Deciphering the Code: Understanding What ‘Unlisted’ On YouTube Means

Complete Guide: What Does Unlisted Mean on YouTube

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Whether personal or professional purposes, YouTube is a great platform for sharing videos but, there are times, when you don’t wish to share it with each and everyone across the globe. The YouTube unlisted meaning is a video which can be viewed only by the users having the link to it. At the back of your mind, you may be wondering how safe an unlisted video is. Let’s learn in detail what does unlisted mean on YouTube.

• Part 1: What is Unlisted Video on YouTube
• Part 2: How to Make YouTube Videos Unlisted
• Part 3: How to Share Unlisted Video

Wondershare Filmora video editor is one of the most widely used video editing software for YouTubers, it makes the video editing simplified with the pre-programmed effects and templates. You can download the free trial version to check.

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Part 1: What Does Unlisted Video Mean on YouTube

The YouTube unlisted meaning is that your video will neither come up in the search results nor on your channel. Only the users who have the link to the video can view it. The link can be shared with anyone and everyone, even with the users who do not have a YouTube account. Many people don’t know the difference between private and unlisted YouTube videos . In order to understand what does unlisted mean on YouTube in a detailed way, let’s dive deeper into it and know the difference between public videos, unlisted videos, and private videos.

1. What is Unlisted YouTube Video

Between private and public, you can find the unlisted videos. What does unlisted mean on YouTube? An unlisted video does not appear in the search results, suggestions or video tab. If you unlist a new video, your subscribers won’t receive any notification informing about it. You can share an unlisted video with the people you wish to share and the users having a link to the video can see it. It can also be viewed by the friend of friends if they share the link with their friends.

The unlisted videos are treated like public videos by YouTube. This means that you cannot use the copyright audio or video and it will be reviewed by the YouTube team if other users flag it as inappropriate content within a timeframe of 24-hours .

What Unlisted YouTube Videos Can Do

The unlisted videos can be shared with family and friends. If you are conducting a webinar and wish to share the video with only the registered users, an unlisted video can be used. You may also use the unlisted video for giving access to the people who embedded it while cleaning the YouTube page. For getting feedback from closed groups for market research or to share online resume link for job applications, the unlisted videos can be of great help.

Takeaway: Unlisted videos are a great way to share personal videos with just your family and friends, or to get feedback from people you trust on videos before you decide whether to make them public.

2. What is Private YouTube Video

The videos that do not appear in the recommendations, search options in YouTube or in your tab are the private videos. When you select the private setting for a video, the subscribers don’t get a notification. The private videos can be seen only by the uploader and the mentioned Google accounts. It is not available for friends of friends which mean if you share a private video with a friend, only that person can see it. If your friend shares it with someone, it won’t be visible to others. If anyone wishes to view a private video, the person has to request permission to view to the uploader.

What Private Youtube Videos Can Do

By using private YouTube videos, the internal company information can be kept confidential, the family videos can be shared safely with the people you wish to, and also store your personal data without worrying about being hacked by the strangers. By choosing the private setting, you may upload and schedule the date and time when a video can be made public on YouTube. It helps in saving storage space on your phone.

Takeaway: A private YouTube video is only available to YouTube users that you invite to view it.

3. What are Public Youtube Videos

The Public setting in the YouTube video is a default setting which allows everyone to see the video you post. When you want your video to appear in the search engine results and want more and more viewers and traffic on your video, you can keep the Public default setting on.

What Public YouTube Videos Can Do

Do you wish to grow your brand awareness? Select the Public default setting as it is the best way to do it. You may use the Public setting in any of these situations below:

• Having a video sharing business like explainer videos, product reviews, commercials, etc. with customers or prospective viewers
• Targeting at earning money through YouTube videos
• Looking forward to the growing personal brand by a YouTuber
• Looking for more and more subscribers on YouTube

But, you must remember that once you post the video, it will be available for everyone throughout the world on YouTube. Even if you decide to change the settings or delete the video, later on, you will be subjected to judgment, professionally and personally. While posting a video with Public setting, you must have an answer to questions like-

• Shall the senior or your boss see this video?
• Can your job prospect hamper with this video?
• Does the video contain harassing or offensive content?
• Can your friends ridicule you after seeing the video content?

If all the questions are answered in YES… then it is better to think hard and long before uploading the video content with Public setting on YouTube. You may upload the content with unlisted or private settings.

Takeaway: If you make a video public, anyone will be able to find and watch it. When uploading a video using default settings through YouTube, it will always default to being a public video.

Below is a brief comparison table about the differences among YouTube Unlisted, Private and Public video settings.

Feature	Unlisted	Private	Public
Can I share video URL to friends?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I add video to YouTube channel?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I shows up video in YouTube platform?	No	No	Yes
Can I post video on my channel?	No	No	Yes
Can I leave a comment?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I see it in landing page?	Yes	No	Yes
Do People need an account to watch it?	No	No	Yes

Part 2: How to Make an Unlisted YouTube Video

Follow the below-mentioned steps to make an unlisted YouTube video -

• Log in to your YouTube channel
• In the top right corner, click the add video button
• Find the drop-down menu and choose Upload Video
• Select the setting by clicking on Public and a drop-down menu appears to unlisted
• Search the instruction select files to upload your video
• When you start uploading your video, a message box appears, Click Public on the right side corner and select unlisted from the drop-down menu
• Once you have selected unlisted, click Done in the top right corner and your video is published

Part 3: How to Share Your Unlisted Video

If you wish to share the unlisted video , just share the published video link with anyone you wish to share. A Google account is not required to see the video. So, if the person you shared the link with is not logged in to his Google account, still the video can be viewed. The people who have the link to your video can also share and re-share the link in a number of ways. It can be shared on the social media or just forwarded amongst their friends. But, if you don’t want your friends to re-share it, change the settings to Private.

