YouTube Banner Size: Current Specs, Safe Area and Blank Template (2026)

The YouTube banner size is 2560 × 1440 pixels at 16:9, which YouTube recommends especially for TV. The minimum upload is 2048 × 1152 px, the file must be 6 MB or smaller, and text and logos belong in the centre safe area of 1235 × 338 px at that minimum size, according to YouTube Help as of 5 November 2026.

That last number is the one that trips people up. Many guides quote 1546 × 423 instead, and both are really the same strip at different scales. This guide gives you the current specs, shows exactly where the safe area sits on your canvas, and covers plain white banners, templates and the mistakes that get a banner cropped.

What is the correct YouTube banner size in 2026?

Here is what YouTube states on its channel branding help page, checked on 5 November 2026.

YouTube's page is short on one point: it names no file formats for banners. Its only format list is for profile pictures (JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG, no animated GIFs). Third-party guides such as VEED's list JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP for banners too. JPG and PNG are the two to use.

The same help page also says one image is used on computers, phones and TVs, and that it shows differently on each. So you make one file, not a separate banner per device.

What is the safe area on a YouTube banner?

The safe area is the centre strip that stays visible on every screen. Anything outside it may be cropped, so your channel name, tagline and logo all go inside it.

YouTube only gives the figure for the minimum canvas. If you design at the recommended size, scale it up by 1.25, because 2560 is 1.25 times 2048. Here is the arithmetic, with the exact position on each canvas.

As a rule of thumb, the safe area is about 60% of the width and 29% of the height, dead centre.

Why do some guides say 1546 × 423?

Because that is the older figure for a 2560 × 1440 canvas, and it is still repeated widely. Scaling YouTube's current number gives 1543.75 × 422.5, so the two differ by about a pixel on each side. You don't need to choose between them. Keep your text a little inside either box and it will be fine.

How much of the banner shows on each device?

TVs show the full image. Computers, tablets and phones show a strip through the middle, and the strip narrows as the screen gets smaller.

A caution on this table: the per-device numbers come from guides such as Kittl's and Async's. YouTube Help doesn't publish them today. It only says images will "get cropped on certain views and devices". Treat them as a good planning guide, and rely on the safe area for anything that must be read.

The practical result is that a banner has three zones. The centre strip is for your message. The left and right of that strip appear on computers and some tablets, so use them for supporting art. The top and bottom bands are only seen on TV, so fill them with background that continues naturally.

How do you make a plain white or blank YouTube banner?

A blank banner is simply a solid colour image at the right size. Search volume suggests plenty of people want one, usually for a clean, minimal channel page or as a placeholder.

We made test files on 5 November 2026 to see how small they get. Every one is far under the 6 MB limit, so file size won't be a problem.

PNG is the better choice for flat colour: smaller and without compression marks.

To make one in Paint on Windows:

1. Open Paint. A new canvas is white by default.
2. Open Resize, choose Pixels and untick "Maintain aspect ratio".
3. Enter 2560 for the width and 1440 for the height.
4. Fill it with another colour if you want one, such as black.
5. Save it as a PNG.

Any editor with a custom canvas size does the same job. Two things to think about first. A white banner reads as a bright band for anyone using dark theme, and a black one nearly disappears. And you don't have to upload a banner at all if a blank channel header is all you're after. A blank image only makes sense when you want a deliberate colour band.

If you'd rather have something quiet than a flat colour, a soft gradient also works. Ask for one with an empty band across the centre on our YouTube banner generator, which includes a background-only prompt you can copy.

How do you set up a YouTube banner template?

A template is just a correctly sized canvas with guides, so you can build your own in a couple of minutes and reuse it for every redesign.

1. Create a 2560 × 1440 px canvas in your editor.
2. Draw a guide box of 1544 × 423 px and centre it. Its edges sit about 508 px in from the left and right, and about 509 px down from the top and up from the bottom.
3. Lock the guide on its own layer and hide it before you export.
4. Put the background art across the full canvas, so TV viewers don't see an empty band.
5. Place the name, tagline and logo inside the guide box only.
6. Export as JPG or PNG and confirm the file is 6 MB or smaller.

Be careful with ready-made templates. Check the canvas size before you use one. Header templates built for other platforms are often a different shape: our own Edit Studio "Channel banner" template, for example, is 1500 × 500 px, a 3:1 layout that doesn't suit YouTube.

How do you upload or change your banner?

YouTube's current steps for a computer are:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. In the left menu, select Customization, then Profile.
3. Click Change and pick your image. Select a preview to adjust the crop, then click Done.
4. Click Publish.

Some older guides send you to a Branding tab, but YouTube Help now lists Profile.

You can also do it on a phone. On Android, tap your profile picture, tap View channel, tap Edit, then tap your banner image and upload a photo. The iPhone and iPad steps are nearly identical, starting with Your channel instead of View channel.

What are the most common YouTube banner mistakes?

Most banner problems come from designing on a large monitor and never checking a phone.

Upload days and social links are better placed elsewhere. YouTube has separate fields for links on your channel, and a phone viewer won't be able to read small print on a banner.

Your banner also has to work next to your other channel art. The profile picture is a separate file that renders at 98 × 98 px and can be up to 15 MB. Video thumbnails have different rules, covered in our YouTube thumbnail size guide, and the AI thumbnail generator can make them in the same style as your banner.

Can you make a YouTube banner with AI?

Yes, and the main risk is layout rather than image quality. Models don't know where YouTube's safe area is, so you have to tell them. Here's what works in Kenerate AI's Image Studio:

1. Open the YouTube banner generator and pick the Widescreen 16:9 ratio.
2. Write the channel name in quotes, add one short line, and describe your colours and background.
3. Add "all text in the centre, nothing important near the top or bottom".
4. Check the spelling, then check the pixel size of the download.
5. If it is under 2560 px wide, run it through the AI image upscaler at 4K. Then save a copy under 6 MB.

Which model you choose depends on the job.

If you already own a square or portrait piece of art, the AI image extender can paint new background on both sides to reach 16:9. For ad and web banners rather than channel art, use the AI banner generator. New accounts get 25 free credits.

Always read the lettering at full size before uploading, because AI text can still slip on a single character. If you want the name set perfectly, generate the background with no text and add the words yourself in your editor.

Quick checklist before you publish

• Canvas is 16:9, ideally 2560 × 1440 px, and at least 2048 × 1152 px
• File is 6 MB or smaller, saved as JPG or PNG
• Name, tagline and logo sit inside the centre strip, about 1544 × 423 px on a 2560 canvas
• Background art fills the whole image for TV viewers
• No borders, frames or shadows
• You've previewed the crop in YouTube Studio and viewed the channel on a phone

Specs in this guide were checked against YouTube Help on 5 November 2026. YouTube does change these pages, so look at the help page again if you're reading this much later.