Free tool

YouTube thumbnail preview, before you upload.

Drop your thumbnail, type the title and channel name, and see it the way viewers scroll past it: in a home feed grid, a search results row, the "up next" sidebar and a phone feed, in light or dark mode, between other placeholder videos. Move it up or down the list to check it stands out anywhere. A quick check that it is 16:9 too. It is a look-alike layout for checking, not the real site, and nothing is uploaded.

Drop your thumbnail here, or click to chooseJPG, PNG or WebP, 1280 x 720 is the common size. You can also paste one.

The thumbnail is shown in your browser only. It is never uploaded.

Judge it in context

Does it stand out in a busy feed?

01 / Feeds

Four places it shows

Home grid, search row, sidebar and phone: each crops attention differently.

02 / Contrast

Light and dark

A thumbnail that pops on dark can vanish on white. Check both.

03 / Text

Readable small

In the sidebar a thumbnail is tiny. Big words and faces survive; small text does not.

Questions

Good to know.

What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?

1280 x 720 pixels (16:9) is a common size. YouTube Help lists the current minimum size and file limits.

Does this upload my thumbnail?

No. It is only shown in your browser.

Is this the real YouTube page?

No. It is a look-alike layout for checking, with placeholder videos and no logos.

Why check the phone view?

Many viewers watch on phones, where the thumbnail is small and the title wraps.

Can I compare two thumbnails?

Try one, then press Try another thumbnail and compare.