You can see a message showing “this video is unlisted” on YouTube when you want to share someone else’s unlisted video on social platforms. Think before you consider sharing an unlisted video.

Conclusion

Now, that you clearly know what does unlisted mean on YouTube, consider the option while uploading a video. It helps in retaining the privacy of your video.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Whether personal or professional purposes, YouTube is a great platform for sharing videos but, there are times, when you don’t wish to share it with each and everyone across the globe. The YouTube unlisted meaning is a video which can be viewed only by the users having the link to it. At the back of your mind, you may be wondering how safe an unlisted video is. Let’s learn in detail what does unlisted mean on YouTube.

• Part 1: What is Unlisted Video on YouTube
• Part 2: How to Make YouTube Videos Unlisted
• Part 3: How to Share Unlisted Video

Wondershare Filmora video editor is one of the most widely used video editing software for YouTubers, it makes the video editing simplified with the pre-programmed effects and templates. You can download the free trial version to check.

---

Part 1: What Does Unlisted Video Mean on YouTube

The YouTube unlisted meaning is that your video will neither come up in the search results nor on your channel. Only the users who have the link to the video can view it. The link can be shared with anyone and everyone, even with the users who do not have a YouTube account. Many people don’t know the difference between private and unlisted YouTube videos . In order to understand what does unlisted mean on YouTube in a detailed way, let’s dive deeper into it and know the difference between public videos, unlisted videos, and private videos.

1. What is Unlisted YouTube Video

Between private and public, you can find the unlisted videos. What does unlisted mean on YouTube? An unlisted video does not appear in the search results, suggestions or video tab. If you unlist a new video, your subscribers won’t receive any notification informing about it. You can share an unlisted video with the people you wish to share and the users having a link to the video can see it. It can also be viewed by the friend of friends if they share the link with their friends.

The unlisted videos are treated like public videos by YouTube. This means that you cannot use the copyright audio or video and it will be reviewed by the YouTube team if other users flag it as inappropriate content within a timeframe of 24-hours .

What Unlisted YouTube Videos Can Do

The unlisted videos can be shared with family and friends. If you are conducting a webinar and wish to share the video with only the registered users, an unlisted video can be used. You may also use the unlisted video for giving access to the people who embedded it while cleaning the YouTube page. For getting feedback from closed groups for market research or to share online resume link for job applications, the unlisted videos can be of great help.

Takeaway: Unlisted videos are a great way to share personal videos with just your family and friends, or to get feedback from people you trust on videos before you decide whether to make them public.

2. What is Private YouTube Video

The videos that do not appear in the recommendations, search options in YouTube or in your tab are the private videos. When you select the private setting for a video, the subscribers don’t get a notification. The private videos can be seen only by the uploader and the mentioned Google accounts. It is not available for friends of friends which mean if you share a private video with a friend, only that person can see it. If your friend shares it with someone, it won’t be visible to others. If anyone wishes to view a private video, the person has to request permission to view to the uploader.

What Private Youtube Videos Can Do

By using private YouTube videos, the internal company information can be kept confidential, the family videos can be shared safely with the people you wish to, and also store your personal data without worrying about being hacked by the strangers. By choosing the private setting, you may upload and schedule the date and time when a video can be made public on YouTube. It helps in saving storage space on your phone.

Takeaway: A private YouTube video is only available to YouTube users that you invite to view it.

3. What are Public Youtube Videos

The Public setting in the YouTube video is a default setting which allows everyone to see the video you post. When you want your video to appear in the search engine results and want more and more viewers and traffic on your video, you can keep the Public default setting on.

What Public YouTube Videos Can Do

Do you wish to grow your brand awareness? Select the Public default setting as it is the best way to do it. You may use the Public setting in any of these situations below:

• Having a video sharing business like explainer videos, product reviews, commercials, etc. with customers or prospective viewers
• Targeting at earning money through YouTube videos
• Looking forward to the growing personal brand by a YouTuber
• Looking for more and more subscribers on YouTube

But, you must remember that once you post the video, it will be available for everyone throughout the world on YouTube. Even if you decide to change the settings or delete the video, later on, you will be subjected to judgment, professionally and personally. While posting a video with Public setting, you must have an answer to questions like-

• Shall the senior or your boss see this video?
• Can your job prospect hamper with this video?
• Does the video contain harassing or offensive content?
• Can your friends ridicule you after seeing the video content?

If all the questions are answered in YES… then it is better to think hard and long before uploading the video content with Public setting on YouTube. You may upload the content with unlisted or private settings.

Takeaway: If you make a video public, anyone will be able to find and watch it. When uploading a video using default settings through YouTube, it will always default to being a public video.

Below is a brief comparison table about the differences among YouTube Unlisted, Private and Public video settings.

