{"id":59824,"date":"2021-09-13T08:40:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T15:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customthumbnails.com\/?p=59824"},"modified":"2021-08-31T08:41:53","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T15:41:53","slug":"how-to-enable-custom-thumbnails-on-youtube","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customthumbnails.com\/how-to-enable-custom-thumbnails-on-youtube\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Enable Custom Thumbnails on YouTube"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Custom thumbnails are a lot like a book cover or a sneak-peek for your YouTube video. They\u2019re often the first thing viewers see as they browse for something to watch and can make a major impact on whether or not they choose to click on your content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/vidiq.com\/blog\/post\/how-to-enable-custom-thumbnails-youtube\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enabling custom thumbnails for your YouTube channel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is one of the best (and easiest) things you can do when looking to grow your channel. Below are 5 easy steps to show you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gGeGx6GWiAU\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">how to enable custom thumbnails on all of your YouTube videos<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Access Your Settings<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Click on your channel icon in the top right-hand corner.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Click on the option that reads \u2018Creator Studio\u2019 or \u2018YouTube Studio\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the left-hand side, there is a menu of different options. Click on the one that says \u2018Channel\u2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This will bring you to a page that shows the status of different features available for your YouTube channel. Once these steps are complete, the box that reads \u2018Custom Thumbnails\u2019 should say that it\u2019s enabled!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Verify Your Account<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scroll to the top of the \u2018Channel\u2019 page. Under your channel icon, there is a blue \u2018Verify\u2019 button. Click on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the verification screen, select your country and choose if you\u2019d like to verify your account by phone call or text message.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube will call or text your provided phone number to give you a 6-digit verification code.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enter the verification code in the space provided and click submit.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Go back to the \u2018Channels\u2019 page and verify that the \u2018Custom Thumbnails\u2019 box now reads that it\u2019s enabled.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Add Custom Thumbnails to Existing Videos<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After signing into the YouTube\/ Creator Studio, click on \u2018Videos\u2019 from the menu on the left-hand side.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Select a video by clicking on the title or current thumbnail.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Under \u2018Thumbnail\u2019, select \u2018Custom Thumbnail\u2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Choose the file that you\u2019d like to use for your custom thumbnail and save.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Add Custom Thumbnails to New Uploads\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Select \u2018Upload\u2019 to upload a new video.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Under the \u2018Basic Information\u2019 tab, select the option to upload a custom thumbnail for your video.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0Add Custom Thumbnails to Livestream Videos<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Select \u2018Upload\u2019 and click on the option to \u2018Go Live\u2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the \u2018New Stream\u2019 screen, click on the option to \u2018Upload Custom Thumbnail\u2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why Custom Thumbnails are Critical to Your Success on YouTube<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creating and using custom thumbnails gives you<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kwsmdigital.com\/how-to-enable-custom-thumbnails-on-youtube\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> control of how you are presenting your content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to your current audience and your potential viewers. Instead of selecting a random image that is selected by YouTube from your video automatically, a custom thumbnail allows you to tell a colorful, informative, and direct visual story that can help entice someone to click on your video.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s important to keep in mind that although you have some incredible content, your audience won\u2019t know to click on it without presenting it in the best way possible. By taking the time to upload a custom thumbnail, you\u2019ll be able to increase the number of clicks on your video (often known as click through rates) by more than 100%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Custom thumbnails serve as a first-impression of your channel for new viewers. They also allow your video to stand out among the recommendations and other subscriptions that your current viewers are browsing through. Intentionally presenting viewers with an engaging thumbnail is the best way to build your channel and establish your brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Best Practices for Creating Custom Thumbnails<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When creating a custom thumbnail, a good rule of thumb to follow is to make your thumbnail image as large as possible, as it will be used as a preview image in YouTube\u2019s embedded player.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube recommends keeping in mind <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/72431?hl=en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the following characteristics when creating a custom thumbnail:<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Be uploaded as a JPG, GIF, or PNG.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have a resolution of 1280&#215;720 with a minimum width of 640 pixels.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remain under the 2MB limit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Using a 16:9 aspect ratio as it\u2019s the most widely used for YouTube players and previews.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">All custom thumbnails most follow YouTube\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/about\/policies\/#community-guidelines\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Community Guidelines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. These guidelines just state that custom thumbnails may not include anything considered hate speech, cannot portray anything violent or sexually provocative, as well as anything considered harmful or dangerous. Failure to follow those guidelines results in a strike on your account and the eventual removal of your ability to use custom thumbnails or account termination for repeat offenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Posting videos on YouTube is a great way to share engaging content and build brand awareness for your company. Don\u2019t let less-than-deal thumbnails get in the way of putting your best foot forward when it comes to presenting your content to your potential audience. By introducing your video in a meaningful and engaging way, your content is likely to get the attention and engagement that it deserves. Adding custom thumbnails to your YouTube videos is a great way to make a lasting first-impression for every video you create. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Custom thumbnails are a lot like a book cover or a sneak-peek for your YouTube video. They\u2019re often the first thing viewers see as they browse for something to watch and can make a major impact on whether or not they choose to click on your content.\u00a0 Enabling custom thumbnails for your YouTube channel is &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":150,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tutorials"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Enable Custom Thumbnails on YouTube - Custom Thumbnails<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thumbnails are the first thing viewers see as they browse for something to watch and can make a major impact on if they choose to click on your content.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/customthumbnails.com\/how-to-enable-custom-thumbnails-on-youtube\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Enable Custom Thumbnails on YouTube - 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