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YouTube Banner
Preview Tool

Upload your banner and instantly see how it crops on Desktop, Mobile, and TV. Toggle safe area, check alignment — upload with confidence. Free & instant.

Desktop: 2560 × 423 px visible
🖼️
Click or drag & drop your banner image
Recommended: 2560 × 1440 px · Max 6MB · JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
YouTube Banner Dimensions

How Your Banner Displays
On Every Device

YouTube crops your 2560×1440 banner differently depending on the viewer's device.

📺 TV / Connected
2560 × 1440
Full image displayed. Use the entire canvas — great for rich backgrounds and gradients.
🖥️ Desktop Browser
2560 × 423
Wide letterbox crop. Only the center strip is shown. Keep key content in the center.
📱 Mobile Safe Zone
1546 × 423
The safe zone. Smallest visible area — everything inside shows on all devices.
📁 Upload Requirements
2560 × 1440
Max 6MB. Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP. Minimum upload: 2048 × 1152 px.
Quick Tips

Banner Design
Best Practices

🎯

Keep Text in the Safe Zone

Place all logos, channel names, and critical text inside the 1546×423 center box. Content outside may be cropped on mobile.

📐

Design at Full Resolution

Always start at 2560×1440. Scaling up from smaller sizes results in pixelated, blurry banners especially on TVs.

🎨

Use Background for TV

The space outside the safe zone still shows on TV screens. Use it for backgrounds, patterns, or decorative elements.

📝

Bold & Readable Text

Your channel tagline text should be at least 80–100px tall in the original 2560×1440 file to remain readable when cropped.

🔄

Preview All Views

Switch between Desktop, Mobile, and TV tabs above before uploading to YouTube. Each shows a different crop.

🎬

Match Your Brand

Your banner should share colors and visual style with your thumbnails and profile picture for a cohesive channel look.

3 Steps

How to Preview Your
YouTube Banner

1

Upload Your Banner

Click "Upload Banner" or drag & drop your 2560×1440 image. No sign-up, no server uploads — everything stays in your browser.

2

Switch Device Views

Toggle between Desktop, Mobile, and TV tabs to see exactly how your banner crops on each screen. Enable safe area to check alignment.

3

Upload with Confidence

When your banner looks perfect across all devices, export the preview or head to YouTube Studio and upload — no guessing required.

What Is a YouTube Banner and Why Does It Matter?

Your YouTube banner — also called channel art or the channel header — is the large image at the top of your YouTube channel page. It's the first visual element visitors see when they land on your channel, making it one of the most important branding assets you have as a creator.

A well-designed YouTube banner communicates your channel's identity instantly. But here's the problem most creators run into: YouTube displays your banner differently depending on the device. A banner that looks stunning on your desktop might have your logo completely hidden on mobile, or your text awkwardly cut off on a TV. This is why previewing your banner before uploading is non-negotiable.

YouTube Banner Size: The Complete 2026 Guide

The safe area is the 1546 × 423 pixel zone at the center of your 2560 × 1440 canvas. Any element inside this box is guaranteed visible on all devices.

Common YouTube Banner Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

1. Placing text outside the safe zone

This is the #1 mistake. If your channel name is positioned in the top-left or bottom-right corner of your 2560×1440 canvas, mobile viewers will never see it. Always keep text inside the 1546×423 safe area.

2. Designing at the wrong resolution

Many creators design their banner at 1280×720 and then stretch it to 2560×1440. This results in pixelated, blurry banners especially on high-DPI screens and TVs.

3. Not previewing before uploading

Many creators design in Photoshop or Canva, export, upload, check YouTube, realize something is wrong, fix it, re-export, re-upload — wasting time. Previewing first with this tool eliminates all of this friction.

FAQ

Frequently Asked
Questions

The recommended YouTube banner size is 2560 × 1440 pixels. The minimum upload size is 2048 × 1152 pixels, and the maximum file size is 6MB. Formats accepted: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP.
The YouTube banner safe area is the central 1546 × 423 pixel zone of your 2560×1440 banner. Logos, channel names, taglines, and text must stay within this zone to avoid being cropped on mobile screens.
Use the tool above — drag and drop your banner image, and instantly see how it crops on Desktop, Mobile, and TV. Toggle the safe area overlay to verify your key content is visible everywhere. No sign-up required.
On desktop, YouTube shows your banner at 2560 × 423 pixels — a wide horizontal strip cropped from the center. On mobile, this shrinks to 1546 × 423 pixels — the safe zone. TV displays the full 2560 × 1440 image without any cropping.
No. Everything runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your banner image is never sent to any server — your unreleased channel art stays completely private.
YouTube accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP. PNG is best for designs with sharp text, logos, or transparent elements. JPG works well for photographic banners. Keep the file under 6MB.
Related Tools

More YouTube Preview Tools

Everything you need to review your channel before going live.

🎬

Thumbnail Preview

See how your thumbnail looks in YouTube search, sidebar, and mobile feed.
👤

Profile Picture Preview

Preview how your profile photo renders on channel pages and in comments.
✏️

Title Preview

Test where YouTube truncates your video title on different devices.
📐

Safe Area Guide

Deep dive into YouTube's safe area system with templates and examples.
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