YouTube thumbnail preview
Add your thumbnail and title to see exactly how they'll look in YouTube's home feed, search results, the up next sidebar, and the phone app, in light or dark mode. Add the thumbnails you're competing against to check yours still stands out. It runs in your browser, so your images are never uploaded.
Your thumbnail
Or paste or drop an image. A sample is shown until you do.
Preview
Your full title fits in every view.
What Nobody Tells You About Starting Out
First Steps
48K views • 1 week ago
I Tried Every Budget Camera Under $500 (One Surprised Me)
Your Channel
12K views • 2 days ago
The 10 Minute Routine That Changed My Mornings
Slow Mornings
210K views • 3 weeks ago
We Finally Tested It (Full Review)
Bench Notes
7.9K views • 2 days ago
I Tried Every Budget Camera Under $500 (One Surprised Me)
Your Channel • 12K views • 2 days ago
What Nobody Tells You About Starting Out
First Steps • 48K views • 1 week ago
Drawn at YouTube's real sizes (desktop measured at a 1920px window, October 2026), then scaled to fit your screen. Real feeds vary by device and YouTube's layout tests, so treat this as a close guide. The other videos are made-up samples.
Your title and details
Channel, views, and length
Add the videos you compete with
Your thumbnail has to win against the videos next to it. Swap the samples for the ones you'll really be up against.
How to use it
- Choose your thumbnail image (a 1280×720 JPG or PNG works best).
- Type your title. The preview warns you if it gets cut off anywhere.
- Switch between Home feed, Search, Up next, and Phone, and try the dark theme.
- Optionally add up to three competitor thumbnails, or paste their YouTube links, to see yours in context.
Questions
Is my thumbnail uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is read by your browser and stays on your device. If your browser allows it, your last draft is saved locally so it's there when you come back.
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
YouTube recommends 1280×720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 pixels wide, as a JPG, PNG, or GIF. Check YouTube's help page for the current file size limit. Most viewers see it far smaller than that, which is why previewing at real sizes matters.
Why does my title get cut off?
YouTube clamps titles to two lines in most places, so how much fits depends on the width of each layout and the letters you use, not just the character count. Wide letters like W and M use more space than i or l.
Is this an official YouTube tool?
No. It's an independent tool that recreates YouTube's layouts at common screen sizes. Real feeds vary slightly by device and update.
Last updated 2026-10-14.
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