Feature	Unlisted	Private	Public
Can I share video URL to friends?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I add video to YouTube channel?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I shows up video in YouTube platform?	No	No	Yes
Can I post video on my channel?	No	No	Yes
Can I leave a comment?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I see it in landing page?	Yes	No	Yes
Do People need an account to watch it?	No	No	Yes

Part 2: How to Make an Unlisted YouTube Video

Follow the below-mentioned steps to make an unlisted YouTube video -

• Log in to your YouTube channel
• In the top right corner, click the add video button
• Find the drop-down menu and choose Upload Video
• Select the setting by clicking on Public and a drop-down menu appears to unlisted
• Search the instruction select files to upload your video
• When you start uploading your video, a message box appears, Click Public on the right side corner and select unlisted from the drop-down menu
• Once you have selected unlisted, click Done in the top right corner and your video is published

Part 3: How to Share Your Unlisted Video

If you wish to share the unlisted video , just share the published video link with anyone you wish to share. A Google account is not required to see the video. So, if the person you shared the link with is not logged in to his Google account, still the video can be viewed. The people who have the link to your video can also share and re-share the link in a number of ways. It can be shared on the social media or just forwarded amongst their friends. But, if you don’t want your friends to re-share it, change the settings to Private.

You can see a message showing “this video is unlisted” on YouTube when you want to share someone else’s unlisted video on social platforms. Think before you consider sharing an unlisted video.

Conclusion

Now, that you clearly know what does unlisted mean on YouTube, consider the option while uploading a video. It helps in retaining the privacy of your video.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Whether personal or professional purposes, YouTube is a great platform for sharing videos but, there are times, when you don’t wish to share it with each and everyone across the globe. The YouTube unlisted meaning is a video which can be viewed only by the users having the link to it. At the back of your mind, you may be wondering how safe an unlisted video is. Let’s learn in detail what does unlisted mean on YouTube.

• Part 1: What is Unlisted Video on YouTube
• Part 2: How to Make YouTube Videos Unlisted
• Part 3: How to Share Unlisted Video

Wondershare Filmora video editor is one of the most widely used video editing software for YouTubers, it makes the video editing simplified with the pre-programmed effects and templates. You can download the free trial version to check.

---

Part 1: What Does Unlisted Video Mean on YouTube

The YouTube unlisted meaning is that your video will neither come up in the search results nor on your channel. Only the users who have the link to the video can view it. The link can be shared with anyone and everyone, even with the users who do not have a YouTube account. Many people don’t know the difference between private and unlisted YouTube videos . In order to understand what does unlisted mean on YouTube in a detailed way, let’s dive deeper into it and know the difference between public videos, unlisted videos, and private videos.

1. What is Unlisted YouTube Video

Between private and public, you can find the unlisted videos. What does unlisted mean on YouTube? An unlisted video does not appear in the search results, suggestions or video tab. If you unlist a new video, your subscribers won’t receive any notification informing about it. You can share an unlisted video with the people you wish to share and the users having a link to the video can see it. It can also be viewed by the friend of friends if they share the link with their friends.

The unlisted videos are treated like public videos by YouTube. This means that you cannot use the copyright audio or video and it will be reviewed by the YouTube team if other users flag it as inappropriate content within a timeframe of 24-hours .

What Unlisted YouTube Videos Can Do

The unlisted videos can be shared with family and friends. If you are conducting a webinar and wish to share the video with only the registered users, an unlisted video can be used. You may also use the unlisted video for giving access to the people who embedded it while cleaning the YouTube page. For getting feedback from closed groups for market research or to share online resume link for job applications, the unlisted videos can be of great help.

Takeaway: Unlisted videos are a great way to share personal videos with just your family and friends, or to get feedback from people you trust on videos before you decide whether to make them public.

2. What is Private YouTube Video

The videos that do not appear in the recommendations, search options in YouTube or in your tab are the private videos. When you select the private setting for a video, the subscribers don’t get a notification. The private videos can be seen only by the uploader and the mentioned Google accounts. It is not available for friends of friends which mean if you share a private video with a friend, only that person can see it. If your friend shares it with someone, it won’t be visible to others. If anyone wishes to view a private video, the person has to request permission to view to the uploader.

What Private Youtube Videos Can Do

By using private YouTube videos, the internal company information can be kept confidential, the family videos can be shared safely with the people you wish to, and also store your personal data without worrying about being hacked by the strangers. By choosing the private setting, you may upload and schedule the date and time when a video can be made public on YouTube. It helps in saving storage space on your phone.

Takeaway: A private YouTube video is only available to YouTube users that you invite to view it.

3. What are Public Youtube Videos

The Public setting in the YouTube video is a default setting which allows everyone to see the video you post. When you want your video to appear in the search engine results and want more and more viewers and traffic on your video, you can keep the Public default setting on.

What Public YouTube Videos Can Do

Do you wish to grow your brand awareness? Select the Public default setting as it is the best way to do it. You may use the Public setting in any of these situations below:

• Having a video sharing business like explainer videos, product reviews, commercials, etc. with customers or prospective viewers
• Targeting at earning money through YouTube videos
• Looking forward to the growing personal brand by a YouTuber
• Looking for more and more subscribers on YouTube

But, you must remember that once you post the video, it will be available for everyone throughout the world on YouTube. Even if you decide to change the settings or delete the video, later on, you will be subjected to judgment, professionally and personally. While posting a video with Public setting, you must have an answer to questions like-

• Shall the senior or your boss see this video?
• Can your job prospect hamper with this video?
• Does the video contain harassing or offensive content?
• Can your friends ridicule you after seeing the video content?

If all the questions are answered in YES… then it is better to think hard and long before uploading the video content with Public setting on YouTube. You may upload the content with unlisted or private settings.

Takeaway: If you make a video public, anyone will be able to find and watch it. When uploading a video using default settings through YouTube, it will always default to being a public video.

Below is a brief comparison table about the differences among YouTube Unlisted, Private and Public video settings.

