YouTube Shorts Cover Resizer

What matters

YouTube Shorts Cover dimensions at a glance

YouTube Shorts covers are the thumbnail images that represent your short-form videos in the Shorts shelf, channel page, and search results. The 1080×1920 vertical format matches the native 9:16 playback canvas.

Shorts compete for taps in a fast-scrolling vertical feed. A custom cover with a clear hook outperforms a random auto-selected frame and helps viewers decide to watch.

Without a custom cover, YouTube selects an arbitrary frame that may be blurry, unflattering, or contextless. Non-vertical covers get letterboxed, looking out of place alongside native 9:16 content.

Best practices

Use the crop intentionally

• Keep the key visual and text in the upper two-thirds — the bottom is overlapped by title and channel info.
• Use bold, readable text hooks since Shorts covers compete at small sizes in the shelf.
• Match the energy and style of your Short content so the cover sets accurate expectations.