Check your video
Aspect ratio
16:9
Resolution and recommended upload bitrate (SDR)
| Quality | Size (16:9) | 24–30 fps | 48–60 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2160p (4K) | 3840×2160 | 35–45 Mbps | 53–68 Mbps |
| 1440p (2K) | 2560×1440 | 16 Mbps | 24 Mbps |
| 1080p | 1920×1080 | 8 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
| 720p | 1280×720 | 5 Mbps | 7.5 Mbps |
| 480p | 854×480 | 2.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| 360p | 640×360 | 1 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps |
Other sizes
| What | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts | 1080×1920 (9:16) | Up to 3 minutes; square or vertical |
| Thumbnail | 1280×720 (16:9) | JPG, PNG or GIF, under 2 MB |
| Channel banner | 2560×1440 | Safe area for text and logos: 1546×423 in the centre; under 6 MB |
| Profile picture | 800×800 | Shown as a circle, as small as 98×98 |
| Video file | Up to 256 GB or 12 hours | MP4 (H.264 + AAC) is the safest upload format |
Next stepBitrate & file size calculatorBitrate for a target size, or size for a bitrate
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Start a videoHow to use the YouTube video sizes
- Enter or drop your videoType the width and height or drop the file.
- Read the checksSee how it fits the player and which quality it gets.
- Use the tablesExport settings for every YouTube surface.
Questions
What is the best resolution for YouTube?
1920×1080 at minimum. Uploading at 1440p or 4K gets a higher-quality encode, so it looks sharper even on 1080p screens.
What aspect ratio does YouTube use?
16:9 for normal videos and 9:16 for Shorts.
What bitrate should I export at?
For 1080p at 30 fps, about 8 Mbps; at 60 fps, about 12 Mbps. See the table for other sizes.