Feature	Unlisted	Private	Public
Can I share video URL to friends?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I add video to YouTube channel?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I shows up video in YouTube platform?	No	No	Yes
Can I post video on my channel?	No	No	Yes
Can I leave a comment?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I see it in landing page?	Yes	No	Yes
Do People need an account to watch it?	No	No	Yes

Part 2: How to Make an Unlisted YouTube Video

Follow the below-mentioned steps to make an unlisted YouTube video -

• Log in to your YouTube channel
• In the top right corner, click the add video button
• Find the drop-down menu and choose Upload Video
• Select the setting by clicking on Public and a drop-down menu appears to unlisted
• Search the instruction select files to upload your video
• When you start uploading your video, a message box appears, Click Public on the right side corner and select unlisted from the drop-down menu
• Once you have selected unlisted, click Done in the top right corner and your video is published

Part 3: How to Share Your Unlisted Video

If you wish to share the unlisted video , just share the published video link with anyone you wish to share. A Google account is not required to see the video. So, if the person you shared the link with is not logged in to his Google account, still the video can be viewed. The people who have the link to your video can also share and re-share the link in a number of ways. It can be shared on the social media or just forwarded amongst their friends. But, if you don’t want your friends to re-share it, change the settings to Private.

You can see a message showing “this video is unlisted” on YouTube when you want to share someone else’s unlisted video on social platforms. Think before you consider sharing an unlisted video.

Conclusion

Now, that you clearly know what does unlisted mean on YouTube, consider the option while uploading a video. It helps in retaining the privacy of your video.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Whether personal or professional purposes, YouTube is a great platform for sharing videos but, there are times, when you don’t wish to share it with each and everyone across the globe. The YouTube unlisted meaning is a video which can be viewed only by the users having the link to it. At the back of your mind, you may be wondering how safe an unlisted video is. Let’s learn in detail what does unlisted mean on YouTube.

• Part 1: What is Unlisted Video on YouTube
• Part 2: How to Make YouTube Videos Unlisted
• Part 3: How to Share Unlisted Video

Wondershare Filmora video editor is one of the most widely used video editing software for YouTubers, it makes the video editing simplified with the pre-programmed effects and templates. You can download the free trial version to check.

---

Part 1: What Does Unlisted Video Mean on YouTube

The YouTube unlisted meaning is that your video will neither come up in the search results nor on your channel. Only the users who have the link to the video can view it. The link can be shared with anyone and everyone, even with the users who do not have a YouTube account. Many people don’t know the difference between private and unlisted YouTube videos . In order to understand what does unlisted mean on YouTube in a detailed way, let’s dive deeper into it and know the difference between public videos, unlisted videos, and private videos.

1. What is Unlisted YouTube Video

Between private and public, you can find the unlisted videos. What does unlisted mean on YouTube? An unlisted video does not appear in the search results, suggestions or video tab. If you unlist a new video, your subscribers won’t receive any notification informing about it. You can share an unlisted video with the people you wish to share and the users having a link to the video can see it. It can also be viewed by the friend of friends if they share the link with their friends.

The unlisted videos are treated like public videos by YouTube. This means that you cannot use the copyright audio or video and it will be reviewed by the YouTube team if other users flag it as inappropriate content within a timeframe of 24-hours .

What Unlisted YouTube Videos Can Do

The unlisted videos can be shared with family and friends. If you are conducting a webinar and wish to share the video with only the registered users, an unlisted video can be used. You may also use the unlisted video for giving access to the people who embedded it while cleaning the YouTube page. For getting feedback from closed groups for market research or to share online resume link for job applications, the unlisted videos can be of great help.

Takeaway: Unlisted videos are a great way to share personal videos with just your family and friends, or to get feedback from people you trust on videos before you decide whether to make them public.

2. What is Private YouTube Video

The videos that do not appear in the recommendations, search options in YouTube or in your tab are the private videos. When you select the private setting for a video, the subscribers don’t get a notification. The private videos can be seen only by the uploader and the mentioned Google accounts. It is not available for friends of friends which mean if you share a private video with a friend, only that person can see it. If your friend shares it with someone, it won’t be visible to others. If anyone wishes to view a private video, the person has to request permission to view to the uploader.

What Private Youtube Videos Can Do

By using private YouTube videos, the internal company information can be kept confidential, the family videos can be shared safely with the people you wish to, and also store your personal data without worrying about being hacked by the strangers. By choosing the private setting, you may upload and schedule the date and time when a video can be made public on YouTube. It helps in saving storage space on your phone.

Takeaway: A private YouTube video is only available to YouTube users that you invite to view it.

3. What are Public Youtube Videos

The Public setting in the YouTube video is a default setting which allows everyone to see the video you post. When you want your video to appear in the search engine results and want more and more viewers and traffic on your video, you can keep the Public default setting on.

What Public YouTube Videos Can Do

Do you wish to grow your brand awareness? Select the Public default setting as it is the best way to do it. You may use the Public setting in any of these situations below:

• Having a video sharing business like explainer videos, product reviews, commercials, etc. with customers or prospective viewers
• Targeting at earning money through YouTube videos
• Looking forward to the growing personal brand by a YouTuber
• Looking for more and more subscribers on YouTube

But, you must remember that once you post the video, it will be available for everyone throughout the world on YouTube. Even if you decide to change the settings or delete the video, later on, you will be subjected to judgment, professionally and personally. While posting a video with Public setting, you must have an answer to questions like-

• Shall the senior or your boss see this video?
• Can your job prospect hamper with this video?
• Does the video contain harassing or offensive content?
• Can your friends ridicule you after seeing the video content?

