How to change or upload a YouTube thumbnail.
Uploading a high-contrast, custom-designed thumbnail directly impacts your video's impression-to-view conversion rate. Here is the complete step-by-step workflow for updating assets across desktop Studio and mobile apps.
1. Account verification requirement.
Before custom thumbnail uploads are unlocked, your YouTube channel must complete standard phone verification in YouTube Studio settings under Feature Eligibility.
2. Changing thumbnails on desktop (YouTube Studio).
Follow these simple steps:
1. Open YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com).
2. Navigate to Content from the left navigation menu.
3. Click the pencil icon on the target video.
4. Scroll to Thumbnail and click 'Upload thumbnail' (or 'Change').
5. Select your 1280x720 file and click 'Save'.
3. Changing thumbnails on mobile (iOS & Android).
Open the YouTube Studio mobile app, select your video, tap the edit pencil icon, tap 'Edit Thumbnail', pick your custom graphic from your photo library, and tap Save.
Need to grab an existing thumbnail from a video?
Use our free downloader to extract the uncompressed 1280×720 HD cover image from any link.
Open Downloader