Free YouTube tool
YouTube Video and Image Size Checker
YouTube takes 256 GB and 12 hours per upload. The number that actually matters is 3 minutes, the line between a Short and an ordinary video.
Last updated: 2026-07-31
YouTube has the largest ceilings on this site by a distance: 256 GB per file or 12 hours of runtime, whichever you reach first. Uploads longer than 15 minutes need a verified account, and that is the one gate new channels hit.
Shorts are not a separate upload. A video becomes a Short automatically when it runs 3 minutes or less and is square or taller, which means a vertical cut running 3 minutes and 5 seconds quietly becomes a normal video and stops being eligible for the Shorts feed.
Thumbnails are the other limit worth knowing: 16:9, at least 640 pixels wide, up to 50 MB from a computer but only 2 MB from the YouTube mobile app. Drop a video or a thumbnail below and it is measured on your device.
Your file never leaves your browser. The dimensions are read on your device and nothing is uploaded to us.
Pick a file and every YouTube format is checked against it at once.
The full spec sheet is below, so you can read the numbers without uploading anything.
YouTube video and image specs
Every YouTube surface with its own limits, in one place. These are the platform ceilings, so an upload that clears them still has to clear whatever your publishing tool allows.
YouTube Short
| Max file size | 256 GB |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 second to 3 minutes |
| Recommended size | 1080 x 1920 |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 recommended, 1:2 to 1:1 accepted |
| File types | MP4, MOV, WEBM |
- There is no separate Short upload: a video becomes one automatically when it runs 3 minutes or less and is square or taller.
- The same 256 GB upload ceiling applies, so file size is never what stops a Short.
YouTube Standard video
| Max file size | 256 GB |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 second to 12 hours |
| Recommended size | 1920 x 1080 |
| Minimum size | 426 x 240 |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 recommended, 1:2 to 1.78:1 accepted |
| File types | MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, WEBM |
- 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever you reach first. Uploads longer than 15 minutes require a verified account.
- YouTube recommends roughly 8 Mbps for 1080p and 12 Mbps at 60 fps, and re-encodes everything on the way in.
YouTube Thumbnail
| Max file size | 50 MB |
|---|---|
| Recommended size | 3840 x 2160 |
| Minimum size | 640 pixels wide |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 only |
| File types | JPG, PNG |
- Setting the thumbnail from the YouTube mobile app caps it at 2 MB, against 50 MB from a computer, so export JPG if you plan to set it from your phone.
- Custom thumbnails need a verified YouTube account. When Postify publishes a video it sets your cover image as the thumbnail, fitted to 1280 pixels on the long edge and under 2 MB.
Specs verified 2026-07-31. Networks adjust these without announcing them, so re-check anything you are about to build a whole shoot around.
YouTube export tips
- Keep a vertical cut under 3 minutes if you want it in the Shorts feed. There is no setting for this, only the runtime and the shape.
- Export Shorts at 1080 x 1920. YouTube accepts square through vertical, but 9:16 is the only ratio that fills the Shorts player.
- Verify the channel before planning anything over 15 minutes. It takes a couple of minutes and it is the difference between an upload going through and being blocked.
- Save thumbnails as JPG if you set them from your phone. The mobile app caps a thumbnail at 2 MB, against 50 MB from a computer, and a detailed PNG passes 2 MB easily.
- Test thumbnail text at a small size. Search results show the thumbnail far smaller than you designed it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum video size on YouTube?
256 GB per file, or 12 hours of runtime, whichever comes first. Uploads longer than 15 minutes need a verified account, so that is the practical limit until you verify.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
3 minutes, and the video also has to be square or taller. Both conditions have to hold: a 4 minute vertical video is published as an ordinary video, not a Short.
What size should a YouTube Short be?
1080 x 1920 at 9:16. YouTube treats anything from 1:1 upwards as Short eligible, but only 9:16 fills the player without bars down either side.
What are the YouTube thumbnail requirements?
YouTube recommends 3840 x 2160 at 16:9, as a JPG or PNG at least 640 pixels wide. The cap is 50 MB from a computer and 2 MB from the mobile app, and custom thumbnails need a verified account.
What resolution should I upload to YouTube?
1920 x 1080 covers most channels. YouTube recommends roughly 8 Mbps for 1080p and 12 Mbps at 60 fps, and re-encodes everything on the way in, so the gain is in the source quality rather than in the upload size.
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