If all the questions are answered in YES… then it is better to think hard and long before uploading the video content with Public setting on YouTube. You may upload the content with unlisted or private settings.

Takeaway: If you make a video public, anyone will be able to find and watch it. When uploading a video using default settings through YouTube, it will always default to being a public video.

Below is a brief comparison table about the differences among YouTube Unlisted, Private and Public video settings.

Feature	Unlisted	Private	Public
Can I share video URL to friends?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I add video to YouTube channel?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I shows up video in YouTube platform?	No	No	Yes
Can I post video on my channel?	No	No	Yes
Can I leave a comment?	Yes	No	Yes
Can I see it in landing page?	Yes	No	Yes
Do People need an account to watch it?	No	No	Yes

Part 2: How to Make an Unlisted YouTube Video

Follow the below-mentioned steps to make an unlisted YouTube video -

• Log in to your YouTube channel
• In the top right corner, click the add video button
• Find the drop-down menu and choose Upload Video
• Select the setting by clicking on Public and a drop-down menu appears to unlisted
• Search the instruction select files to upload your video
• When you start uploading your video, a message box appears, Click Public on the right side corner and select unlisted from the drop-down menu
• Once you have selected unlisted, click Done in the top right corner and your video is published

Part 3: How to Share Your Unlisted Video

If you wish to share the unlisted video , just share the published video link with anyone you wish to share. A Google account is not required to see the video. So, if the person you shared the link with is not logged in to his Google account, still the video can be viewed. The people who have the link to your video can also share and re-share the link in a number of ways. It can be shared on the social media or just forwarded amongst their friends. But, if you don’t want your friends to re-share it, change the settings to Private.

You can see a message showing “this video is unlisted” on YouTube when you want to share someone else’s unlisted video on social platforms. Think before you consider sharing an unlisted video.

Conclusion

Now, that you clearly know what does unlisted mean on YouTube, consider the option while uploading a video. It helps in retaining the privacy of your video.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

The Essential Guide to Professional Thumbnail Dimensions for YouTube

Best YouTube Thumbnail Size You Should Know[The Ultimate Guide]

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Around 300 hours of video is uploaded to Youtube in every single minute. Then content creators need to be more innovative and creative than others in the market. A thumbnail is worth a thousand words that show its real meaning in the case where every month YouTube records a whopping 2 billion active users. To create an impressive and tempting thumbnail, you should set a perfect youtube thumbnail size first.

So you may be wondering what the best youtube thumbnail size is, and how to create a attractive thumbnail for your YouTube videos? Don’t worry I’ll explain everything here. You will learn:

• Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of YouTube Thumbnail Size
• Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail to Your Video
• Part 3: Q&A– About Creating YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of Youtube Thumbnail Size

Every content creator needs to select the right youtube thumbnail size for any given video.

1. What’s the Best YouTube Thumbnail Size(Dimensions)?

According to the YouTube guidelines , the best-suited youtube thumbnail size is 1280x720 pixels with a minimum pixel width of 640 pixels. Also, the custom thumbnail image must be as large as possible as it will be utilized as a preview image in the embedded player.

2. What Are the Compatible Formats for YouTube Thumbnail Image?

The recommended thumbnail image formats are .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP

3. What’s the Maximum YouTube Thumbnail Size?

The maximum YouTube thumbnail size must be below 2MB. Keeping the limit in mind design your thumbnail image as high-resolution as possible. This will ensure your custom thumbnail doesn’t get rejected by YouTube.

4. What’s the Recommended Aspect Ratio of YouTube Thumbnail?

Usually, the 16:9 ratio is deemed an ideal choice for any YouTube video aiming high view volume. As it is most widely used in YouTube players and previews.

Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail

With a verified account, you can upload custom thumbnail on new videos as well as change the thumbnail of uploaded videos.

1. For New Video

YouTube makes it very simple and easy for any content creator to publish custom YouTube thumbnail on their video while uploading the video onto the platform. Here’s the method to do so:

• Upload your desired video to YouTube in the Upload section.

• When your upload to the YouTube is completed a section will appear at the down portion of the browser screen showing Video Thumbnails. Here YouTube automatically creates some thumbnail images from your uploaded video and shows them here. These are the screenshots from your video, and you can select any one of them to be your thumbnail.

• You will be able to see a button right next to the image – Custom thumbnail. Click on the button and you can upload a set of images of your choice as the thumbnail of your video.
• Once done you can see the custom image just uploaded as the thumbnail of your video.

• If you want to update the image or change it with another one you can just click on the same image in the video thumbnail section and swap it with any other image.

2. For Already Uploaded Video

To change the thumbnail on an already uploaded video you need to follow these steps:

• Sign in to YouTube Studio associated with your YouTube channel.
• From the menu go to Videos and then select the video you want to upload a custom thumbnail to via its title or thumbnail

• Now in the thumbnail section if you already haven’t uploaded a custom thumbnail, click Custom thumbnail.
• Select your intended thumbnail file and click Save.

