Thumbnail Safe Zone Checker
Upload your thumbnail and see which parts are covered by the duration badge, progress bar and hover buttons.
Runs in your browser. Your image is not uploaded and nothing is fetched from YouTube.
Red areas are where important text or faces are likely to be covered. Positions are approximate and vary by device.
Keeping the important parts visible
The bottom-right corner is the one place that is always covered, because the video's length is printed there. A word or a face in that corner is partly hidden on every screen. The bottom edge gains a thin red bar for anyone who has started the video.
On a computer, two buttons appear in the top-right corner when the pointer is over the thumbnail. They are only there on hover, so the corner is usable, but do not put the one thing people must read there.
A simple rule covers all of it: keep the main subject and the main words in the middle of the image and toward the left, and treat the right edge and the bottom edge as background.
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Questions
What is a thumbnail safe zone?
The part of the image that stays visible when the video platform draws its own elements on top, such as the duration badge in the bottom-right corner.
Are these overlay positions exact?
No. They are close approximations for a typical feed. Platforms change their layout and it differs by device, so leave a little extra margin.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is read in your browser and never leaves your device.
Where should I avoid placing text?
Keep important text and faces away from the bottom-right corner and the bottom edge, and do not rely on the top-right corner on desktop.
More free thumbnail tools
- YouTube Thumbnail Size GuideThe current YouTube thumbnail size, aspect ratio, file formats and file-size limits for videos and Shorts, with blank canvases to download.
- YouTube Thumbnail PreviewUpload your thumbnail and see how it looks in a home feed, search results and the suggested sidebar, on desktop and mobile, in light and dark.