YouTube Banner Safe Zone Tool
YouTube recommends a 2560 by 1440 canvas for channel art. Keep text and logos inside the centered safe area, approximately 1544 by 423 pixels at this resolution. This tool draws that rectangle while you position your crop, then exports the full banner locally. The visible background varies by device and screen.
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YouTube Banner Safe Zone Tool explained
YouTube asks for a single 2560 by 1440 image and then shows a different part of it depending on what you are looking at. A television shows the whole thing. A desktop browser shows a wide band across the middle. A phone shows a small central rectangle, 1544 by 423, and nothing else.
That is why so many channel banners have their name cut in half. The name was placed comfortably in a 2560-pixel design file, and most of the audience is looking at a strip roughly a fifth of that area.
This page keeps the full recommended canvas and marks one safe area for essential text and logos. Position your design inside that rectangle, then export the full image. Background outside it can be cropped on smaller screens.
If you stream as well as upload, the Twitch offline screen page covers the 1920 by 1080 player banner.
A 2560-pixel export can be large — the compressor will bring it under a size you name.
One image, four crops
One safe text-and-logo rectangle, scaled from YouTube’s 1235 × 338 safe area at 2048 × 1152. On this 2560 × 1440 canvas it is approximately 1544 × 423. Device crops vary.
Designing for 1544 by 423
Treat the mobile rectangle as the banner and the rest as bleed. Channel name, tagline and upload schedule all belong inside it; everything outside is background that a television viewer gets as a bonus.
The dashed rectangle on the preview mark the safe text-and-logo area. If your name only fits by extending past the inner one, it does not fit.
- Channel name inside the 1544 × 423 rectangle, centred.
- Schedule or tagline on one line, also inside it.
- Social handles only if they still read at phone size — usually they do not.
- Outside the safe zones: colour, texture, continuation of the artwork, nothing load-bearing.
Why a 2560-pixel canvas for a 1544-pixel message
Because the television crop is real, and a banner that stops at the safe zone leaves hard edges visible on a TV and on a very wide desktop window. The outer area exists to continue the design, not to carry information.
A gradient, a pattern or a photograph that extends naturally past the strip is what makes a banner look designed rather than cropped. The inner rectangle carries the message; the outer canvas carries the atmosphere.
File format and weight
JPEG for photographic or illustrated banners — a 2560-pixel PNG of the same image is several times larger for no visible gain. PNG for flat colour and lettering, where JPEG rings around every edge. YouTube re-encodes what it receives and has its own upload size limit, so a clean, moderately compressed source is better than a maximal one.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a YouTube banner?
Use 2560 by 1440 pixels for the recommended channel-art upload. YouTube accepts a minimum canvas of 2048 by 1152 at 16:9. The output here uses the larger size and keeps the complete canvas for television displays.
Why is my YouTube banner cut off on mobile?
The full background is cropped differently by each display. A mobile viewport keeps the center and removes the sides. Move essential text and your logo inside the dashed safe rectangle; keep decorative background outside it. Repositioning a logo is more reliable than shrinking the entire design.
What is the YouTube banner safe zone?
The safe zone is the centered region intended for text and logos. YouTube defines it as 1235 by 338 pixels at the minimum 2048 by 1152 upload size. This exporter scales that region with the larger canvas, giving approximately 1544 by 423 pixels.
Should my channel name go in the middle of the banner?
Yes — inside the inner safe rectangle, centred. A name placed to one side reads fine on a television and is cropped away on a phone, which is what most of your audience is using. If the name only fits by overflowing the rectangle, it is too large.
Why upload 2560 by 1440 if only part is shown?
The larger image supplies background for television and other large displays. Essential text still belongs inside the central guide, while the surrounding area can carry texture or illustration. Exporting only the narrow safe strip would remove the required full-canvas aspect ratio and would not produce a valid replacement banner.
Is my banner uploaded to this site to be cropped?
No. The crop and the export are done by your browser on this page; there is no server here to receive a file. You upload the result to YouTube yourself, and the Network panel stays empty throughout.
Which related tools should I use next?
- Twitch Offline Screen 1920×10801920×1080 offline screen with the strip the player chrome covers marked out, so text never hides behind it.Open
- Twitter Header 1500×500X's 1500×500 header at 3:1 with the profile picture overlap and bio block drawn on, so nothing important hides.Open
- Bluesky Banner SizeBluesky banner at 3000×1000 with the avatar overlap marked — crop and export both run locally.Open
- Spotify Canvas 1080×1920Cover art cropped to the 1080×1920 vertical frame, with the player-controls area marked where Spotify draws it.Open
- Compress ImageHit a file size, or pick a quality and see the cost.Open
- Creator ToolsResize and optimize banners, avatars, emotes and covers for every platform.Open