Part 3: Q&A– About YouTube Thumbnail Images

You may want to know:

• Question 1: How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?
• Question 2: How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

1. How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?

YouTube will not allow you to upload a custom thumbnail image if it is bigger than the 2MB limit. So, you need to make sure the file size is below the limit to be able to successfully upload a custom thumbnail. To reduce the image size you can follow the steps below:

• 1. Open Microsoft Paint and open the thumbnail image that is above 2MB size
• 2. Now go to the File menu and click Save as then select JPEG picture
• 3. Select the location you want the file to be saved to
• 4. The thumbnail picture will be reduced to Kilobytes only while maintaining the image quality

2. How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

Utilizing online platforms and software tools to make your thumbnail image informative and attractive can potentially increase your views and traffic. You can use any advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio, or Canva to create an aspiring and luring image that will get more views on YouTube just because of the thumbnail image. Here we will show you how to do it with Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio and Canva:

1. Try Wondershare Filmora>>

Wondershare Filmora is an outstanding tool if you want to make a perfect thumbnail image. Consider and optimize your thumbnail for mobile devices to offer the best experience to your users on every possible device. Make it stand out as the thumbnail can be the very first thing that might attract a viewer.

Let’s see how you can create your thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora:

2. Try Wondershare PixStudio>>

Wondershare PixStudio provides you massive pre-designed templates which help you to create attractive YouTube Thumbnail. Let’s see the video below and see how you can design your YouTube Thumbnail easily.

3. Try Canva>>

With Canva you can make a distinct and stand-out YouTube thumbnail image. Canva hosts a number of readymade designs that you can use to design and customize it for your use.

Note:

To download the image without the watermark you’ll need to sign-up for a premium account on the Canva.

To sum up

YouTube thumbnail plays an important part for the audience’s first impression on your video. And it is of essential essence as it can attract more viewers to your content. So you should get the right youtube thumbnail size before you start customing your thumbnail. We’ve gone through all the detailed requirements of youtube thumbnail size and how to make the best thumbnail by using the best software solutions. Please leave your comments below if any suggestions. We’d love to hear them!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Around 300 hours of video is uploaded to Youtube in every single minute. Then content creators need to be more innovative and creative than others in the market. A thumbnail is worth a thousand words that show its real meaning in the case where every month YouTube records a whopping 2 billion active users. To create an impressive and tempting thumbnail, you should set a perfect youtube thumbnail size first.

So you may be wondering what the best youtube thumbnail size is, and how to create a attractive thumbnail for your YouTube videos? Don’t worry I’ll explain everything here. You will learn:

• Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of YouTube Thumbnail Size
• Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail to Your Video
• Part 3: Q&A– About Creating YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of Youtube Thumbnail Size

Every content creator needs to select the right youtube thumbnail size for any given video.

1. What’s the Best YouTube Thumbnail Size(Dimensions)?

According to the YouTube guidelines , the best-suited youtube thumbnail size is 1280x720 pixels with a minimum pixel width of 640 pixels. Also, the custom thumbnail image must be as large as possible as it will be utilized as a preview image in the embedded player.

2. What Are the Compatible Formats for YouTube Thumbnail Image?

The recommended thumbnail image formats are .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP

3. What’s the Maximum YouTube Thumbnail Size?

The maximum YouTube thumbnail size must be below 2MB. Keeping the limit in mind design your thumbnail image as high-resolution as possible. This will ensure your custom thumbnail doesn’t get rejected by YouTube.

4. What’s the Recommended Aspect Ratio of YouTube Thumbnail?

Usually, the 16:9 ratio is deemed an ideal choice for any YouTube video aiming high view volume. As it is most widely used in YouTube players and previews.

Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail

With a verified account, you can upload custom thumbnail on new videos as well as change the thumbnail of uploaded videos.

1. For New Video

YouTube makes it very simple and easy for any content creator to publish custom YouTube thumbnail on their video while uploading the video onto the platform. Here’s the method to do so:

• Upload your desired video to YouTube in the Upload section.

• When your upload to the YouTube is completed a section will appear at the down portion of the browser screen showing Video Thumbnails. Here YouTube automatically creates some thumbnail images from your uploaded video and shows them here. These are the screenshots from your video, and you can select any one of them to be your thumbnail.

• You will be able to see a button right next to the image – Custom thumbnail. Click on the button and you can upload a set of images of your choice as the thumbnail of your video.
• Once done you can see the custom image just uploaded as the thumbnail of your video.

• If you want to update the image or change it with another one you can just click on the same image in the video thumbnail section and swap it with any other image.

2. For Already Uploaded Video

To change the thumbnail on an already uploaded video you need to follow these steps:

• Sign in to YouTube Studio associated with your YouTube channel.
• From the menu go to Videos and then select the video you want to upload a custom thumbnail to via its title or thumbnail

• Now in the thumbnail section if you already haven’t uploaded a custom thumbnail, click Custom thumbnail.
• Select your intended thumbnail file and click Save.

Part 3: Q&A– About YouTube Thumbnail Images

You may want to know:

• Question 1: How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?
• Question 2: How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

1. How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?

YouTube will not allow you to upload a custom thumbnail image if it is bigger than the 2MB limit. So, you need to make sure the file size is below the limit to be able to successfully upload a custom thumbnail. To reduce the image size you can follow the steps below:

• 1. Open Microsoft Paint and open the thumbnail image that is above 2MB size
• 2. Now go to the File menu and click Save as then select JPEG picture
• 3. Select the location you want the file to be saved to
• 4. The thumbnail picture will be reduced to Kilobytes only while maintaining the image quality

2. How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

Utilizing online platforms and software tools to make your thumbnail image informative and attractive can potentially increase your views and traffic. You can use any advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio, or Canva to create an aspiring and luring image that will get more views on YouTube just because of the thumbnail image. Here we will show you how to do it with Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio and Canva:

1. Try Wondershare Filmora>>

Wondershare Filmora is an outstanding tool if you want to make a perfect thumbnail image. Consider and optimize your thumbnail for mobile devices to offer the best experience to your users on every possible device. Make it stand out as the thumbnail can be the very first thing that might attract a viewer.

