Back in October 2025, Google confirmed it would increase the thumbnail file limit from 2MB to 50MB for creators. At the same time, the company said it was testing longer video uploads with some creators (12 hours or 256GB – the current limit). Now, out of the two changes, Google has announced the increase in the YouTube thumbnail file size limit.
Here is more to it.
YouTube Increases Thumbnail File Size Limit
In a post shared on X, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said that, starting this week, all YouTube creators can upload thumbnails up to 50MB in size, compared to the previous 2MB limit.
“Exciting news: as of this week, all @YouTubeCreators can now upload 50MB thumbnails (up from 2MB). Now, your super high-resolution thumbnails will look epic on TV,” Mohan said.
Exciting news: as of this week, all @youtubecreators can now upload 50MB thumbnails (up from 2MB).
Now, your super high-resolution thumbnails will look epic on TV 📺 pic.twitter.com/UUskr6lZxz
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) March 13, 2026
The change aims to improve how high-resolution thumbnails, including 4K images, appear when videos are viewed on larger displays. Meanwhile, a Google support page provides additional details about the new thumbnail limit. It reveals that to upload a thumbnail larger than 2MB, creators will need to upload it via desktop.
If you are using your mobile to upload the video thumbnail, the limit remains 2MB, while for podcasts, it is 10MB. However, when uploading through a desktop, the limit for both is 50MB.
Google also recommends that creators:
- Use a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels (with a minimum width of 640 pixels).
- Upload images in formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG.
- Try to use a 16:9 aspect ratio, as it is the most commonly used format in YouTube players and previews.
- For podcast playlists, upload a thumbnail with an aspect ratio of 1:1 instead of 16:9.
Lastly, the support page also mentions that on the Home, Explore, and Subscription pages, vertical videos with 16:9 custom thumbnails will be replaced by an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail. As for the original thumbnail, it will still appear on the watch feed, watch history, and on non-mobile platforms.
Stay tuned for more updates!
