While many social media platforms have come and gone quickly, burning out within years or even months, YouTube is an internet stalwart. It launched in December 2005, and in the two decades since, it has amassed an unbelievable 2.5 billion users.
Unlike other platforms around in the mid-2000s, YouTube has stood the test of time – but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t evolved to keep up. YouTube is ever-changing in line with user behavior, so if you’ve got a presence on this popular video-sharing app, it’s critical to stay across the latest best practice protocols.
Nailing your YouTube video sizes and dimensions could be the difference between low user retention rates and a strong, loyal community of viewers. No one likes low-res content, and there’s power in perfecting your profile with the right banner, thumbnails, and profile pic.
So you don’t have to scramble every time you upload to YouTube, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to YouTube video sizes. Read on for everything you need to know, plus our top tips for establishing a polished and professional YouTube presence.
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Resolution vs Aspect Ratio: Understanding YouTube video size
When you’re first starting out editing and uploading video content, you’ll encounter two ways to describe a video’s size – resolution and aspect ratio. The difference can be a bit mystifying at first, so here’s what you need to know.
Pixels are tiny squares on a display screen that culminate to form an image or video. More importantly, they’ve become a unit of measurement used to describe a video’s resolution. So, when you see a video size communicated in large numbers separated by an ‘x’ – for example, 1080×1920 – that’s 1,080 pixels in width by 1,920 pixels in height.
Then, you’ve got aspect ratio – a way of communicating the orientation of an image or video as a mathematical ratio, where each of the two numbers is relative to one another. When you see two small numbers separated by a colon, this is a video’s aspect ratio. Take 4:5 – this means that the proportion between the width and height is 4 to 5. Square images, for example, are expressed at a 1:1 aspect ratio because the width and height are equal.
YouTube video dimensions to use in 2025
Now that you understand the building blocks of a video’s size – aspect ratio and resolution – let’s put them together for YouTube.
Aspect ratio for YouTube videos
The correct aspect ratio size for a YouTube video with a traditional horizontal orientation is 16:9. While most cameras and phones film in this orientation when angled horizontally these days, always be sure to check the aspect ratio is correct when you export your video file.
Resolution for YouTube videos
Aspect ratio is the easy part, while the other slightly trickier component to be aware of is your video’s resolution or dimensions. This determines the quality of the video you upload. The bigger the resolution, the better quality it will be.
The resolution you are able to access for your YouTube video will depend on two things: the quality you filmed in and the quality you export and upload your file as. Cameras and phones have settings that you can adjust to increase or decrease the resolution of your filming output, which allows you to control the overall quality of your video.
Here’s a quick guide to YouTube video dimension size:
- 240p (lowest resolution): 426×240
- 360p: 640×360
- 480p: 854×480
- 720p (high definition): 1280×720
- 1080p (full HD): 1920×1080
- 2K: 2560×1440
- 4K (ultra HD): 3840×2160
- 8K (highest resolution): 7680×4320
Creators should aim for a minimum resolution of 1080p. Close to half of YouTube viewership happens on a TV, so it’s important to select a resolution that will appear crystal clear on large screens to ensure viewer satisfaction! 2K and 4K are now commonly used by best-of-the-best creators, so if you want to give your videos a professional edge, consider putting in the time and effort to meet these standards.
File size for YouTube videos
As well as the resolution and aspect ratio of your YouTube video, you should be aware of its total file size in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) before you upload. If you try to upload something too large, this could chip into hours of your time and chew up data.
The file size of your video will correlate with its resolution – simply put, the larger the video resolution, the larger the file size will be. Of course, its length in minutes or hours will also play a big role here.
In 2025, the maximum file size for a YouTube video is 128GB, and the maximum length in hours is 12 hours.
Understanding the best YouTube video size, including dimensions and file size, will help you satisfy your audience with a high-res output.
YouTube Shorts video size guide
While horizontal long-form videos are still the main event on YouTube, in 2020, the platform launched Shorts – bite-sized vertical videos designed to rival Instagram Reels and TikTok.
If you’re firming up a YouTube strategy for your brand or small business, Shorts should be a core component, as these snackable vids get fantastic engagement. A study conducted in 2024 found that while Shorts receive fewer comments than traditional YouTube videos, they see more views overall, as well as more likes per view. So, nailing your size resolution for YouTube Shorts is critical.
