How to add a thumbnail to a YouTube live stream
Add a thumbnail to a YouTube live stream in YouTube Studio: click Create, then Go Live, open the Manage tab, pick your scheduled stream and click Edit.
2 min read ThumbnailsYouTubeGuidesIn YouTube Studio, click **Create**, then **Go Live** to open the Live Control Room. Open the **Manage** tab, pick your scheduled stream and click **Edit**. Add your image in the stream details and save.
A scheduled stream can show up in your subscribers' feeds as upcoming before you go live. That makes the thumbnail your ad for the stream, so set it early.
Set it when you schedule the stream
Go to YouTube Studio and click **Create**, then **Go Live**. In the Live Control Room, click the **Manage** tab, then **SCHEDULE STREAM**.
You can click **Reuse settings** to copy a past stream, or **Create new** to start fresh. Add your thumbnail in the stream details along with the title and description.
Add or change it on a scheduled stream
Already scheduled it? Open the Live Control Room, click the **Manage** tab and pick the stream. Click **Edit** at the top right, add your image in the stream details and save.
Webcam streams
When you set up a webcam stream and click **Next**, your camera takes a thumbnail. That snapshot is rarely the shot you want. Before you go live, click **Edit** and add your own image.
Find your upcoming streams
In YouTube Studio, select **Content** from the left menu and click the **Live** tab. Scheduled streams sit under **Upcoming**, and past ones sit under **Live Replay**.
After the stream ends
Streams under 12 hours are archived automatically, and the replay shows up under **Live Replay**. If the thumbnail needs a refresh after the stream, follow [how to change a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-change-youtube-thumbnail).
Before you upload
Use a JPG or PNG at the size in our [YouTube thumbnail size guide](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-size). Then run it through [Thumbly Score](/blog/how-to-use-thumbly-score) to check that it reads at feed size. One clear subject and a few big words beat a busy frame. Once it scores well, add it and schedule the stream.
