Quick answer: upload channel art at 2560×1440 pixels (16:9, 6 MB or smaller), but design all text and logos inside the centered 1546×423 safe area. That strip is the only part visible on phones, tablets, desktops, and TVs. Anything outside it is cropped on the devices most viewers use.

The canvas is a TV frame; the safe zone is a phone

YouTube displays the full 2560×1440 on a TV. Desktop shows a central horizontal slice, tablets show less, and phones show only the middle strip. YouTube's own minimum upload size is 2048×1152, and at that minimum the documented safe area is 1235×338. Scaled to the recommended 2560×1440 canvas, the safe area works out to about 1546×423.

Most bad banners are not low-resolution. They are designed edge to edge, and the channel name or logo lands in a region the phone crop deletes.

The size table

Asset Dimensions Ratio Notes
Channel art (upload) 2560×1440 16:9 Recommended; 6 MB max
Minimum upload 2048×1152 16:9 Safe area 1235×338 at this size
All-device safe zone 1546×423 3.66:1 Centered; everything critical goes here
Desktop visible strip 2560×423 — Tablet: 1855×423
Profile picture 800×800 1:1 Renders at 98×98; ≤15 MB
Video watermark 150×150 1:1 Small square or logo
Thumbnail 1280×720 16:9 See the thumbnail guide

How the crop works

Device Visible area
TV Full 2560×1440
Desktop 2560×423 centered strip
Tablet ~1855×423 centered
Mobile ~1546×423 centered

The outside 507 pixels on each side and roughly 509 pixels above and below the safe zone are TV-only space. Use them for background texture, gradients, or decorative imagery that looks fine cropped — never for words, faces, or the logo.

What goes inside the safe zone

The banner's job is to tell a first-time visitor in two seconds what the channel is about and when to come back. A practical layout: channel name and one line of value proposition on the left or center, a posting cadence ("New every Tuesday") and social handle on the right. Avoid putting the wordmark under the bottom-left — the profile picture overlaps the lower-left corner — and leave the bottom-right clear, because the channel link icons sit there on desktop.

Profile picture and watermark

The profile picture uploads at 800×800 and renders at 98×98 on the channel, so it is a square mark that stays legible at 100 pixels. The video watermark, the small subscribe button overlay in the corner of videos, is a 150×150 square and works best as a single transparent logo. Thumbnails are a separate asset at 1280×720 — covered in the YouTube thumbnail size guide.

Exporting and checking

Export as JPG or PNG under 6 MB, then upload in YouTube Studio and use the preview toggle to check mobile, desktop, and TV before saving. If you have a channel art template file with the safe zone marked as a guide layer, build on it every time and delete the guide on export. The full cross-platform reference lives in the social media image sizes hub.

When the banner is part of a rebrand

A channel rebrand is rarely one file — it is the banner, the profile picture, the watermark, and often new thumbnails in the same visual system. Getting the safe zone right once and then generating the matching assets together keeps the rebrand consistent. Neatico produces the banner and the profile set from the same brand description, with the safe zone built in.

Frequently asked questions

What is the YouTube banner size? 2560×1440 pixels at 16:9, 6 MB or smaller. The minimum accepted upload is 2048×1152.

What is the safe zone for text and logos? About 1546×423 centered on the 2560×1440 canvas. YouTube's official figure is 1235×338 at the minimum 2048×1152 upload; the larger number is the scaled equivalent.

Why does my banner look fine on TV but cut off on my phone? Only the central strip shows on mobile. You designed across the full canvas instead of the safe zone. Move all text and logos inward.

How big is the YouTube profile picture? Upload 800×800; it renders at 98×98. Keep it to a single mark that stays readable at that size.