Let’s see how you can create your thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora:

2. Try Wondershare PixStudio>>

Wondershare PixStudio provides you massive pre-designed templates which help you to create attractive YouTube Thumbnail. Let’s see the video below and see how you can design your YouTube Thumbnail easily.

3. Try Canva>>

With Canva you can make a distinct and stand-out YouTube thumbnail image. Canva hosts a number of readymade designs that you can use to design and customize it for your use.

Note:

To download the image without the watermark you’ll need to sign-up for a premium account on the Canva.

To sum up

YouTube thumbnail plays an important part for the audience’s first impression on your video. And it is of essential essence as it can attract more viewers to your content. So you should get the right youtube thumbnail size before you start customing your thumbnail. We’ve gone through all the detailed requirements of youtube thumbnail size and how to make the best thumbnail by using the best software solutions. Please leave your comments below if any suggestions. We’d love to hear them!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Around 300 hours of video is uploaded to Youtube in every single minute. Then content creators need to be more innovative and creative than others in the market. A thumbnail is worth a thousand words that show its real meaning in the case where every month YouTube records a whopping 2 billion active users. To create an impressive and tempting thumbnail, you should set a perfect youtube thumbnail size first.

So you may be wondering what the best youtube thumbnail size is, and how to create a attractive thumbnail for your YouTube videos? Don’t worry I’ll explain everything here. You will learn:

• Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of YouTube Thumbnail Size
• Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail to Your Video
• Part 3: Q&A– About Creating YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of Youtube Thumbnail Size

Every content creator needs to select the right youtube thumbnail size for any given video.

1. What’s the Best YouTube Thumbnail Size(Dimensions)?

According to the YouTube guidelines , the best-suited youtube thumbnail size is 1280x720 pixels with a minimum pixel width of 640 pixels. Also, the custom thumbnail image must be as large as possible as it will be utilized as a preview image in the embedded player.

2. What Are the Compatible Formats for YouTube Thumbnail Image?

The recommended thumbnail image formats are .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP

3. What’s the Maximum YouTube Thumbnail Size?

The maximum YouTube thumbnail size must be below 2MB. Keeping the limit in mind design your thumbnail image as high-resolution as possible. This will ensure your custom thumbnail doesn’t get rejected by YouTube.

4. What’s the Recommended Aspect Ratio of YouTube Thumbnail?

Usually, the 16:9 ratio is deemed an ideal choice for any YouTube video aiming high view volume. As it is most widely used in YouTube players and previews.

Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail

With a verified account, you can upload custom thumbnail on new videos as well as change the thumbnail of uploaded videos.

1. For New Video

YouTube makes it very simple and easy for any content creator to publish custom YouTube thumbnail on their video while uploading the video onto the platform. Here’s the method to do so:

• Upload your desired video to YouTube in the Upload section.

• When your upload to the YouTube is completed a section will appear at the down portion of the browser screen showing Video Thumbnails. Here YouTube automatically creates some thumbnail images from your uploaded video and shows them here. These are the screenshots from your video, and you can select any one of them to be your thumbnail.

• You will be able to see a button right next to the image – Custom thumbnail. Click on the button and you can upload a set of images of your choice as the thumbnail of your video.
• Once done you can see the custom image just uploaded as the thumbnail of your video.

• If you want to update the image or change it with another one you can just click on the same image in the video thumbnail section and swap it with any other image.

2. For Already Uploaded Video

To change the thumbnail on an already uploaded video you need to follow these steps:

• Sign in to YouTube Studio associated with your YouTube channel.
• From the menu go to Videos and then select the video you want to upload a custom thumbnail to via its title or thumbnail

• Now in the thumbnail section if you already haven’t uploaded a custom thumbnail, click Custom thumbnail.
• Select your intended thumbnail file and click Save.

Part 3: Q&A– About YouTube Thumbnail Images

You may want to know:

• Question 1: How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?
• Question 2: How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

1. How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?

YouTube will not allow you to upload a custom thumbnail image if it is bigger than the 2MB limit. So, you need to make sure the file size is below the limit to be able to successfully upload a custom thumbnail. To reduce the image size you can follow the steps below:

• 1. Open Microsoft Paint and open the thumbnail image that is above 2MB size
• 2. Now go to the File menu and click Save as then select JPEG picture
• 3. Select the location you want the file to be saved to
• 4. The thumbnail picture will be reduced to Kilobytes only while maintaining the image quality

2. How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

Utilizing online platforms and software tools to make your thumbnail image informative and attractive can potentially increase your views and traffic. You can use any advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio, or Canva to create an aspiring and luring image that will get more views on YouTube just because of the thumbnail image. Here we will show you how to do it with Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio and Canva:

1. Try Wondershare Filmora>>

Wondershare Filmora is an outstanding tool if you want to make a perfect thumbnail image. Consider and optimize your thumbnail for mobile devices to offer the best experience to your users on every possible device. Make it stand out as the thumbnail can be the very first thing that might attract a viewer.

Let’s see how you can create your thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora:

2. Try Wondershare PixStudio>>

Wondershare PixStudio provides you massive pre-designed templates which help you to create attractive YouTube Thumbnail. Let’s see the video below and see how you can design your YouTube Thumbnail easily.

3. Try Canva>>

With Canva you can make a distinct and stand-out YouTube thumbnail image. Canva hosts a number of readymade designs that you can use to design and customize it for your use.

Note:

To download the image without the watermark you’ll need to sign-up for a premium account on the Canva.

