Social Media Specs
YouTube Specs
YouTube publishes clearer specs than any other platform, which means the reference value here is in having the numbers together rather than in decoding them. The judgement is in what to spend effort on: thumbnails and the first 30 seconds, in that order.
| Format | Aspect ratio | Common resolutions |
|---|---|---|
| Standard video | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1440, 3840 x 2160 |
| Shorts | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 |
| Minimum accepted standard | 16:9 | 426 x 240 |
| Recommended upload container | 16:9 | MP4 with H.264 and AAC-LC |
| Asset | Dimensions | Constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Video thumbnail | 1280 x 720 | Under 2MB, JPG, PNG, GIF |
| Channel banner | 2560 x 1440 | Central 1546 x 423 always visible |
| Channel profile picture | 800 x 800 | Rendered as a circle |
| Video watermark | 150 x 150 | PNG or GIF, transparent recommended |
| Field | Limit |
|---|---|
| Video title | 100 characters |
| Video description | 5,000 characters |
| Tags, combined | 500 characters |
| Channel description | 1,000 characters |
| Playlist title | 150 characters |
Notes
Thumbnails are the highest leverage asset on YouTube and the one most often made last. Design at 1280 x 720 but judge at 210 pixels wide, because that is roughly how it appears in a browse feed. If it is not readable at that size, it does not exist.
Titles are truncated well before 100 characters across search, browse and mobile. Front load the specific and distinctive words in the first 55 to 60 characters, and never repeat in the title what the thumbnail already says. Title and thumbnail should combine, not duplicate.
The first two lines of a description show above the fold, and everything after is for search context, chapters and links. Timestamps starting at 0:00 create chapters, which improve both navigation and the surface area you occupy in results.
Upload settings, supported codecs and Shorts eligibility rules are updated regularly. YouTube Help is the source of record, and it is unusually well maintained, so check it rather than any secondary table.
Frequently asked questions
Should I upload in 4K if my audience watches on phones?
Often yes. YouTube allocates higher bitrates to higher resolution uploads, so a 4K master can look better even when it is played back at 1080p. The cost is upload and processing time.
Do tags still matter for YouTube SEO?
Barely. YouTube has said tags play a minimal role. Titles, thumbnails, descriptions and actual viewer behaviour drive discovery. Use a handful of tags for spelling variants and move on.
Official sources
Platforms change specifications without notice. Check the primary documentation before a launch that depends on an exact value.
Read next
You might also like
Ranked by how closely each page overlaps with this one, using a similarity model over the whole library.
More Social Media Specs
Social Media Image Sizes
Current image dimensions and aspect ratios for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest, in one scannable table.
Social Media Character Limits
Character limits for posts, bios, captions and headlines across Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Instagram Specs
Instagram image sizes, Reels and Stories video specs, caption and bio limits, and file requirements in one reference.
LinkedIn Specs
LinkedIn image dimensions, video specs, character limits for posts, headlines and articles, plus document post requirements.
TikTok Specs
TikTok video dimensions, aspect ratio, length limits, caption and bio character counts, and safe zone guidance for creators.
X (Twitter) Specs
X post character limits, image and video dimensions, header and profile sizes, and card requirements for marketers.