Should the banner match my profile picture?
It helps. Using the same colours and type makes the channel page feel deliberate. The profile picture maker previews your icon at the small sizes it appears.