To sum up

YouTube thumbnail plays an important part for the audience’s first impression on your video. And it is of essential essence as it can attract more viewers to your content. So you should get the right youtube thumbnail size before you start customing your thumbnail. We’ve gone through all the detailed requirements of youtube thumbnail size and how to make the best thumbnail by using the best software solutions. Please leave your comments below if any suggestions. We’d love to hear them!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Around 300 hours of video is uploaded to Youtube in every single minute. Then content creators need to be more innovative and creative than others in the market. A thumbnail is worth a thousand words that show its real meaning in the case where every month YouTube records a whopping 2 billion active users. To create an impressive and tempting thumbnail, you should set a perfect youtube thumbnail size first.

So you may be wondering what the best youtube thumbnail size is, and how to create a attractive thumbnail for your YouTube videos? Don’t worry I’ll explain everything here. You will learn:

• Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of YouTube Thumbnail Size
• Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail to Your Video
• Part 3: Q&A– About Creating YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: The Ultimate Guide of Youtube Thumbnail Size

Every content creator needs to select the right youtube thumbnail size for any given video.

1. What’s the Best YouTube Thumbnail Size(Dimensions)?

According to the YouTube guidelines , the best-suited youtube thumbnail size is 1280x720 pixels with a minimum pixel width of 640 pixels. Also, the custom thumbnail image must be as large as possible as it will be utilized as a preview image in the embedded player.

2. What Are the Compatible Formats for YouTube Thumbnail Image?

The recommended thumbnail image formats are .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP

3. What’s the Maximum YouTube Thumbnail Size?

The maximum YouTube thumbnail size must be below 2MB. Keeping the limit in mind design your thumbnail image as high-resolution as possible. This will ensure your custom thumbnail doesn’t get rejected by YouTube.

4. What’s the Recommended Aspect Ratio of YouTube Thumbnail?

Usually, the 16:9 ratio is deemed an ideal choice for any YouTube video aiming high view volume. As it is most widely used in YouTube players and previews.

Part 2: Upload and Change a Custom YouTube Thumbnail

With a verified account, you can upload custom thumbnail on new videos as well as change the thumbnail of uploaded videos.

1. For New Video

YouTube makes it very simple and easy for any content creator to publish custom YouTube thumbnail on their video while uploading the video onto the platform. Here’s the method to do so:

• Upload your desired video to YouTube in the Upload section.

• When your upload to the YouTube is completed a section will appear at the down portion of the browser screen showing Video Thumbnails. Here YouTube automatically creates some thumbnail images from your uploaded video and shows them here. These are the screenshots from your video, and you can select any one of them to be your thumbnail.

• You will be able to see a button right next to the image – Custom thumbnail. Click on the button and you can upload a set of images of your choice as the thumbnail of your video.
• Once done you can see the custom image just uploaded as the thumbnail of your video.

• If you want to update the image or change it with another one you can just click on the same image in the video thumbnail section and swap it with any other image.

2. For Already Uploaded Video

To change the thumbnail on an already uploaded video you need to follow these steps:

• Sign in to YouTube Studio associated with your YouTube channel.
• From the menu go to Videos and then select the video you want to upload a custom thumbnail to via its title or thumbnail

• Now in the thumbnail section if you already haven’t uploaded a custom thumbnail, click Custom thumbnail.
• Select your intended thumbnail file and click Save.

Part 3: Q&A– About YouTube Thumbnail Images

You may want to know:

• Question 1: How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?
• Question 2: How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

1. How do I make my youtube thumbnail less than 2mb?

YouTube will not allow you to upload a custom thumbnail image if it is bigger than the 2MB limit. So, you need to make sure the file size is below the limit to be able to successfully upload a custom thumbnail. To reduce the image size you can follow the steps below:

• 1. Open Microsoft Paint and open the thumbnail image that is above 2MB size
• 2. Now go to the File menu and click Save as then select JPEG picture
• 3. Select the location you want the file to be saved to
• 4. The thumbnail picture will be reduced to Kilobytes only while maintaining the image quality

2. How can I create an attractive youtube thumbnail?

Utilizing online platforms and software tools to make your thumbnail image informative and attractive can potentially increase your views and traffic. You can use any advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio, or Canva to create an aspiring and luring image that will get more views on YouTube just because of the thumbnail image. Here we will show you how to do it with Wondershare Filmora, Wondershare PixStudio and Canva:

1. Try Wondershare Filmora>>

Wondershare Filmora is an outstanding tool if you want to make a perfect thumbnail image. Consider and optimize your thumbnail for mobile devices to offer the best experience to your users on every possible device. Make it stand out as the thumbnail can be the very first thing that might attract a viewer.

Let’s see how you can create your thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora:

2. Try Wondershare PixStudio>>

Wondershare PixStudio provides you massive pre-designed templates which help you to create attractive YouTube Thumbnail. Let’s see the video below and see how you can design your YouTube Thumbnail easily.

3. Try Canva>>

With Canva you can make a distinct and stand-out YouTube thumbnail image. Canva hosts a number of readymade designs that you can use to design and customize it for your use.

Note:

To download the image without the watermark you’ll need to sign-up for a premium account on the Canva.

To sum up

YouTube thumbnail plays an important part for the audience’s first impression on your video. And it is of essential essence as it can attract more viewers to your content. So you should get the right youtube thumbnail size before you start customing your thumbnail. We’ve gone through all the detailed requirements of youtube thumbnail size and how to make the best thumbnail by using the best software solutions. Please leave your comments below if any suggestions. We’d love to hear them!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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