YouTube podcast thumbnail size: how to make the square cover

A YouTube podcast thumbnail is square, with a 1:1 aspect ratio. YouTube recommends 1280x1280 pixels. Upload it as a JPG or PNG, under 10 MB from a phone or 50 MB from a computer.

**Shape:** 1:1 square

**Size:** 1280x1280 pixels recommended

**Formats:** image formats such as JPG or PNG

**File limit:** 10 MB on mobile, 50 MB on desktop

You also need this image before YouTube will let you edit your podcast details, so it's worth making early. For regular video thumbnails, which are 16:9, see [YouTube thumbnail size](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-size).

Add the thumbnail to a new podcast

You set the square thumbnail while you create the podcast in YouTube Studio.

In YouTube Studio, click **Create**, then **New podcast**. You may be asked to verify your account first.

In the pop-up, select **Create a new podcast**.

Fill in the podcast title, description, and visibility, and add your **Square podcast thumbnail**.

Click **Create**.

After that, you add episodes by uploading new videos or adding ones you've already published.

Add it when you turn a playlist into a podcast

Already have a playlist of full episodes? You can turn it into a podcast and add the square cover along the way.

In YouTube Studio, go to **Content**, then **Playlists**.

Hover over the playlist you want to use.

Click **Options**, then **Add podcast features**.

Review the podcast details and add a square podcast thumbnail.

Click **Done**.

You can also start from **Create**, then **New podcast**, and pick **Set an existing playlist as a podcast** in the pop-up. If you only want to change a normal playlist's cover, that's a different flow, covered in [how to change a YouTube playlist thumbnail](/blog/how-to-change-youtube-playlist-thumbnail).

Edit it later

Sign in to YouTube Studio and go to **Content**, then **Podcasts**.

Hover over the podcast and click the edit icon.

On the **Details** page, upload a new square podcast thumbnail.

Click **Save**.

The Details page is also where you change the title, description, visibility, and episode order. YouTube won't let you edit any of those until the podcast has a square thumbnail. If you'd rather not add one, your other option is to remove podcast features from the playlist.

Why episodes stay 16:9 but the show is square

On YouTube, a podcast is a playlist, and each episode is a video in it. Videos use 16:9 thumbnails. Podcast playlists use 1:1.

So you're really making two kinds of image. Each episode gets its own wide thumbnail, and the show gets one square cover. Cropping a wide thumbnail down to a square usually cuts off the face or the text, so we'd build the square on its own canvas.

How to design for a square

YouTube gives you the size, not the design. This part is our own advice from looking at a lot of covers.

**One subject.** A square has no room for the split layouts that work at 16:9. Pick one face or one object and center it.

**The show name, big.** Put the name of the show on the cover and keep it short. Save episode titles for the 16:9 thumbnails.

**Check it small.** Shrink it to phone size before you upload. If you can't read the name or tell what the subject is, simplify.

**Keep it steady.** Use the same cover across seasons so returning listeners spot it right away.

FAQ

**What size is a YouTube podcast thumbnail?** It's square, and YouTube recommends 1280x1280 pixels.

**What file types and size limits apply?** Use a JPG or PNG. Stay under 10 MB from a phone or 50 MB from a computer.

**Can I use my 16:9 video thumbnail?** No. Podcast playlists use 1:1, so make a separate square image.

**Why can't I edit my podcast details?** YouTube needs a square podcast thumbnail first. Upload one on the Details page.

**Do episode thumbnails need to be square?** No. Episodes are videos, so they stay 16:9.

Get the episode thumbnails right too

The square cover sells the show, and the 16:9 thumbnails sell each episode. Before you publish an episode, run its thumbnail through Thumbly to see how it scores and how it holds up at small sizes.