For Shorts, opt for an aspect ratio of 9:16 – the inverse of the traditional YouTube format video size. Luckily, this is the same orientation as your phone’s camera when you’re filming vertically, so it’s not hard to create videos that satisfy these dimensions. When it comes to resolution, the same rules as a horizontal video apply, just with the width and height values flipped.
Aim for a minimum size resolution for YouTube Shorts of 1080p to 2K to ensure good quality across devices.
While we always recommend filming and uploading in hi-res, your Shorts videos don’t have to be as high definition as horizontal videos, as they’re predominantly watched on mobile devices and tablets with smaller screens. Aim for 1080p or 2K, and don’t stress if your quality caps out there – there’s no need for 8K videos when dealing with phone-sized screens.
Lastly, when it comes to file size and video length, the key to mastering Shorts is in the name. Keep things snappy at 3 minutes or less, and don’t exceed a file size of 60MB – although many creators say the sweet spot is around 10MB.
YouTube thumbnail size guide
When you’re trying to build a community on YouTube, your videos are a huge piece of the puzzle – but there are a few other things to consider, too. Your thumbnail images, especially when paired with snappy titles, are how viewers can easily find and categorize your content. Think of them as your video’s first impression, the cover of the book that’ll convince your target audience to turn the page.
In 2025, the minimum thumbnail size for YouTube is 640×360, and the recommended thumbnail size for YouTube is 1280×720. This is an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as your YouTube video itself. There’s also a maximum file size for YouTube thumbnails of 2MB.
Nailing your thumbnail size for YouTube is critical, as this may be a viewer’s first touchpoint with your content!
For YouTube Shorts, thumbnails are less of a priority. You can’t upload custom thumbnails in the same way you do regular YouTube videos – instead, you can select a frame from the video as your still. This means the aspect ratio is 9:16, and the resolution is the same as your video.
YouTube banner size guide
Your YouTube banner tells visitors to your channel what to expect from your content. It should give insight into your brand’s personality, reflecting its visual identity and providing context on the type of videos you upload.
In 2025, the recommended dimensions of a YouTube banner are 2560×1440. Expressed as an aspect ratio, this is 16:9. The maximum YouTube banner file size is 6MB.
Travel vloggers Daneger and Stacey have perfected their YouTube banner size and safe zone.
However, there’s also a safe zone to consider. The YouTube banner safe zone is the recommended area to place important elements like images and text. This accounts for variation across devices – by adhering to the safe zone, you can ensure your banner looks good regardless of whether it’s viewed on mobile, desktop, or tablet, and that no key info is obscured.
The recommended safe area for YouTube banners is 1546×423.
YouTube profile picture size guide
Just like on other social media channels, your YouTube profile picture is how subscribers and new viewers will come to recognize you and associate your content with your brand. So, you want to make a statement – and half the battle of doing this is getting the specs right!
Beauty vlogger Estée Lalonde’s YouTube profile picture size ensures her photo fits perfectly in the circle and looks high quality on mobile and desktop.
The recommended profile picture size for YouTube has a 1:1 aspect ratio and is 800×800 in resolution. Like your video thumbnail, your file size shouldn’t exceed 2MB.
Your YouTube image and video size cheat sheet
So you can start creating content with confidence, here’s a final wrap-up of all the recommended YouTube video sizes you need to know in 2025:
- YouTube video aspect ratio: 16:9 (horizontal).
- YouTube video dimensions (px): Anywhere between 426×240 and 7680×4320, but the sweet spot for most creators will be 1920×1080 (full HD) or 2560×1440 (2K).
- YouTube video file size and length: Maximum file size of 128GB and maximum length of 12 hours.
- YouTube Shorts aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical).
- YouTube Shorts video dimensions (px): Anywhere between 240×426 and 4320×7680, but we recommend 1080×1920 (full HD) for the best upload size to quality ratio on mobile.
- YouTube Shorts file size and length: Maximum file size of 60MB and maximum length of 3 minutes.
- YouTube thumbnail size: 1280×720 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and a maximum 2MB file size.
- YouTube banner size: 2560×1440 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and a maximum 6MB file size.
- YouTube profile picture size: 800×800 resolution, 1:1 aspect ratio, and a maximum 2MB file size.
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